The Capernaum Swine

Cliff Carrington, 4-1-2000

About fifty years ago, a young boy asked a question of his Sunday School teacher. The lesson was on the Gadarene Swine. The little boy asked, “Why was the Demon called ‘Legion’?” The teacher, after a short pause, said, “It was a hope of the Jews to drive the Roman Legions into the sea.”

That answer never convinced me! There Must be more to it than that? There must be a historical event behind the story?

The Biblical episodes of the Demoniac and the Swine are found in Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20 & Luke 8:26-39. The basic story is: Jesus interrupts his mission, gets into a boat at Capernaum to cross the sea of Galilee, pacifying it on the way. He then destroys a large herd of swine belonging to either the Gadarenes or Gerasenes, and is asked to depart. He returns back to Capernaum and continues His mission.

There have always been problems with this episode. Why did Jesus cross the sea from Capernaum, only to return immediately? Why was the demon called “Legion?” Why did Jesus cast the demons into swine? Why did the “Legion” destroy themselves in the sea? To whom did the swine belong, and why did they not demand payment for their lost property? What is the purpose of the whole episode?

Over the years most scholars have avoided explaining this problem of the Swine episode. Some try to reach back into the Greek myths for an answer: like the Persephone myth which has a herd of swine swallowed by the earth, but absolutely no other parallels. This also avoids the Jewish history which must have been behind the episode. Mark and Luke locate the episode at Gerasa, while Matthew records it as having been at Gadara. This confusion has never been properly explained.

These and other problems have been noticed by scholars. One, E. P. Sanders honestly remarks in a recent work - The Historical Figure of Jesus, Penguin, 1993, p. 155:

“The story is strange on all counts. It is by far the most dramatic exorcism attributed to Jesus, and it combines exorcism with ‘nature’ - the swine. One of its details renders it unlikely. Gerasa is about thirty miles south-east of the Sea of Galilee, and there is no other large body of water around. Matthew shifts the scene to Gadara, six miles from the sea, perhaps thinking that this reduces the problem - though a six mile leap is just as impossible as one of thirty miles. I am at a loss to explain the story in the sense of finding a historical kernel.”

The solution to the ‘historical kernel’ is to be found, not in the gospels nor any combination of them, but, in the History of Jewish War, by Josephus. The location of the story is the core of the solution. I suggest Capernaum as the disputed location. Outside of the Bible Josephus has the only other historical mention of Capernaum. The site of Capernaum cannot reliably be located even today. It dropped out of history after the Roman destruction during the Jewish war.

Josephus’ Jewish War has a straight-forward account of a successful military campaign at Capernaum.

Josephus, Jewish War bk. III

IX. 7. He (Vespasian) came with three Legions, and pitched his camp thirty furlongs off Tiberias,...

IX. 8. Now the elders of the people, and such as were of principal authority among them fled to the camp of the Romans... and fell down before Vespasian... and besought not to overlook them, nor to impute the madness of a few to the whole city, to spare a people who had been ever civil and obliging to the Romans.

X. 5. Hereupon those that were upon the walls were seized with terror at the boldness of (Titus’) attempt, nor durst any one venture to fight with him or hinder him; so they left guarding the city, and some of these that were about Jesus fled over the country, while others of them ran down to the lake,..

X. 7. Now this lake of Gennesareth is so called from the country adjoining it...

X. 8. The people of the country call it Capharnaum....

X. 9. Now those which were driven into the lake could neither fly to the land, where all was in their enemy’s hand, and in war against them, nor could they fight upon the surface of the sea, for their boats were small and fitted only for piracy; they were too weak to fight with Vespasian’s vessels... as for those that endeavoured to come to actual fight, the Romans ran many of them through with their long poles. Sometimes the Romans leaped into their boats, with swords in hand and slew them;.. And for such as were drowning in the sea, if they lifted their heads up above the water they were either killed by the darts, or caught by the vessels... one might see the lake all bloody, and full of bodies, for not one of them escaped... The number of the slain,... was six thousand and five hundred.<

Here we have it; the ‘Legion of Swine’ were six thousand Jews driven into the sea! This made much more sense for the episode to have been originally placed at Capernaum, rather than the needless journey across the sea to do the miracle and immediately return to Capernaum.

