Reference: Bethsaida
American
Place of fishing, 1. A city in Galilee, on the western shore of the lake of Gennesareth, a little north of Capernaum; it was the birthplace of the apostles Philip, Andrew, and Peter, and was often visited by our Lord, Mt 11:21; Mr 6:45; 8:22.
2. A city in Gaulonitis, north of the same lake, and east of the Jordan. Near this place Christ fed the five thousand. It lay on a gentle hill near the Jordan separated from the sea of Galilee by a plain three miles wide, of surpassing fertility, Lu 9:10. Compare Mt 14:13-22; Mr 6:31-45. This town was enlarged by Philip, tetrarch of that region, Lu 3:1, and called Julias in honor of Julia, the daughter of Augustus. It is now little but ruins.
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"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. read more. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." He said, "Bring them here to me," Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the multitudes. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the multitudes.
And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. read more. But many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, so they can go to the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" But he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, of hundreds and fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida.
Easton
house of fish.
(1.) A town in Galilee, on the west side of the sea of Tiberias, in the "land of Gennesaret." It was the native place of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and was frequently resorted to by Jesus (Mr 6:45; Joh 1:44; 12:21). It is supposed to have been at the modern 'Ain Tabighah, a bay to the north of Gennesaret.
(2.) A city near which Christ fed 5,000 (Lu 9:10; comp. Joh 6:17; Mt 14:15-21), and where the blind man had his sight restored (Mr 8:22), on the east side of the lake, two miles up the Jordan. It stood within the region of Gaulonitis, and was enlarged by Philip the tetrarch, who called it "Julias," after the emperor's daughter. Or, as some have supposed, there may have been but one Bethsaida built on both sides of the lake, near where the Jordan enters it. Now the ruins et-Tel.
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When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." read more. They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." He said, "Bring them here to me," Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the multitudes. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Fausets
("house of fish".) A city of Galilee, W. of and close to the sea of Tiberias, in the land of Gennesareth (Mr 6:45-53; Joh 6:16-17; 1:44; 12:21). Andrew, Peter, and Philip belonged to it, Near Capernaum and Chorazin (Mt 11:21; Lu 10:13). When Jesus fed the 5,000 on the N.E. of the lake, they entered into a boat to cross to Bethsaida (Mr 6:45), while John says" they went over the sea toward Capernaum." Being driven out of their course, Jesus came to them walking on the sea; they landed in Gennesaret and went to Capernaum; so that Bethsaida must have been near Capernaum.
In Lu 9:10-17 another Bethsaida, at the scene of feeding the 5,000, is mentioned (though the Curetonian Syriac and later Sinaitic omit it), which must have been therefore N.E. of the lake; the same as Julias, called from the emperor's daughter Julia. The miracle was wrought in a lonely "desert place," on a rising ground at the back of the town, covered with much "green grass" (Mr 6:39). In Mr 8:10-22 a Bethsaida on the E. side of the lake in Gaulonitis (now Jaulan) is alluded to; for Jesus passed by ship from Dalmanutha on the W. side "to the other side," i.e. to the E. side. Thus, Caesarea Philippi is mentioned presently after, Bethsaida being on the road to it; and the mount of the transfiguration, part of the Hermon range, above the source of the Jordan (Mr 9:2-3); the snow of Hermon suggested the image, "His raiment became white as snow."
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"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.
Then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had left them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And after he had left them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land.
When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land. And he saw the disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He was about to pass by them,
And he saw the disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;
but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid."
for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were completely amazed,
Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves, because their hearts were hardened.
for they had not understood about the loaves, because their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored there.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored there.
he immediately got into the boat with his disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
he immediately got into the boat with his disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him.
The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."
And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.
And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
And he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they discussed it with one another, saying, "It is because we have no bread."
And they discussed it with one another, saying, "It is because we have no bread." Being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
Being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve."
When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of pieces did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."
"And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of pieces did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
After six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
After six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling, exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth could bleach them.
and his clothes became dazzling, exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth could bleach them.
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida.
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. But when the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
But when the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go to the surrounding villages and country, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place."
Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go to the surrounding villages and country, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fishunless we go and buy food for all these people."
But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fishunless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each." And they did so, and made them all sit down.
And they did so, and made them all sit down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
They all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Hastings
A place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, whither Christ went after feeding the five thousand (Mr 6:45, cf. Lu 9:10), and where He healed a blind man (Mr 8:22); the home of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (Joh 1:44; 12:21). It was denounced by Christ for unbelief (Mt 11:21; Lu 10:13). The town was advanced by Philip the tetrarch from a village to the dignity of a city, and named Julias, in honour of C
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"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Morish
Bethsa'ida
This name signifies 'house of fish.'
1. BETHSAIDA OF GALILEE, a town from whence came Philip, Andrew, and Peter, Joh 1:44; 12:21; and against which the Lord pronounced a 'woe' because it had not repented at His mighty works. Mt 11:21; Lu 10:13. After the Lord had fed the 5,000 on the east of Jordan He sent His disciples to Bethsaida on the western shore. Mr 6:45. It was near the shore on the west of the Sea of Galilee, in the same locality as Capernaum and Chorazin: there are ruins in the district, but its exact situation cannot be identified.
