Perea (Holy Land)

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Perea ("the country beyond"), a portion of the kingdom of Herod the Great occupying the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee to about one third the way down the eastern shore of the Dead Sea; it did not extend too far inland. Traditionally its limits have been considered to be the eastern bank of the Jordan River between the rivers Arnon (Wadi Mujib) and Hieromax (Yarmouk River). [1] Herod the Great's kingdom was divided by the Romans into a tetrarchy, of which Herod Antipas received both Perea and Galilee. Perea is the area inhabited by the Israelite Tribes Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Menasseh. New Testamen commentators speak of Christ's Perean ministry. It began with His departure from Galilee (Matt 19:1, Mark 10:1) and ended with the anointing by Mary in Bethany (Matt 26).

[edit] External links

• Perea entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.