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Debt, DebtorAid to Bible Understanding
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to preach the “good news,” the apostle Paul spoke of himself as a “debtor” to all persons. (Rom. 1:14, 15) Gentile believers were, in effect, “debtors” to the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem because of having benefited spiritually from them. Therefore, it was only proper that they assist their poor Jewish brothers materially.—Rom. 15:26, 27.
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DecalogueAid to Bible Understanding
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DECALOGUE
See TEN WORDS.
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DecapolisAid to Bible Understanding
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DECAPOLIS
(De·capʹo·lis).
A league or confederation of ten cities (from Greek deʹka, meaning “ten,” and poʹlis, “city”). The name also applied to the region in which most of these cities were centered.—Matt. 4:25.
Following the conquest by Alexander the Great in 333-332 B.C.E., Greek colonies developed in Syria and Palestine, apparently settled by veterans from Alexander’s armies who were thereafter followed by Greek-speaking immigrants. In many cases these colonies grew on the sites of earlier Jewish towns, while in others they were built on fresh sites, particularly E of the Jordan River. They flourished during the rule of the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt, but the rise of the Maccabean-Jewish state (starting about 168 B.C.E.) greatly jeopardized their relatively independent position. While the populations of these cities doubtless included many Jews, still they were centers of Greek culture and organization and hence very much ‘out of step’ with the Maccabean aims. When Pompey conquered and reorganized Palestine in 64-63 B.C.E., these Hellenistic cities were given Roman protection and a favored status. They were allowed to mint their own coins and, to a great extent, exercise self-government, though still owing allegiance to Rome and to the Syrian provincial government and required to pay taxes and provide men for military service.
FORMATION OF THE LEAGUE
Likely sometime between Pompey’s conquest and the death of Herod the Great (1 B.C.E. or 1 C.E.) ten of these Hellenistic cities formed themselves into the loose federation known as the Decapolis. The motive underlying this union seems to have been a mutual interest in close trade relations and also defense against anti-Hellenistic forces within Palestine or aggressive nomadic tribes in the desert regions to the E. The term “Decapolis” first appears in the Christian Greek Scriptures and in the writings of Josephus and Pliny the Elder (both of the first century C.E.). Pliny, while acknowledging that some difference of opinion already existed, listed the following cities as among the original ten: Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha. Of these, only Scythopolis (Beth-shean) lay W of the Jordan. Due to the strategic position of the Valley of Esdraelon, it served as an important link with the Mediterranean coast and seaports. Damascus, far to the N in Syria, was evidently included because of its importance as a trade center. Philadelphia (ancient Rabbah, modern Amman) was the southernmost of the ten cities, only about 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) NE of the northern end of the Dead Sea. The remainder of the cities were in the fertile region of Gilead or neighboring Bashan. Most of them are believed to have been on or near the main roads of that region. Canatha is likely the Kenath of Numbers 32:42.
In the second century C.E., Ptolemy names eighteen cities as in the “Decapolis,” which may indicate that the name came to be used in a general way and the number of cities varied. Some authorities would put Abila, listed by Ptolemy, in place of Raphana as among the original ten. It seems evident, at any rate, that the Decapolis region did not have precisely defined boundaries and that the authority of the cities of the Decapolis did not embrace all the intervening territory but applied only within the district of each particular city.
JESUS’ MINISTRY AND THE DECAPOLIS
While people from the Decapolis were among the crowds that flocked to hear Jesus’ teaching in Galilee (Matt. 4:25), there is no specific mention of his having devoted time to any of its Hellenistic cities. Jesus did enter the region of Decapolis during his Galilean ministry when he crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes according to Matthew 8:28). (Mark 5:1) But here, after his casting out demons and permitting them to enter a herd of swine, resulting in the herd’s destruction, the people from the nearby city and countryside urged Jesus to ‘get out of their districts.’ He complied, but a man he had freed from demon possession obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go witness to his relatives and he proclaimed Jesus’ healing works in the Decapolis. (Mark 5:2-20) Some scholars believe the swine herd there was a further evidence of the large proportion of non-Jews residing in the Decapolis or at least of the pagan influence prevalent in that region.
After the Passover of 32 C.E., and upon returning from a trip to the regions of Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia, Jesus came “to the sea of Galilee in the midst of the regions of Decapolis.” (Mark 7:31) Somewhere in this region he healed a deaf man having a speech impediment and later miraculously fed a crowd of four thousand.—Mark 7:32–8:9.
LATER HISTORY
According to Eusebius, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., Christians of Judea fled to the Decapolitan city of Pella in the mountainous region of Gilead, thereby giving heed to Jesus’ prophetic warning.—Luke 21:20, 21.
By no means alone among the cities of Palestine in their Hellenistic leanings, the cities of the Decapolis reflected the most powerful expression of Greek influence. They are believed to have reached their peak during the second century C.E., and in the following century the league began to break up. Evidence of the strong Greek influence, as well as the wealth of the Decapolitan cities, can be seen in the impressive remains of theaters, amphitheaters, temples, baths, aqueducts and other structures at Gerasa (modern Jerash) and other cities.
[Map on page 435]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
DECAPOLIS
Roads
GREAT SEA
Damascus
Raphana(?)
Canatha
Hippos
Sea of Galilee
Dion
Abila(?)
