mark 5:1-20

[Amleto]

Can someone explain for me why there are what I presume to be jews looking after pigs?

Thanks a lot

Amleto

 

[Robert Sutherland]

Amleto:

High taxation resulted in many Jews being dispossed of their land in the first century. They were forced into employment by other farmer. Jesus' parable on the two sons (Luke 15:11:24) has an interesting take on one son feeding pigs.

 

[Amleto]

Amleto:

High taxation resulted in many Jews being dispossed of their land in the first century. They were forced into employment by other farmer. Jesus' parable on the two sons (Luke 15:11:24) has an interesting take on one son feeding pigs.

The point isn't feeding pigs, but what jews would be doing with pigs. Since the son went off to a distant country, the passage may not be relevant.

A

 

[Biarien]

Mk 5:1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.

I believe I read that this region was a gentile-inhabited region, so the person with the pigs is not Jewish. I don't believe it says anywhere in Mk 5:1-20 that the person is Jewish, so...

 

[Serapha]

Can someone explain for me why there are what I presume to be jews looking after pigs?

Thanks a lot

Amleto

Hi there!



The Sea of Galilee had an imaginary dividing line. The west side of the Galilee was Jewish, and the east side was Gentile. When you see a reference which says, "the other side", that would be the Gentile side of the Galilee.

Curing the demoniac is attributed to a location on the Galilee at Kursi, which Mendel Nun has a well-written article isolating the location by the evidence of the "slope" where the swine ran into the sea. "Pig farming" or raising swine requires a tremendous amount of water; therefore, the east of the Galilee was an ideal location.


BTW... the demoniac was considered to be the first missionary to the Gentiles resulting in the 4,000 people who were present for the second miracle of multiplication on the "other side" (Mark 8)

~serapha~

 

[Amleto]

ok, thanks