The Synoptics give us a miracle across the lake. If we change Gerasa or Gadara into Capernaum The Synoptics’ ‘miracle story’ would conform to the historical events of Josephus:

In any case we are led to one of two conclusions:

(I) We believe Jesus crossed the lake merely to demonstrate to his disciples how he could work a miracle to destroy somebody’s swine; and then returned immediately to Capernaum

or;

(II) The accounts in the Synoptics alter the situation at Capernaum as found in Josephus to somewhere across the sea, Gadara or even Gerasa.

In other words, do we believe in a senseless miracle or a conscious reworking of history?

In reading the Synoptics we must remember that they were written after Josephus and that they used him for historical purposes. The official history, Josephus’ Jewish War, was published by the Romans by 75 CE. Josephus was writing less than ten years after the Capernaum massacre. The Synoptics, on the other hand, were written at least forty years after the supposed miracle. However, the Synoptics, writing from a pro-Roman/anti-Jewish stance reworked this material for a special audience - potential Christians. The new sect of Christians needed to identify with the ruling power and disassociate themselves from the extremely unpopular Jews, who were always revolting.

Capernaum in mentioned sixteen times in the gospels, twice as the ‘home’ of Jesus:

“He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Matthew 4:13

“When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.” Mark 2:1

It is also twice cursed by Jesus:

“And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” Matthew 11:23

“And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.” Luke 10:15

It is from his ‘home’ in Capernaum Jesus flees, to curse it to destruction! (What “deeds of power”, Roman?) This in mind, we can see how the Synoptics revised reality and produced a parody of the actual events. They read the report in Josephus about the suppression of the revolt and massacre at Capernaum. Then, they merely turned the events upside down and wrote a miracle story which turned Jews into swine!

There are too many parallels in the two stories for them not to be reflecting upon same event. The only two mentions of Capernaum: The massacre of Jews - those whom were driven into the lake - became a herd of swine destroyed by a demon called “Legion,” rather than the Roman Legion which destroyed the Capernaum Jews. The number of the swine, variously given, nearly equals the number in a Roman Legion, and of the Jews killed, about six thousand.

Now, if Jesus destroyed six thousand swine in the sea, who was going to repay the owners of such a valuable herd? Furthermore, why was the demon in the Synoptics called Legion if not to refer to the real event in the minds of the contemporary members of the early church? The largest massacre in Galilee would not have gone un-noticed. The audacity of the Synoptics must be admired, but, what an insult to the Jews and what an amusement to the gentiles of the early Christian community!

The account of Jesus’ pacifying the sea precedes the miracle of the swine - as if it were a description of the subsequent account, the Synoptics then give a parody of the Jews driven into the sea of Galilee, and its pacification by the Romans.

If we want to follow Matthew and place the exorcism at Gadara, let us see what happened to the Gadarenes in the Jewish War of Josephus:

“Vespasian sent Placidus with 500 horse and 3000 foot to pursue those who had fled from Gadara,... (5) Placidus, relying on his cavalry and emboldened by his previous success, pursued the Gadarenes, killing all whom he overtook, as far as the Jordan. Having driven the whole multitude up to the river, where they were blocked by the stream, which being swollen by the rain was unfordable, he drew up his troops in line opposite them. Necessity goaded them to battle, flight being impossible... Fifteen thousand perished by the enemy’s hands, while the number of those who were driven to fling themselves into the Jordan was incalculable; about two thousand two hundred were captured. A mighty prey was taken also, consisting of asses, and sheep, and camels, and oxen (6) This blow was the greatest that had befallen the Jews, and appeared even greater than is was; for not only was the whole countryside through which their flight had lain one scene of carnage, and the Jordan choked with dead, but even the [Dead Sea] was filled with bodies, masses of which were carried down into it by the river.” War 4. 7. 4-6

Again the Jews are driven into the water by the Romans and thousands are drowned. We should ask, did the people of the East herd swine? There is no record of this being a contemporary practice in the area. Perhaps in Europe, but not Syria or Judea. Note when Placidus captured the livestock of the Gadarenes it consisted of asses, sheep, camels, and oxen. No swine! Some might say, “of course not, Jesus drove them to destruction.” This begs the question of the near forty years between the destruction of the Gadarene swine by Jesus, and the Roman destruction of the Gadarenes in 67. There was plenty of time for the Gadarenes to raise another ‘herd of swine’.