2. BETHSAIDA JULIAS, a town near the N.E. corner of the same lake. A blind man was cured there, Mr 8:22; and near to it the 5,000 were fed, Lu 9:10-17: also related in Mt 14:13-21; Mr 6:31-44; Joh 6:1-14. It was called 'Julias,' because Philip the tetrarch enlarged the town, giving it the above name in honour of Julia, daughter of Augustus. It is identified by some with et Tell, 32 54' N, 35 37' E. A few rude houses and heaps of stones are all that mark the spot. (The context of the above passages shows that the events recorded could not have taken place at or near the Bethsaida on the west of the lake.)
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"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. read more. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." He said, "Bring them here to me," Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the multitudes. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. read more. But many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, so they can go to the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" But he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, of hundreds and fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
And when the apostles returned, they told him what they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. But when the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. read more. Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go to the surrounding villages and country, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fishunless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each." And they did so, and made them all sit down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. read more. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these people may eat?" But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each one of them to have a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, left over by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that Jesus did, they said, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Smith
Bethsa'ida
(house of fish) of Galilee,
Joh 12:21
a city which was the native place of Andrew, Peter and Philip,
Joh 1:44; 12:21
in the land of Gennesareth,
comp. Mark 6:53 and therefore on the west side of the lake. By comparing the narratives in
and Luke 9:10-17 it appears certain that the Bethsaida at which the five thousand were fed must have been a second place of the same name on the east of the lake. (But in reality "there is but one Bethsaida, that known on our maps at Bethsaida Julias." L. Abbot in Biblical and Oriental Journal. The fact is that Bethsaida was a village on both sides of the Jordan as it enters the sea of Galilee on the north, so that the western part of the village was in Galilee and the eastern portion in Gaulonitis, part of the tetrarchy of Philip. This eastern portion was built up into a beautiful city by Herod Philip, and named by him Bethsaida Julias, after Julia the daughter of the Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar. On the plain of Butaiha, a mile or two to the east, the five thousand were fed. The western part of the town remained a small village.--ED.)
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And after he had left them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
Watsons
BETHSAIDA, a city whose name in Hebrew imports a place of fishing or of hunting, and for both of these exercises it was well situated. As it belonged to the tribe of Naphtali, it was in a country remarkable for plenty of deer; and as it lay on the north end of the lake Gennesareth, just where the river Jordan runs into it, it became the residence of fishermen. Three of the Apostles, Philip, Andrew, and Peter, were born in this city. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament, though it frequently occurs in the New: the reason is, that it was but a village, as Josephus tells us, till Philip the tetrarch enlarged it, making it a magnificent city, and gave it the name of Julias, out of respect to Julia, the daughter of Augustus Caesar.
The evangelists speak of Bethsaida; and yet it then possessed that name no longer: it was enlarged and beautified nearly at the same time as Caesarea, and called Julias. Thus was it called in the days of our Lord, and so would the sacred historians have been accustomed to call it. But if they knew nothing of this, what shall we say of their age? In other respects they evince the most accurate knowledge of the circumstances of the time. The solution is, that, though Philip had exalted it to the rank of a city, to which he gave the name of Julias, yet, not long afterward, this Julia, in whose honour the city received its name, was banished from the country by her own father. The deeply wounded honour of Augustus was even anxious that the world might forget that she was his daughter. Tiberius, whose wife she had been, consigned the unfortunate princess, after the death of Augustus, to the most abject poverty, under which she sank without assistance. Thus adulation must under two reigns have suppressed a name, from which otherwise the city might have wished to derive benefit to itself; and for some time it was called by its ancient name Bethsaida instead of Julias. At a later period this name again came into circulation, and appears in the catalogue of Jewish cities by Pliny. By such incidents, which are so easily overlooked, and the knowledge of which is afterward lost, do those who are really acquainted with an age disclose their authenticity. "But it is strange," some one will say, "that John reckons this Bethsaida, or Julias, where he was born, in Galilee, Joh 12:21. Should he not know to what province his birthplace belonged?" Philip only governed the eastern districts by the sea of Tiberias; but Galilee was the portion of his brother Antipas. Bethsaida or Julias could therefore not have been built by Philip, as the case is; or it did not belong to Galilee, as John alleges. In fact, such an error were sufficient to prove that this Gospel was not written by John. Julias, however, was situated in Gaulonitis, which district was, for deep political reasons, divided from Galilee; but the ordinary language of the time asserted its own opinion, and still reckoned the Gaulonitish province in Galilee. When, therefore, John does the same, he proves, that the peculiarity of those days was not unknown to him; for he expresses himself after the ordinary manner of the period. Thus Josephus informs us of Judas the Gaulonite from Gamala, and also calls him in the following chapters, the Galilean; and then in another work he applies the same expression to him; from whence we may be convinced that the custom of those days paid respect to a more ancient division of the country, and bade defiance, in the present case, to the then existing political geography. Is it possible that historians who, as it is evident from such examples, discover throughout so nice a knowledge of geographical arrangements and local and even temporary circumstances, should have written at a time when the theatre of events was unknown to them, when not only their native country was destroyed, but their nation scattered, and the national existence of the Jews extinguished and extirpated? On the contrary, all this is in proof that they wrote at the very period which they profess, and it also proves the usual antiquity assigned to the Gospels.
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Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."