LANDS AND PLACES
The city of Pella (known today as Tabaqat Fahil) is situated in the foothills about three kilometers east of the Jordan River and 32 kilometers south of the Sea of Galilee. Its name came from that of the Macedonian city that was the birthplace of Alexander the Great, who conquered the Levant in 332 BC. Because of its ample water supply, Pella is one of the most hospitable areas of the Jordan Valley.
The Egyptians mentioned Pella in their lists of cities they conquered during the second millennium BC. However, between 1100–800 BC, its population notably declined. That fact, together with the lack of any significant archaeological findings from that period, could explain why the Old Testament does not refer to the site. After its destruction in the year 82 BC, the Romans rebuilt the city in 63 BC, and along with other cities freed from Hasmonean rule, it became a part of the Decapolis.
Although the New Testament does not speak of it, Jesus may have visited Pella when He traveled throughout the region (Mark 5:1-20; 7:31-37). But it would not be until some years later that Pella would come to occupy an essential place in the history of Christianity. In apparent obedience to the warnings of Christ regarding the fate of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15-16), Christians in AD 67 would flee to Pella (a distance of about 90 km) to escape the Roman attack on the city during the first Jewish rebellion. The choice of Pella would be logical, especially if they were Christians of Greek origin who would undoubtedly be safe from the Roman forces since it was not a “Jewish city.”
Sometime later, Christianity flourished in Pella. The ancient city ceased to exist in AD 747 when an earthquake practically destroyed it.