So much for the Gadarenes. What about the good people of Gerasa? They fared no better on dry land:

“He also sent Lucius Annius to Gerasa, and delivered to him a body of horsemen, and a considerable number of footmen. So when he had taken the city, which he did at the first onset, he slew a thousand of those young men who had not prevented him by flying away; but he took their women and children captive, and permitted his soldiers to plunder them of their effects; after which he set fire to their houses, and went away to the adjoining villages, while the men of power fled away, and the weaker part were destroyed, and what was remaining was all burnt down. And now the war having gone through all the mountainous country, and all the plain country also, those that were at Jerusalem were deprived of the liberty of going out of the city.” War 4. 9. 1.

This is almost a ‘set-piece’ description of the horrors of war. The defenders who had not fled were killed, their wives and children taken into slavery, their homes looted then burned! These massacres of the Jews at Capharnaum, Gadara and Gerasa must have been in the minds of the gospel writers; if not the first readers of those gospels. Any near contemporary who had read Josephus’ War would have certainly made the connections.

To go back to Josephus’ account, who was the Jesus who was asked by the leaders to depart and leave them in peace and “fled over the country” just before the destruction of Capernaum? The following is a paraphrase of Josephus’ accounts of this Jesus of Galilee:

The Demonic Jesus & The Capernaum Swine.

[From Josephus’ Life, and Book 3 of his Jewish War.]

Josephus was sent to Galilee, either to maintain peace, or as a general to organize the defences against the Romans. At the same time a Jesus of Galilee and his 600 followers were sent after him from Jerusalem to organize resistance to the expected Roman invasion. (Life, 40)

Josephus ‘surrendered’ when the city of Jotapata was ‘betrayed’ to the Romans in exactly the time he had ‘prophesied’. When taken before Vespasian and hearing that he was to be sent as a prisoner to Nero, Josephus boldly prophesied that Nero would soon be gone, and Vespasian would be emperor. Nero was soon ‘assisted’ in his ‘suicide’ by his personal secretary Epaphroditus. Vespasian, after a few more prophecies and miracles then did become emperor!

Josephus was lavishly rewarded. Is there a connection between Josephus’ earlier visit to Rome, with his intimate connections to Nero’s personal household - his knowledge, ‘prophecy’, of the impending demise of Nero - and the later dedications of his propaganda books to Epaphroditus?

Then, there was Josephus’ intimate knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fortifications of Galilee, as he had organized them! He also knew Jerusalem well and had high connections there, through his family. This intelligence would have been invaluable to the invading Romans

Jesus of Galilee had to ‘depart’ Tiberius and later Tarichae because the leaders of the cities went over to the Romans pleading that the actions of a Mad-Man not be blamed upon them and the other peaceful, loyal, citizens.

Anyhow, this Jesus of Galilee and his followers departed from the loyal cities. Then they attacked the Roman camp from the sea as it was being constructed and caused considerable damage before taking to their boats. They rowed out of bow-shot and taunted the Romans.

Vespasian saw this as a problem. The Jews could retreat into or across the sea, even to Gadara or Gerasa, with impunity. So, to pacify the sea Vespasian had rafts built under secrecy. When the day of reckoning came his troops on land closed in on Capernaum. Jesus of Galilee with his followers fled into the wilderness and this is the last we ever read of him.

When the remaining Jews of Capernaum looked out to sea that fateful morning they saw, through the mist, a string of Roman rafts with soldiers standing upon them; like they were walking upon the water. Their gleaming armour and spears were like a wall of bronze.

Vespasian’s land troops attacked, driving the Jews into the sea. Their boats were hemmed in by the Roman rafts. The stones flung by the Jews bounced harmlessly off of the Romans’ armour. On the other sandal, the Roman javelins, arrows, slings and pikes destroyed the light boats and their occupants. There were no survivors. Some six thousand Jews, (the size of a Legion), were destroyed or drowned in the sea. Their bodies became bloated, like swine, and the stench was overpowering for weeks!

