When I was in Israel several years ago, I took one of the boats that crossed the Sea of Galilee. When we reached the far shore, we were whisked by bus to a place near the ancient city of Gadara. In its heyday, Gadara was an urban area — one of the cities of the Decapolis. It was at the southern end of those Ten Roman Cities of fame.

Gadara is no longer a city. In fact, it is nothing but a few ruins now. The place of interest for us weary pilgrims was nothing but some rocky crags. Nearby stood the ruins of a cathedral that St. Helena had built hundreds of years ago. They were barely recognizable, but the edifice was constructed to mark the spot where Jesus cast demons into swine and sent them to their death in the sea.

The Golan Heights (the place of a strategic victory for Israel during …