Archaeology and first-century Nazareth

Abstract Exploring what the evidence considered in this book tells us about first-century Nazareth, this chapter discusses how little we know about Nazareth as a place from written sources. Archaeological research is shown to have produced much more information about the physical form of the first-century settlement at Nazareth, its everyday life, culture, and economy. The possible identification of the Sisters of Nazareth site with Jesus’ childhood home is then considered, including a brief consideration of the historical evidence for Jesus and the possible implications of such an identification. This concludes with the author’s view that it is currently impossible either to prove or refute the interpretation that this was the house where Jesus was brought up. Nevertheless, archaeological evidence and interpretation shed much new light on first-century Nazareth as a whole and in this way give a new understanding of Jesus’ Nazareth.