Nazareth 1st-Century House
Simple dwellings showing Nazareth was a small Jewish village in Yeshua's day
Found 2009 — Yardenna Alexandre (Israel Antiquities Authority), beside the Church of the Annunciation; Ken Dark (University of Reading) re-studied the Sisters of Nazareth convent site from 2006
Where Nazareth, Lower Galilee (Israel)
Dates from 1st century BCE–1st century CE · Early Roman · Childhood of Yeshua
Now at In place; visible under the Mary of Nazareth International Center and the Sisters of Nazareth convent
How Nazareth 1st-Century House was found
A salvage dig for the Mary of Nazareth International Center in December 2009 uncovered walls, a courtyard, a rock-cut cistern and a hiding pit of a small house with pottery and chalk vessels of the 1st century. Dark's separate study of a rock-cut house beneath the convent showed it was later enshrined by a Byzantine church.
What it is
Two-room houses of fieldstone and rock-cut walls, with a courtyard, storage pits and a cistern. The pottery and chalk (stone) vessels are typical of Jewish households of the time, and the absence of imported or pagan wares points to a modest, observant community of perhaps a few hundred people.
Why it matters for the Bible
Some writers had claimed Nazareth did not exist in the 1st century. These houses, along with 1st-century tombs and farm terraces around the town, show a small Jewish village exactly where the Gospels place Yeshua's childhood. Dark argues the convent house may be the one that early Christians venerated as Yeshua's home, but there is no evidence to prove that.
The Hebrew word: NEH-tser
נֵצֶר
נֵצֶר is pronounced NEH-tser and means branch, shoot — Isaiah 11:1, possibly the root of 'Nazareth' and 'Nazarene' (Strong's H5342).
People this discovery connects to
- Yeshua (Jesus) — יֵשׁוּעַ (Ye-SHOO-ah) — YHVH saves
Places
- Nazareth — נָצְרַת (Nats-RAT) — from netzer, 'branch' (compare Isaiah 11:1), or 'watchtower'
Events
Annunciation to Miriam (Luke 1) · Yeshua's childhood · Rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4)
Nazareth 1st-Century House in Scripture
Matthew 2:23 'He shall be called a Nazarene' — the village's name and its possible link to 'netzer'. (First mention of Nazareth.)
Luke 2:39-40 The family returns to 'their own town, Nazareth', where the child grew up.
John 1:46 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' — the town's small size explains the question.
Questions people ask
What is Nazareth 1st-Century House?
Two-room houses of fieldstone and rock-cut walls, with a courtyard, storage pits and a cistern. The pottery and chalk (stone) vessels are typical of Jewish households of the time, and the absence of imported or pagan wares points to a modest, observant community of perhaps a few hundred people.
When was Nazareth 1st-Century House discovered?
It was found in 2009 by Yardenna Alexandre (Israel Antiquities Authority), beside the Church of the Annunciation; Ken Dark (University of Reading) re-studied the Sisters of Nazareth convent site from 2006, at Nazareth, Lower Galilee.
Where is Nazareth 1st-Century House today?
In place; visible under the Mary of Nazareth International Center and the Sisters of Nazareth convent.
Which Bible verses does Nazareth 1st-Century House relate to?
Matthew 2:23, Luke 2:39-40, John 1:46.
Related discoveries
- חֲזִירKursi (Gergesa)Byzantine monastery on the eastern shore marking the miracle of the swine
- כְּלִי אֶבֶןStone Vessels and the Reina Quarry CaveChalk jars and cups for ritual purity, and the Galilean workshop where they were made
- בֵּית לֶחֶםBethlehem: Church of the NativityConstantine's basilica over the cave of Yeshua's birth, its 4th-century mosaics and the 2013–2020 restoration
- גֻּלְגֹּלֶתChurch of the Holy Sepulchre: Golgotha and the TombA 1st-century quarry, garden and rock-cut tombs beneath the traditional site of the crucifixion and burial
- צָרַעַתTomb of the Shroud (Akeldama)The only 1st-century burial shroud from Jerusalem, with the remains of a man who had leprosy
- חֶסֶדPool of BethesdaTwin pools with five porticoes beside the Church of St Anne, exactly as John 5 describes
Sources
- Alexandre, 'Nazareth', Hadashot Arkheologiyot 124 (2012); Dark, The Sisters of Nazareth Convent: A Roman-period, Byzantine and Crusader Site in Central Nazareth (2020)
- Wikipedia: Nazareth (Archaeology section)