Nazareth
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Nazareth (subject)
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Nazareth (sources)
Nazareth (modern Nazareth, Israel) was a village in Galilee and the hometown of Jesus.
Overview
Nazareth was a small and inconspicuous village in Galilee near the city of Sepphoris (and not very distant from Tiberias). Unlike those largely Gentile (non-Jewish) cities, Nazareth was a Jewish enclave of around two hundred people. The scarcity of water and fertile soil must have make it a relatively poor and overpopulated village. The settlement is mentioned only in Christian sources, which all consistently name Nazareth as the hometown of Jesus.
Jesus came from Nazareth but made Capernaum the center of his ministry. When he returned to his hometown, he was not welcome (see Hometown Rejection).
While Mark and John seem to assume that Jesus was born at Nazareth, the Infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke name Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' parents, Joseph and Mary, resettled in Nazareth after fleeing to Egypt from their home in Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Luke, Nazareth was the hometown of Joseph and Mary.
Nazareth is today the largest city in the North District of Israel.