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[[Image:Nazareth_ofold_1.jpg|right|frame|<center>"Old Nazareth"</center>]]

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'''Nazareth''' (næzərəθ) (נָצְרַת), [[Standard Hebrew]] '''Náẓərat''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''Nāṣəraṯ''', (الناصرة) '''an-Nāṣira''' or '''an-Naseriyye''' is the capital and largest [[Cities in Israel|city]] in the [[Northern District|Northern District of Israel]]. It also serves as an [[Arab]] capital for [[Israel]]'s [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizens]] who make up the vast majority of the population there.(Review of "Beyond the Basilica: Christians and Muslims in Nazareth"[~~http~~://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0377-919X(199621)25%3A3%3C103%3ATACOI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H] In the [[New Testament]], the city is described as the childhood home of [[Jesus]], and as such is a center of [[Christianity|Christian]] [[pilgrimage]], with many shrines commemorating biblical associations.

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'''Nazareth''' (næzərəθ) (נָצְרַת), [[Standard Hebrew]] '''Náẓərat''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''Nāṣəraṯ''', (الناصرة) '''an-Nāṣira''' or '''an-Naseriyye''' is the capital and largest [[Cities in Israel|city]] in the [[Northern District|Northern District of Israel]]. It also serves as an [[Arab]] capital for [[Israel]]'s [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizens]] who make up the vast majority of the population there.(Review of "Beyond the Basilica: Christians and Muslims in Nazareth"[https://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0377-919X(199621)25%3A3%3C103%3ATACOI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H] In the [[New Testament]], the city is described as the childhood home of [[Jesus]], and as such is a center of [[Christianity|Christian]] [[pilgrimage]], with many shrines commemorating biblical associations.

''see also: [[Gennesaret]] (Ya-Nezareth)''

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Modern-day Nazareth is nestled in a hollow plateau some 1,200 feet (350 m) above sea level, located between 1600 ft high hills that form the most southerly points of the Lebanon mountain range.(Palestine: A Guide by Mariam Shahin, Interlink Books.p.171) It is about 25 km from the [[Sea of Galilee]] and about 9 km west from [[Mount Tabor]].

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According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]], Nazareth had a population of approximately 65,000 in 2005. The vast majority of its residents are [[Arab citizens of Israel]], 31.3% of whom are [[Palestinian Christians|Christian]]s and 68.7% of whom are [[Islam|Muslim]]s.[~~http~~://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/207_7300.pdf] Nazareth forms a [[metropolitan area]] with the Arab [[Local council (Israel)|local council]]s of [[Yafa an-Naseriyye]] to the south, [[Reineh]], [[Mashhad (Israel)|Mashhad]] and [[Kafr Kanna]] to the north, [[Iksal]] and the adjacent city of [[Nazareth Illit]] to the east which has a population of 40,000 [[Jew]]s and [[Elot]] to the west. Together, the Nazareth metropolis area has a population of approximately 185,000 of which over 145,000 are Arabs.[~~http~~://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2007/table3.pdf]Israeli localities with populations 1000+]

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According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]], Nazareth had a population of approximately 65,000 in 2005. The vast majority of its residents are [[Arab citizens of Israel]], 31.3% of whom are [[Palestinian Christians|Christian]]s and 68.7% of whom are [[Islam|Muslim]]s.[https://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/207_7300.pdf] Nazareth forms a [[metropolitan area]] with the Arab [[Local council (Israel)|local council]]s of [[Yafa an-Naseriyye]] to the south, [[Reineh]], [[Mashhad (Israel)|Mashhad]] and [[Kafr Kanna]] to the north, [[Iksal]] and the adjacent city of [[Nazareth Illit]] to the east which has a population of 40,000 [[Jew]]s and [[Elot]] to the west. Together, the Nazareth metropolis area has a population of approximately 185,000 of which over 145,000 are Arabs.[https://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2007/table3.pdf]Israeli localities with populations 1000+]