Gadara
Pella
Scythopolis (Beth-shean)
Gerasa
Philadelphia (Rabbah, Amman)
Jordan River
Dead Sea
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Declare RighteousAid to Bible Understanding
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DECLARE RIGHTEOUS
In many translations this Biblical expression is rendered as “justify” and the noun forms as “justification.” The original words (di·kai·oʹo [verb] and di·kaiʹo·ma, di·kaiʹo·sis [nouns]) in the Christian Greek Scriptures, where the fullest explanation of the matter is found, basically carry the idea of “absolving or clearing of any charge,” “to hold as guiltless,” and hence “to acquit or to pronounce and treat as righteous.”—Arndt and Gingrich’s A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian literature, pp. 196, 197; Liddell and Scott’s A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 354; Edward Robinson’s A Greek and English Lexicon of the New Testament, pp. 184, 185.
Thus the apostle Paul speaks of God as being “proved righteous [form of di·kai·oʹo]” in his words and winning when being judged by detractors. (Rom. 3:4) Jesus said that “wisdom is proved righteous by its works”; and that, when rendering an account on Judgment Day, men would be “declared righteous [form of di·kai·oʹo]” or condemned by their words. (Matt. 11:19; 12:36, 37) Jesus said of the humble tax collector who prayed repentantly in the temple, that he “went down to his home proved more righteous” than the boastful Pharisee praying at the same time. (Luke 18:9-14; 16:15) The apostle Paul states that the person who dies is “acquitted [form of di·kai·oʹo] from his sin,” having paid the penalty of death.—Rom. 6:7, 23.
However, in addition to such usages, these Greek words are used in a special sense as referring to an act of God whereby one is accounted guiltless (Acts 13:38, 39; Rom. 8:33) and also to God’s act in declaring a person perfect in integrity and judged worthy of the right to life, as will be seen.
DECLARING MEN RIGHTEOUS IN PRE-CHRISTIAN TIMES
Originally, Adam was perfect, a righteous man, a human “son of God.” (Luke 3:38) He was righteous by virtue of God’s creation of him and was declared “very good” by his Creator. (Gen. 1:31) But he failed to maintain integrity before God and lost righteousness for himself and for his future offspring.—Gen. 3:17-19; Rom. 5:12.
Nevertheless, from among his descendants there came men of faith who “walked with the true God,” such as Noah, Enoch, Job and others. (Gen. 5:22; 6:9; 7:1; Job 1:1, 8; 2:3) Of Abraham, it is stated that he exercised faith in God and was “declared righteous”; also, it is written that Rahab of Jericho manifested her faith by her works and so was “declared righteous,” her life being spared when the city of Jericho was destroyed. (Jas. 2:21-23, 25) It may be noted that in James’ epistle (as cited) and also in Paul’s letter to the Romans (4:3-5, 9-11), in which he quotes Genesis 15:6, the expression is used that Abraham’s faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” Understanding of this expression is aided by considering the sense of the Greek verb lo·giʹzo·mai, “to count,” here used.
How “counted” righteous
This Greek verb lo·giʹzo·mai was used regularly in ancient times for numerical calculations or computations, such as in accounting, being used when referring both to something that was entered on the debit side of an account and also to something entered on the credit side thereof. In the Bible it is used to mean “to reckon, credit, count, or take into account.” Thus 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love “does not keep account [form of lo·giʹzo·mai] of the injury” (compare 2 Timothy 4:16); and the psalmist David is quoted as saying: “Happy is the man whose sin Jehovah will by no means take into account.” (Rom. 4:8) Paul showed to those who looked at things according to their face value the need to make a proper evaluation of matters, to ‘look at both sides of the ledger,’ as it were. (2 Cor. 10:2, 7, 10-12) At the same time Paul was concerned that “no one should put to [his] credit [form of lo·giʹzo·mai]” more than was correct as regards his ministry.—2 Cor. 12:6, 7.
The word lo·giʹzo·mai may also mean “to estimate, appraise, count or class [with a group, class or type].” (1 Cor. 4:1) Thus Jesus said that he would be “reckoned [form of lo·giʹzo·mai] with lawless ones,” that is, counted or classed as in among them or as if one of them. (Luke 22:37) In his letter to the Romans, the apostle says that in the case of the uncircumcised person keeping the Law, his “uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision,” that is, estimated or looked upon as if it were circumcision. (Rom. 2:26) In a similar sense, Christians were urged to ‘reckon themselves to be dead as regards sin but alive as regards God by Christ Jesus.’ (Rom. 6:11) And anointed Christians from among the Gentiles, though not fleshly descendants of Abraham, were “counted as the seed” of Abraham.—Rom. 9:8.
So, also, Abraham’s faith, combined with works, was “counted [reckoned, credited, or attributed] to him as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:20-22) This, of course, does not mean that he and other faithful men of pre-Christian times were perfect or free from sin; yet, by virtue of their exercise of faith, they were not classed as unrighteous like the rest of the world of mankind. As persons striving to live according to right standards and follow God’s commands (Ps. 119:2, 3), they were not counted as living unclean, sinful lives, like those not knowing or not obeying God. (Ps. 32:1, 2) Thus, God could, by reason of their faith, have dealings with such imperfect men and bless them, doing so while still remaining true to his own perfect standards of justice. (Ps. 36:10) However, such ones recognized their need for redemption from sin and were awaiting God’s due time to provide it.—Ps. 49:7-9; Heb. 9:26.
CHRIST JESUS’ “ONE ACT OF JUSTIFICATION”
The Scriptures show that Jesus Christ when on
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