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Nazareth

A small village in Galilee where Jesus grew up.

Illustrated view of ancient Nazareth as a small farming village in the hills of Lower Galilee, with a cutaway of a farmstead, a map placing it near Sepphoris, Cana, and the Sea of Galilee, and key scriptures.
Illustrated reconstruction, not a photograph. Select the image to view it full size.

What the sources say, and how sure we are

  • The text says

    Jesus grows up in Nazareth, and his neighbors in the synagogue there reject him. Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” suggests that it was a small and unremarkable place.Luke 2:39; Luke 4:16–30; John 1:46

  • Outside evidence

    Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament or Josephus. An inscription from Caesarea, about the 3rd or 4th century AD, lists it as a home of a priestly family. Excavations show a small farming village at the time of Jesus.Caesarea Inscription

  • Debated

    Remains of ancient houses beneath modern churches in Nazareth are identified by some as dwellings from Jesus’ time. The identification of any particular house with his family’s home is uncertain.