Biblical city
Nazareth
Nazareth, Israel · Galilee
An obscure Galilean village of perhaps a few hundred people, Nazareth was where Jesus grew up and first announced his ministry in the synagogue (Luke 4:16-30). Excavations have uncovered first-century houses, cisterns, and agricultural installations beneath the modern city.
History in Scripture
Nazareth is unmentioned in the Old Testament and in Josephus, an obscure Galilean village where Joseph and Mary settled and where Jesus grew up. He read Isaiah in its synagogue and was driven out by his neighbours (Luke 4). "Nazarene" became a name for Jesus and, later, for his followers.
The ancient city
Excavations show a small agricultural settlement of perhaps a few hundred people, with rock-cut wine and olive presses, silos and tombs — an ordinary farming village a few miles from the Hellenised city of Sepphoris, where building work may well have drawn local craftsmen.
The site today
Nazareth is now the largest Arab city in Israel and a centre of Christian pilgrimage. The Basilica of the Annunciation, the Synagogue Church and the excavated first-century house and village remains draw visitors year-round.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.