Day 10 - Jordan: Jerash

It's a LOT to take in! Coming into this trip we were told that Jerash was big. You can hear that all you want, you can see pictures, you can do a Google earth flyover and locate things but nothing can really prepare you for how big this ancient Roman city really is! A good principle used by scholars and archeologists to estimate population is to measure the capacity of the theater in the city and multiply it by 10. Jerash has two theaters. I cannot begin to accurately describe how big this city was! The kicker, only 15-20% has been excavated. Most of the city is now under modern buildings and homes but what we do have is incredible.

Before you even enter the city you pass through a gate that was constructed in Hadrian's honor. Citizens would pass through one of the smaller gates on either side, the center gate was reserved for people with higher standing in society. About a half mile down the road, after the hippodrome, you enter the gates of the actual city and stand before an expansive city square. There were at least two main roads that passed through the square as well as 4 other smaller roads. We can tell there were other smaller roads because of the larger gaps in the pillars at either end.

The city also contained 15 churches and two temples (Artemus and Zeus) that have been found. There is a waterfall along the city street that contains one of the rarest finds in antiquity; paint. The stones that were used to construct the fountain were previously covered with paint and there is still some remaining on one of the stones. A little bit of paint may not sound all that exciting but when you consider that it has been there for over 2,000 years I start to wonder what brand they used so that I can use the same stuff in our house and never have to paint again!

The theaters are impressive as well and the acoustics are mind boggling. A person can stand on the stage and give a presentation which can easily be heard by anyone in the theater. They may not have microphones but they used the technology that was available to them to great effect.

Jerash was part of what the Bible calls the Decapolis, a series of 10 Roman cities east of the Jordan. We know Jesus traveled in the area of the Decapolis and it is entirely possible that this is the area where he set the man free from a legion of demons (Mark 5).

While all of the sites we visited are incredible the more important thing is that they all connect to scriptures and to our lives as well. As we head home and return to our families, loved ones, routines, jobs, and all things familiar my prayer is that we are changed, closer to Jesus, and willing to share what He is doing in our lives with others. These trips are not vacation, they are powerful, eye-opening, and (in many ways) exhausting. But anything that brings us closer to Jesus and brings the scriptures to life is worth it.