Nazareth

:This is about the Middle East city of Nazareth. For other uses, see Nazareth (disambiguation).

Nazareth in the New Testament

It is evident from John i. 46 that Nazareth was an obscure place; it was assumed in Judaea that 'nothing good' could possibly come out of this provincial town of Galilee. According to the New Testament, Nazareth was the home of Joseph and Mary and the site of the Annunciation, when Mary was told that she would bear the son of God. Nazareth is also assumed to be where Jesus grew up from his infancy to manhood. However, some historians have called this into question, suggesting instead that what was originally a title was corrupted (Nazarene) into the name of his hometown (alternately, Nazara or Nazaret or Nazareth). Alfred Loisy, for example, in The Birth of Christianity argues that Iesous Nazarene meant not "from Nazareth", but rather that his title was "Nazarene."

Related Topics:
Galilee - New Testament - Annunciation - Jesus - Nazarene

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The etymology of Nazareth is not secure (see also Nazarene); Easton's Bible Dictionary 1897 derives Nazareth from separated, making it a Greek form of the Hebrew netser, a "shoot" or "sprout" but offering the alternative from the Hebrew notserah, i.e., one guarding or watching, thus designating the hill which overlooks and thus guards an extensive region and noting the hill "from which one of the finest prospects in Palestine is obtained."

Related Topics:
Nazarene - Greek - Hebrew

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