to preach the “good news,” the apostle Paul spoke of himself as a “debtor” to all persons. (Rom. 1:14, 15) Gentile believers were, in effect, “debtors” to the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem because of having benefited spiritually from them. Therefore, it was only proper that they assist their poor Jewish brothers materially.—Rom. 15:26, 27.

DECALOGUE

See TEN WORDS.

DECAPOLIS

(De·capʹo·lis).

A league or confederation of ten cities (from Greek deʹka, meaning “ten,” and poʹlis, “city”). The name also applied to the region in which most of these cities were centered.—Matt. 4:25.

Following the conquest by Alexander the Great in 333-332 B.C.E., Greek colonies developed in Syria and Palestine, apparently settled by veterans from Alexander’s armies who were thereafter followed by Greek-speaking immigrants. In many cases these colonies grew on the sites of earlier Jewish towns, while in others they were built on fresh sites, particularly E of the Jordan River. They flourished during the rule of the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt, but the rise of the Maccabean-Jewish state (starting about 168 B.C.E.) greatly jeopardized their relatively independent position. While the populations of these cities doubtless included many Jews, still they were centers of Greek culture and organization and hence very much ‘out of step’ with the Maccabean aims. When Pompey conquered and reorganized Palestine in 64-63 B.C.E., these Hellenistic cities were given Roman protection and a favored status. They were allowed to mint their own coins and, to a great extent, exercise self-government, though still owing allegiance to Rome and to the Syrian provincial government and required to pay taxes and provide men for military service.

FORMATION OF THE LEAGUE

Likely sometime between Pompey’s conquest and the death of Herod the Great (1 B.C.E. or 1 C.E.) ten of these Hellenistic cities formed themselves into the loose federation known as the Decapolis. The motive underlying this union seems to have been a mutual interest in close trade relations and also defense against anti-Hellenistic forces within Palestine or aggressive nomadic tribes in the desert regions to the E. The term “Decapolis” first appears in the Christian Greek Scriptures and in the writings of Josephus and Pliny the Elder (both of the first century C.E.). Pliny, while acknowledging that some difference of opinion already existed, listed the following cities as among the original ten: Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha. Of these, only Scythopolis (Beth-shean) lay W of the Jordan. Due to the strategic position of the Valley of Esdraelon, it served as an important link with the Mediterranean coast and seaports. Damascus, far to the N in Syria, was evidently included because of its importance as a trade center. Philadelphia (ancient Rabbah, modern Amman) was the southernmost of the ten cities, only about 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) NE of the northern end of the Dead Sea. The remainder of the cities were in the fertile region of Gilead or neighboring Bashan. Most of them are believed to have been on or near the main roads of that region. Canatha is likely the Kenath of Numbers 32:42.

In the second century C.E., Ptolemy names eighteen cities as in the “Decapolis,” which may indicate that the name came to be used in a general way and the number of cities varied. Some authorities would put Abila, listed by Ptolemy, in place of Raphana as among the original ten. It seems evident, at any rate, that the Decapolis region did not have precisely defined boundaries and that the authority of the cities of the Decapolis did not embrace all the intervening territory but applied only within the district of each particular city.

JESUS’ MINISTRY AND THE DECAPOLIS

While people from the Decapolis were among the crowds that flocked to hear Jesus’ teaching in Galilee (Matt. 4:25), there is no specific mention of his having devoted time to any of its Hellenistic cities. Jesus did enter the region of Decapolis during his Galilean ministry when he crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes