Gerard, Alexander, an eminent Scotch divine, was born Feb. 22, 1728, at Garioch, in Aberdeenshire, and was educated at Marischal College and the Uni- versit)^ of Edinburgh. In 1750 he succeeded Fordj'ce as professor of moral philosophy at Marischal College, and in 1700 was appointed divinity professor. In 1771 he obtained the theological professorship at King's
College, Aberdeen. He died in 1795. He wrote (1.) An Essay on Taste (1759, 8vo ; enlarged edition, 1780). This work obtained the prize of a gold medal offered by the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh. (2.) An Essay on Genius (Lond. 1767, 8vo) :— (3.) Sermons (Lon- don, 1780, 1782, 2 vols. 8vo) : — (4.) Dissertations on the Genius and Evidences of Christianity (Lond. 17G(J, Svo): — (5.) The Pastoral Care, edited by his son (Lond. 1799, 8vo).
Gerard, Gilbert, D.D., son of Alexander Gerard, was born and educated at Aberdeen. He was for some time pastor of the English church at Amsterdam, and afterwards professor of Greek in King's College, Aberdeen, and in 1775 of divinity. He died in 1815. . His "Institutes" are valuable for the numerous refer- ences to authorities Avhich thej' contain, and are very scarce. The greater part of the first edition was lost at sea. Flis writings are, Institutes of Biblical Cnti- cism (Edinb. 1808, 2d edit. 8vo) : — Compendious View of the Evidences of natural and revealed Religion (London, 1828, Svo) .—Darling.
Gerard, Thorn, Turn, Tunc, or Tenqne, found- er and first grand master of the order of St. John of Jeru- salem, was born about 1040, on the isle of Martigues, on the coast of Provence. While Jerusalem was in the hands of the Saracens, some merchants of Amalfi ob- tained permission from the sultan of Egypt and Syria, in 1050, to erect a Benedictine monaster}' near the holy sepulchre, for the convenience of the pilgrims. It was called Sainte Marie la Latine. Among others, Gerard arrived to pay his devotions, and he acquired a high character for his piety and prudence. The number of pilgrims increased every j'ear, enriching the treasury of the monastery. In 1080 the abbot built a hospital for the reception of poor and sick pilgrims, the management of which he gave to Gerard. The chapel of that hospital was consecrated to St. John, because of a tradition among the inhabitants of Jerusalem that Zacharias, the father of St. John, had lived on the spot where it was l)uilt. After the conquest of Jerusalem by Godfrey of Bouillon, Gerard projected a new relig- ious order, in which the ecclesiastical and military characters were to be blended. This design he began to carry out in the year 1100, when numbers associ- ated with him under the denomination of "Hospital- lers of St. John of Jerusalem," " who, besides the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, took a par- ticular vow to devote themselves to the relief of all Christians in distress. This order, and the rules drawn up for its government, were approved and confirmed by pope Paschal II, who, by a bull which he issued, granted it various considerable privileges, and recog- nised Gerard as the first grand master. Gerard died in the j'ear 1120. Such was the commencement of that order which in succeeding times became so cele- brated in history, when its members were commonly known by the name of knights of Rhodes, and after- wards by that of knights of Malta." — Hook, Eccles. Biog. \, 298 ; Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Generale, xx, 149.
Gerald or Gerhard Groot. See Groot, Ger- hard.
Gerasa ([//] Tipaaa, prob. of Heb. origin), a cele- brated cit}^ on the eastern borders of Pcra;a (Joscphus, War, iii, 3, 3), placed by some in the province of Coc.le- Syria and region of Decapolis (Steph. s. v.), by oth- ers in Arabia (Epiph. adv. Ear.; (3rigen, in Johan.'). It is doubtless the Gelasa assigned by Pliny (v, 18) to the Decapolis. These various statements do not arise from any doubts as to the localitj- of the city, but from the ill-defined boundaries of the provinces mentioned. In the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known than Gerasa (Smith, Diet, of Class. Geog. s. v.). It lav on elevated ground, according to Ptolemy, in 68° 15' =31° 45' (Reland, Palmst. p. 459), who distin- guishes it from the Gerassa, {Viparrrra) of Arabia Pe- trijea (<'6. p. 403). It is not mentioned in the 0. T.,
GERASA
816
GERAULD
nor in the New, unless in the reading Gerasene (q. v.) at Matt, vii, 28. It is not Ivnown when or by -whom Gerasa was founded. Its inhabitants were mostly heatlien (Josei)hus, Uun; iii, 3, ;S ; conip. iv, 0, 1 ; ii, 18, 5 ; .int. xiii, 15, 5). It is first mentioned by Josephus as having been captured by Alexander Jannaeus (B.C. cir. 85), who was actuated by a desire of gaining a large treasure (Josephus, War, i, 4, 8; Atit. viii, 2, 3). That king died near it while besieging Eegaba (Ant. XV, 5). Before the jilace had time to recover from this capture, it was included among tiie number of those cities which were burnt by tlie enraged Jews in their vengeance on the Syrians, and on the Roman power generally, for the massacre of a number of their nation at Caesarea (Josephus, War, ii, 18, 1). A terrible re- venge was taken l)y other cities, but Gerasa is honor- ably excepted (War, ii, 18, 5). it had scarceh- recov- ered from this calamity when the emperor Vespasian dispatched Annius, his general, to capture it. Anni- us, having carried the city at tlie lirst assault, put to the sword one thousand of the j'outh who had not ef- fected their escape, enslaved their families, and plun- dered and fired their dwellings. It appears to have been nearly a century subsequent to this period that Gerasa attained its greatest prosperity, and was adorn- ed with those monuments which give it a place among the proudest cities of Syria. History tells us nothing of this, but the fragments of inscriptions found among its ruined palaces and temples show that it is indebted for its architectural splendor to the age and genius of the Antonines (A.D. 138-80). It subsequentlj' became the seat of a bishopric. Baldwin II of Jerusalem de- stroyed its castle in the jear 1122 (Will. Tj^r. p. 825; Ilistor. Hierosol. p. Clo). This was the native place of Nicomachus Gerasenus. Coins of Gerasa may be seen in Eckhel (Xum. Vet. iii, 350). There is no evi- dence that th J city was ever occupied bj' the Saracens. There are no traces of their architecture — no mosques, no inscriptions, no reconstruction of old edifices, such as are found in most other great cities in Syria. All here is Roman, or at least ante-Islamic ; everj' struc- ture remains as the hand of the destroyer or the earth- quake shock left it, ruinous and deserted. It is now called Jerush. Its ruins were first discovered bj' Seet- zen (i, 388 sq.), and have often been subsequently vis- ited. They are by far the most beautiful and exten- sive east of the Jordan. They are situated on both sides of a sliallow valley that runs from north to south through a high undulating plain, and falls into the Zurka (the ancient Jabbok) at the distance of about five miles. A little rivulet, thickly fringed with ole- ander, winds through the valle}-, giving life and beau- ty to the deserted city. The first view of the ruins is very striking, and such as have enjoyed it will not