Gilead or Gilead ( Hebrew הגלעד [Gil'ad]), Perea ( other Greek Περαία , Latin Peræa from other Greek περαr “on the other side”) - the historical region of Ancient Israel on the east coast Jordan River . Now it is located in Jordan .
In Old Testament times, Gilead was a large area east of the Jordan River and north of the Dead Sea . In Greco-Roman time it was called "Pereya".
History
Before the Exodus from Egypt, Gilead was divided between the Amorean king Sikhon and the Rephaiman king Og ( Nav. 12: 2-5 ); the population was apparently mostly Amorean:
The sons of Mahir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took him, and drove out the Amorites who were in him.
- Numbers. 32:39
In the XIII century BC. e. Gilead was conquered and settled by Jews and inherited from the tribe of Manasseh ( Nav. 17: 1 ).
In the VIII century BC. e. Gilead was captured by Assyria (2 Kings 15:29 ).
At the end of IV - III century BC. e. the Greco-Macedonian conquerors founded here a number of Hellenistic cities, united in 63 BC. e. into the union (the so-called Decapolis ), under the supreme authority of Rome . The region abounded with pastures , was famous for cattle breeding . In addition, in ancient times, Gilead balm was famous - a mixture of resin and spices, which was used to heal wounds.
At the end of the II century BC. e. - I century AD e. Gilead (Perea) was subordinate to Judea . Under Herod Antipas ( 4 years BC. - 39 years BC. E. ) was allocated to the tetrarchy ("the fourth part of the state"). In 68 , she was conquered by Vespasian .
In the Christian tradition, Perea (Gilead) is the place of activity of John the Baptist and Jesus . For example, it is said that Jesus from Galilee went to Judea “beyond the Jordanian side,” that is, through Gilead ( Mark 10: 1 )
In 636, Gilead was conquered by the Arabs.
References in literary works
- In Stephen King ’s Dark Tower series of novels, the protagonist, Roland Disney , comes from a kingdom called Gilead, which was later destroyed by agents of the Crimson King .
- In the poem of Edgar Allan Poe, "Raven" - Gilead Balm.
- In the story of Paulo Coelho " The Fifth Mountain "
- In the novel by Lyon Feuchtwanger “Jephthah and his daughter”
- In Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, the name Gilead Republic is the extremist fundamentalist government that controls US territory.
- In the Christine Hannah saga, "With Life Alone" is a cure (from a footnote at the end of the book).
Links
- Gilead // Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron . - SPb. , 1908-1913.
- Gilead (country) // Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nicephorus . - M. , 1891-1892.
- Rineker F. , Mayer G. Gilead // Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia . - Christliche Verlagsbuchhandlung Paderborn, 1999 .-- 1226 p.
- Anatoly Kholodyuk Where the Prophet Elijah of God Prophesied