The calming of a natural storm is immediately followed with an account of the calming of a violent storm in human nature (5:1–20). The encounter takes places on the east side of the lake in the Decapolis, although the exact location is disputed in the Greek textual tradition. Decapolis (literally “Ten Cities”) was a loose description for the Gentile region east of the Jordan River where the Hasmoneans and later the Romans established showcase cities of pagan culture and ideals that were intended to surpass Jewish settlements west of the Jordan. The wretchedness of the demoniac, who even in life is consigned to the place of the dead, is described in more graphic detail in Mark 5:2–5 than in either Matthew 8:28 or Luke 8:27. From a Jewish perspective, everything in 5:1–20 reeks of uncleanne…