NAZARETH
NAZARETH (
Ναζαρέθ: Eth.
Ναζαρηνός, Eth.
Ναζωραῖος), a city of Galilee, celebrated in the New Testament as the residence of our Lord for thirty years, before He commenced His public ministry (
S. Mark, 1.9;
S. Luke, 4.16, 29), from which circumstance he was called a Nazarene. (
S. Mark, 1.24, 14.67;
S. Matt. 26.71.)
It was apparently in bad repute, even among the despised Galileans themselves. (
S. John, 1.46.)
It was visited by our Lord immediately on His entering on His ministry, when an attempt was made upon His life (
S. Luke, 4.16--30); and He appears only to have visited it once subsequently, again to exemplify the proverb, that “no prophet is accepted in his country.” (
S. Matt. 13.54--58;
S. Mark, 6.1--6.) Its site is well described by Eusebius as over against Legio, 15 miles distant from it towards the E., near to Mount Tabor. Its site has never been lost in Christian times, and in all ages travellers have made mention of it. (Reland,
Palaestina, pp. 905--907.) “The town of Nazareth, called in Arabic
En-Nâsirah, lies upon the western side of a narrow oblong basin, extending about from SSW. to NNE., perhaps 20 minutes in length by 8 or 10 in breadth.
The houses stand on the lower part of the slope of the western hill, which rises steep and high above them. Towards the N. the hills are less high; on the E. and S. they are low.
In the SE. the basin contracts, and a valley runs out narrow and winding to the great plain.” The precipitous rocky wall of this valley is called the Mount of Precipitation.
The elevation of the valley of Nazareth is given as 821 Paris feet above the sea, and that of the mountains above Nazareth 1500 or 1600 feet; but Dr. Robinson thinks this estimate too high.
The houses of the town are well built of stone.
The population amounts to about 780 taxable males, of whom 170 are Moslems; the remainder, Christians of various denominations. (
Biblical Res. vol. iii. pp. 183--185.)
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G.W]
