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The Importance of Nazareth in the Christian Tradition
Nazareth was a
small and insignificant village during the period of Jesus. While the site
was settled during the period 600-900 BCE, it was too small to be included in
the list of settlements of the tribe of Zebulon (Joshua 19:10-16), which
mentions twelve towns and six villages. Nazareth is not included among the
45 cities of the Galilee that were mentioned by Josephus, and her name is
missing from the 63 towns in Galilee mentioned in the Talmud.It seems that
the words of Nathanel of Cana, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" (John 1:47) characterized the site's seeming
insignificance. It is needless to say that the people of Judea had never
heard of Nazareth.
And from this we understand the reason that Pontius Pilate decorates the
cross with the sign "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John
19:19) - meaning that the "King of the Jews" is from
"nowhere." The early name "Nazarenes" given to the
Christians might have been a derogatory nickname that the people of Judea
gave to the followers of Jesus (Matthew 26:71, Acts 6:38). Jesus was known
throughout the Galilee as "Jesus of Nazareth" (Matthew 21:11 ,
Mark 14:67) - but for those not from the Galilee, this name had no meaning
for them. In order to explain where Nazareth was located, the Galileans had
to explain that the village was near Gat-Hyefer (Jonah's hometown,Kings II
14:25), which could be seen from Nazareth. Archeological excavations
conducted in Nazareth (by Bagati since 1955) show that Nazareth was a small
agricultural village settled by a few dozen families.
The pottery remains testify to a continuous settlement during the period
600-900 BCE. After those years, there was a break in settlement until the
year 200 BCE.
Since then, the site of Nazareth has been consistently inhabited. Most of
the archeological finds consist of caves, cisterns and grain storage bins.
The agricultural character of the site is made obvious with the discoveries
of oil mills and mill stones. There were a large number of underground
rooms because the soft chalk of Nazareth made it easy to hew caves.
Nazareth is located between the open space of the
Jezreel valley and the mountainous regions of the Galilee. The valley and
its history were well known to the Jews of Nazareth in the time of
Jesus.During the first 20 years of his life that he spent in Nazareth,
Jesus had many an opportunity to walk on the mountain ranges, to look over
and think about the history of his people. The great battles that had taken
place in the valley, together with the great hopes that were dashed with
their losses, must have affected and shaped his view on life. The valley of
Jezreel, as it is seen from Nazareth, is a natural battlefield. This fact
must have influenced the idea of "...all the holders of swords shall
fall by the sword," (Matthew 28:52). Another geographical area
adjacent to Nazareth was the lower Galilee and the Beti Netofa valley.
In this region there were many small Jewish villages and towns settled by
Hellenized Syrians. The largest of these towns was Tzippori, the capital of
the Galilee until the year 18 BCE. Even though Tzippori is a 45-
minute-walk from Nazareth, the town is not mentioned in the New Testament.
The main events in Jesus's life, as described in the New Testament, are the
annunciation of his birth (Luke 1:26-38),his childhood and early manhood
(Luke 2:39-52, Matthew 2:19-23), and the clash with his fellow citizens
(Matthew 13:54-58, Luke 4:17-30). From the very first events relating to
the life of Jesus in Nazareth, we learn that the people of his village did
not approve of his thinking and behavior. To them he was Jesus, one of the
sons of Joseph the carpenter (the other brothers were James, Joseph, Simeon
and Judah - Matthew 13:55). Luke describes with great drama how Jesus was
rejected by the people of Nazareth. After his sermon in the synagogue
aroused their anger, the people took him "and brought him to the
precipice of the mountain that their city was built upon" (Luke 4).
Some have pointed out that this sentence in Luke is not correct, as
Nazareth is built in a valley and not on a mountain. But the valley of
Nazareth is on a mountain overlooking the Jezreel valley - and the mountain
of the precipice overlooks the valley of Nazaret and the valley of Jezreel.
Nazareth is also holy to Christians because it
throws light on the holy family, especially Mary, the mother of Jesus. This
is the place where a Christian believer can consider Mary's qualities. Her
character as a noble woman, a woman of purity, simplicity, sensitivity and
pureness of heart. Mary is portrayed as a mother who devotes herself to the
education of her son and remains devoted to him in the most trying of
circumstances (she was present at his crucifixation - John 19:25 - and
recognized him as the messiah - Acts 2:36). For Catholics, Mary has a
special significance - and her special place in the New Testament is hinted
at in the verses"Blessed art though of women" (Luke1:41) and
"Peace unto thee woman of grace, God be with you" (Luke 1:28).
Dr. James Fleming
Here are some pictures from Nazareth today :
 
  
 
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