GADARA (gad'a-ra), (Gr. l'aaapct, gad-a-rahl.
(1) Gadara was the chief city or metropolis of Perxa, lying in the district termed Gadaritis, some small distance from the southern extremity of the sea of Galilee, sixty stadia from Tiberias, to the south of the river Hierornax, and also of the Scheriat-al-Mandhur (Joseph. Antiq. xiii :13, 3; Polyb. v :71, 3; Joseph. De Bell. _Ind. iv :8, 3; Plin. Hist. Nat. v:15). It was fortified, and stood on a hill of limestone. Its inhabitants were mostly heathens. Josephus says of it, in conjunction with Gaza and Hippos, 'they were Grecian cities' (Antiq. xvii:11, 4). After the place had been destroyed in the domestic quarrels of the Jews, it was re built by Pompey, in order to gratify Demetrius of Gadara, one of his freedmen (Joseph. De Bell.
i :7, 7). Augustus added Gadara, with other places, to the kingdom of Herod (Joseph. Aritiq. xv :7, 2) ; from which, on the death of that: prince, it was sundered, and joined to the province of Syria (Joseph. De Bell. Jud. ii:6, 3). At a later period it was the scat of an Episcopal See in Palxstina Secunda, whose bishops are named in the councils of Nice and Ephesus.
(2) Identification. There can be no doubt that we find Gadara in the present' village of Om-keis, or Un-keis.
The city formed nearly a square. The upper part of it stood on a level spot, and appears to have been walled all round, the acclivities of the hill being on all sides exceedingly steep. The
eastern gate of entrance has its porials still re maining. Among the ruins Buckingham found a theater, an Ionic temple, a second theater, be sides traces and remnants of streets and houses. The prevalent orders of architecture are the Ionic and the Corinthian.
Burckhardt also found near Gadara warm sul phurous springs. They were termed Thermx Helix, and were reckoned inferior only to those of Bake ( Euscb. Ononzast.) According to Epiphanius (Adv. Ila.res. i :13r) a yearly festival was held at these baths (Rcland, p. 775).
(3) Scene of a Miracle. Gadara is the scene of the miracle recorded in Matt. viii :28; Mark v :1 ; Luke viii :26. The text of the original narratives which record the cure of the Gad arene demoniac, or dcmoniacs (see DEMO NtAc), has more than its share of difficulty in regard to the name of thc locality where the GADI (adf), (Hcb. gaw-dee'. a Gadite), father of Menalicin, who deprived Shallum of the throne of Israel (2 Kings xv:14, 17), B. C. bcf. 741. GADITES (gad'itz), (1-leb. gaw-dee'), de scendants of Gad, the son of Jacob. Sec GAD. GAHAM (ga'harn), (lick gah' kham, to burn), son of Naltor (brother of Abraham), by his concubine Reumali (Gen. xxii:24), B. C. about 2200.