==History==

===Earliest history & archaeological evidence===

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Archaeological research has revealed a funerary and cult center at Kfar HaHoresh, about two miles (3 km) from Nazareth, dating back roughly 9000 years (to what is known as the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] era).(Goring-Morris, A.N. “The quick and the dead: the social context of Aceramic Neolithic mortuary practices as seen from Kfar HaHoresh.” In: I. Kuijt (ed.), ''Social Configurations of the Near Eastern Neolithic: Community Identity, Hierarchical Organization, and Ritual ''(1997).) The remains of some 65 individuals were found, buried under huge horizontal headstone structures, some of which consisted of up to 3 tons of locally-produced white plaster. Decorated human skulls uncovered there have led archaeologists to believe that Kfar HaHoresh was a major cult center in that remote era.(Pre-Christian Rituals at Nazareth, Archaeology: A Publication of the Archaeological Institute of America [~~http~~://www.archaeology.org/0311/newsbriefs/nazareth.html]

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Archaeological research has revealed a funerary and cult center at Kfar HaHoresh, about two miles (3 km) from Nazareth, dating back roughly 9000 years (to what is known as the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] era).(Goring-Morris, A.N. “The quick and the dead: the social context of Aceramic Neolithic mortuary practices as seen from Kfar HaHoresh.” In: I. Kuijt (ed.), ''Social Configurations of the Near Eastern Neolithic: Community Identity, Hierarchical Organization, and Ritual ''(1997).) The remains of some 65 individuals were found, buried under huge horizontal headstone structures, some of which consisted of up to 3 tons of locally-produced white plaster. Decorated human skulls uncovered there have led archaeologists to believe that Kfar HaHoresh was a major cult center in that remote era.(Pre-Christian Rituals at Nazareth, Archaeology: A Publication of the Archaeological Institute of America [https://www.archaeology.org/0311/newsbriefs/nazareth.html]

Chad Emmet authored a sociological study on modern Nazareth entitled "Beyond the Basilica: Christians and Muslims in Nazareth." This book attempts to "better understand how Christians and Muslims have managed to live together for centuries in relative peace in a region known for its ethnic and religious conflicts, and to determine to what degree they have remained segregated in religious-based quarters."(Beyond the Basilica:Christians and Muslims in Nazareth, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0226207110) Emmett claims that archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the present-day [[Basilica of the Annunciation]] and [[St. Joseph]] have revealed pottery dating from the [[Middle Bronze Age]] (2200 to 1500 BCE) and ceramics, silos and grinding mills from the [[Iron Age]] (1500 to 586 BCE).(Beyond the Basilica:Christians and Muslims in Nazareth, ISBN 0226207110) However, excavations conducted prior to 1931 in the Franciscan venerated area revealed "no trace of a Greek or Roman settlement" there,(R. Tonneau, ''Revue Biblique'' XL (1931), p. 556. Reaffirmed by C. Kopp (op. cit.,1938, p. 188).) and according to studies written between 1955 and 1990, no archaeological evidence from [[Assyrian]], [[Babylonian]], [[Persian Empire|Persian]], [[Hellenist]]ic or Early [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times have been found. (C. Kopp, “Beiträge zur Geschichte Nazareths.”'' Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society'', vol. 18 (1938), p. 188. F. Fernandez, ''Ceramica Comun Romana de la Galilea.'' Madrid: Ed. Biblia y Fe, 1983, p. 63. N. Feig, “Burial Caves in Nazareth,” ''‘Atiqot'' 10 (1990), pp. 67-79 (Hebrew).)( B. Bagatti, “Ritrovamenti nella Nazaret evangelica.” ''[[Liber annuus|Liber Annuus]]'' 1955, pp. 5-6, 23. B. Bagatti, “Nazareth,” ''Dictionnaire de la Bible, Supplement VI.'' Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1960, col. 318. Bagatti, B. '' Excavations in Nazareth'' Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press, vol. 1 (1969), pp. 254, 319. “Nazareth” in ''Encyclopedia Judaica, ''New York: Macmillan, 1972, col. 900.)Bagatti, the principle archaeologist at the venerated sites in Nazareth, unearthed quantities of later [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and [[Byzantine]] artefacts, (B. Bagatti, ''Excavations in Nazareth'', vol. 1 (1969), pp. 272-310.) attesting to unambiguous human presence there from the 2nd century AD onward.

