Nazareth, Where Jesus Grew Up
To grasp fully the life of Jesus, we must understand the setting in which He lived. by BILL PATTERSON When Jesus was about 3, Mary and Joseph moved back from Egypt (see Matt. 2:13-15) to Nazareth (see Matt. 2:19-23) where Jesus lived for the next 27 years. Where was Nazareth, and what was it like growing up there? A SMALL PLACE Nazareth is located in the hill country of Galilee, 20 miles west of the Mediterranean and 15 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Josephus, a first- century historian, cited 45 Galilean towns; but Josephus never mentioned Nazareth. Neither does the Old Testament or the Apocrypha. The Talmud (ancient commentary) referenced 63 sites in Galilee, but not Nazareth. When Philip told Nathanael he had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael replied, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Apparently, Nathanael, like some people today, equated size with importance. Excavations of ancient Nazareth reveal a villa