(For this ‘Pacifying’ of the sea Vespasian was awarded a Naval Crown, ‘Corona Navalis’, in his Triumph as victor in the war!)

Both Gadara, Gerasa and all of the territory East of the Jordan were subsequently pacified, destroyed, with great slaughter by Vespasian’s Xth Legion, commanded by Trajan, father of the future emperor. This left only Jerusalem in Jewish hands, the territory of Galilee and Perea having been subdued!

The operations were then suspended upon the death of the emperor, Nero, until a new emperor could give authorization for the war. After the year was out, Vespasian was the new Emperor in Rome. His son, Titus, finished off the Jerusalem campaign and the destruction of the Temple. Then he and Josephus sailed to Rome on the same ship.

Years later, when challenged by a rival historian about his questionable actions in Galilee Josephus threw back the taunt - “How would you know? There were no survivors to tell the tale!” (Life, 358)

Josephus’ Jesus of Galilee may have no connection to the canonical Jesus of Galilee, but the Swine story certainly does? This is as far as the mainstream literature goes, there were no survivors!

>>Having then put the work away I had almost forgotten about it. Then, much later, a friend, Dr. Rodney Blackhirst, visited with a little known gospel forgery, (aren’t they all forgeries?). It was a medieval work which showed late fabrications or modifications of the canonical gospel stories with many Islamic additions. He had found it in a Turkish food store. Over the next few months we examined this work, Pseudo-Gospel of Barnabas, (aren’t they all ‘pseudo?).

Dr. Blackhirst decided to do a serious study of this rare and ridiculed book, thinking that there were possible reflections of early material embedded within the work. Meanwhile, remembering the earlier work on Josephus I read Barnabas’ account of the Swine episode.

Aside from Josephus there is one other historical mention of Capernaum; the medieval ‘Gospel of Barnabas’. In the Gospel of Barnabas the scene of the Swine episode is slightly altered from the Synoptics’ accounts - to Capernaum:

‘The Demons & the Swine.’

21. 1. Jesus went up to Capernaum, and as he drew near to the city behold there came out of the tombs one that was possessed of a devil, and in such wise that no chain could hold him, and he did great harm to the man. The demons cried out through his mouth, saying: “O holy one of God, why are you come before the time to trouble us?” And they prayed him that he would not cast them forth.

2. Jesus asked them how many they were. They answered: “Six thousand six hundred and sixty-six.” When the disciples heard this they were affrighted, and prayed Jesus that he would depart. Then Jesus said: “Where is your faith? It is necessary that the demon should depart, and not I.” The demons therefore cried: “We will come out, but permit us to enter into those swine.” There were feeding there, near to the sea, about ten thousand swine belonging to the Canaanites.

3. Thereupon Jesus said: “Depart, and enter into the swine.” With a roar the demons entered into the swine, and cast them headlong into the sea. Then fled into the city they that fed the swine, and recounted all that had been brought to pass by Jesus. Accordingly the men of the city came forth and found Jesus and the man that was healed. The men were filled with fear and prayed Jesus that he would depart out of their borders. Jesus accordingly departed from them and went up into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.<

In the canonical gospels Jesus departs to Tyre and Sidon after being warned by the Pharisees (his enemies?) that Herod was after him.

“Just at this time some Pharisees came up [to Jesus], ‘Go away’, they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you!’” Luke, 13:31-32

After this good advice from his Pharisaic enemies Jesus then flees, or departs, Galilee for areas which were not under Herod’s control. He spends some time doing miracles in region of Tyre and then returns to Galilee briefly before finally going up to Jerusalem to his death. Mark breaks down on his geography at this point:

“Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.” Mark 7:31

Sidon is in the other direction, away from, not “towards” the Sea of Galilee? Further the Decapolis was on the East of the sea, not on the Western side facing Tyre. Up until this point Mark’s geography is coherent. Is the Barnabas’ account more sensible than the garbled and contradictory accounts in the Synoptics? Is Barnabas reflecting an earlier, more reasonable, version of the Swine story? Is the author following Josephus?