Kursi

"a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him." Mark 5:1-13

Kursi is located on the slopes of the Golan on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. There were no Jewish settlements in the area so Christ did not come here often. But Christian tradition tells us that a miracle happened in Kursi.

According to the bible, Jesus took a boat across the Galilee one day. As he was getting out of his boat, a man who was possessed by demons approached him. Jesus cast the demons out from him into a herd of swine that were grazing nearby. The swine then ran straight for the sea and drowned. As Jesus was leaving, the man begged him to stay. Christ told him no. He asked him to return to his town and tell everyone about the Lord’s message. The man did so and word quickly spread along the eastern shores. Some say this was the start of Jesus’ message to non-Jews.

Fast forwarding to 1976, there was a major archeological discovery here when a road was being paved along the shore. An excavation was begun and the remains of a large 17,000-foot Byzantine monastery were uncovered. Dating back to the fifth century, it was soon revealed that this was the largest monastery of its kind in Israel. It was damaged by the Persians in 614 AD and was later abandoned in the eighth century. Today one can see its massive columns and majestic mosaic floors picturing animals and fruits.

In 1980, yet another discovery was made nearby. A small chapel with an apse in a cove was uncovered. This, Christian scholars believe, was the place the possessed man revealed himself to Jesus Christ. And these spots, before they were abandoned, were most likely visited by the ancient pilgrims.