PROF. HUXLEY AND THE SWINE-MIRACLE. 517 



4. If, as we see, Vespasian began his operations by securing 

 Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee, and thereby secured the prov- 

 ince, so that the Jewish force fled to Tiberias, was it strange or 

 unnatural that he should as his next operation secure the capital 

 of Peraea to dominate the territory beyond Jordan ? 



5. The text, as it stands, agrees with Book iv, 7, 3, in testifying 

 to the military importance of Gadara : but the emendation makes 

 Vespasian prefer to Jotopata a place which apparently counted 

 for nothing in military movements. 



VII. Testimony of the Evangelists. Bidding farewell 

 now to the text of Josephus, I do not know that we have much 

 more assistance to expect from secular literature as to Gadara 

 and its district. But a very important light is cast upon it by 

 the Synoptical Gospels, and by the facts of the Old Testament 

 history in their relation to the geographical precinct, which was 

 also in general the ethnical limit, of our Lord's ministry upon 

 earth. 



It was, apparently, a part of the providential calling of the 

 race of Abraham that they were to have in the first instance for 

 themselves a distinct and separate offer of the new "glad tidings." 

 Christ was not sent, accordingly, " but to the lost sheep of the 

 House of Israel." It is most interesting to observe how and in 

 what localities this offer took effect. 



We naturally look in the first instance to Jerusalem and the 

 country belonging to it. Our Lord was born, as we know, in 

 Judaea ; and the scene of the Gospel of St. John, which is in the 

 main confined to Jerusalem and its neighborhood, and also in the 

 main to a few continuous narratives, is principally laid there. 

 The territory of Samaria was immediately contiguous to that of 

 Judaea, but " the Jews had no dealings " * with the mixed race 

 inhabiting that country, and our Saviour seems never to have ex- 

 ercised there more than what may be termed an accidental minis- 

 try. But the Baptism and temptation were in Galilee. \ It was 

 there that He commenced His course of miracles. J When the 

 wakeful jealousy of the Pharisees made it needful for Him to 

 quit Judaea and repair to Galilee,* " He must needs go through 

 Samaria." Then came the (so to speak) casual meeting and dis- 

 course with the woman of Samaria, to whom He declared that sal- 

 vation was of the Jews. || Out of the report which she carried 

 away from Him, there grew an invitation of the Samaritans to 

 the Saviour, praying Him to come among them : A but He abode 

 with them only two days, and passed on into Galilee. It is won- 

 derful to observe how large a proportion of His ministry was ex- 



* John iv, 9. % John ii, 11. | Ibid., v, 22. 



f Matt, iii, 1, 13 ; iv, 1. * Ibid., i, 43 ; ii, 1-11. A Ibid., v, 40. 



