Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
4) NAZARETH
Summary: In New Testament biblical times, Nazareth was a small village on a ridge which
overlooked the Jezreel Valley. Today, the city is a bustling mostly-Arab city and is sometimes
called the “Arab capital of Israel”. The name comes from the Hebrew word for branch (netzer).
Nazareth was the boyhood hometown of Jesus. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary when
she was living in Nazareth and announced to her that she would be the mother of the
messiah - of Jesus. After Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem for the census required by the
Roman empire and after fleeing to Egypt, they returned to Nazareth and settled there. At the
beginning of his ministry, Jesus first taught in the Nazareth synagogue. After the people
rejected His message, they tried to kill him (see above, Mt. Precipice).
Readings: Luke 1:26-33, Luke 2:1-7, Matthew 2:21-23, Luke 2:41-52, Luke 4:16-30
Change language