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Many writers suppose that ancient Nazareth was built on the hillside, as required by scripture: [And they led Jesus] "to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong" (Lk 4:29). However, the hill in question (the Nebi Sa'in) is far too steep for ancient dwellings and averages a 14% grade in the venerated area. (B. Bagatti, ''Excavations in Nazareth,'' Plate XI, top right.) Bagatti has shown that this area was, however, clearly used for tombs and agricultural work in the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as in later Roman times. (B. Bagatti, ''Excavations in Nazareth,'' pp. 237-310.)

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In the mid-1990s, shopkeeper Elias Shama discovered tunnels under his shop near Mary’s Well in Nazareth. The tunnels were eventually recognized as a [[hypocaust]] (a space below the floor into which warm air was pumped) for a bathhouse. The surrounding site was excavated in 1997-98 by Y. Alexandre, and the archaeological remains exposed were ascertained to date from the Roman, [[Crusade]]r, [[Mamluk]] and [[Ottoman]] periods. (Alexandre, Y. “Archaeological Excavations at Mary’s Well, Nazareth,” Israel Antiquities Authority bulletin, May 1, 2006.)(Is This Where Jesus Bathed?[~~http~~://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1067930,00.html])(Under Nazareth, Secrets in Stone.[~~http~~://%20www.jkcook.net/Articles1/0021.htm])

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In the mid-1990s, shopkeeper Elias Shama discovered tunnels under his shop near Mary’s Well in Nazareth. The tunnels were eventually recognized as a [[hypocaust]] (a space below the floor into which warm air was pumped) for a bathhouse. The surrounding site was excavated in 1997-98 by Y. Alexandre, and the archaeological remains exposed were ascertained to date from the Roman, [[Crusade]]r, [[Mamluk]] and [[Ottoman]] periods. (Alexandre, Y. “Archaeological Excavations at Mary’s Well, Nazareth,” Israel Antiquities Authority bulletin, May 1, 2006.)(Is This Where Jesus Bathed?[https://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1067930,00.html])(Under Nazareth, Secrets in Stone.[https://%20www.jkcook.net/Articles1/0021.htm])

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A tablet currently at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, dating to 50 AD, was sent from Nazareth to [[Paris]] in 1878. It contains an inscription known as the "Ordinance of Caesar" that outlines the penalty of death for those who violate tombs or graves. However, it is suspected that this inscription came to Nazareth from somewhere else (possibly [[Sepphoris]]). Bagatti writes: “we are not certain that it was found in Nazareth, even though it came from Nazareth to Paris. At Nazareth there lived various vendors of antiquities who got ancient material from several places.”(Bagatti, B. ''Excavations in Nazareth,'' vol. 1 (1969), p. 249.) C. Kopp is more definite: "It must be accepted with certainty that [the Ordinance of Caesar]... was brought to the Nazareth market by outside merchants."(C. Kopp, “Beiträge zur Geschichte Nazareths.”'' Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society'', vol. 18 (1938), p. 206, n.1.) Jack Finegan describes additional archaeological evidence related to settlement in the Nazareth basin during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and adds that "Nazareth was a strongly Jewish settlement in the Roman period."(''The Archaeology of the New Testament'', [[Princeton University]] Press: Princeton, 1992: pages 44-46.) The critical question now under scholarly debate is ''when'' in the Roman period Nazareth came into existence, that is, whether settlement there began before or after 70 AD (the First Jewish War).(Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, p. 35. [~~http~~://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html])

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A tablet currently at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, dating to 50 AD, was sent from Nazareth to [[Paris]] in 1878. It contains an inscription known as the "Ordinance of Caesar" that outlines the penalty of death for those who violate tombs or graves. However, it is suspected that this inscription came to Nazareth from somewhere else (possibly [[Sepphoris]]). Bagatti writes: “we are not certain that it was found in Nazareth, even though it came from Nazareth to Paris. At Nazareth there lived various vendors of antiquities who got ancient material from several places.”(Bagatti, B. ''Excavations in Nazareth,'' vol. 1 (1969), p. 249.) C. Kopp is more definite: "It must be accepted with certainty that [the Ordinance of Caesar]... was brought to the Nazareth market by outside merchants."(C. Kopp, “Beiträge zur Geschichte Nazareths.”'' Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society'', vol. 18 (1938), p. 206, n.1.) Jack Finegan describes additional archaeological evidence related to settlement in the Nazareth basin during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and adds that "Nazareth was a strongly Jewish settlement in the Roman period."(''The Archaeology of the New Testament'', [[Princeton University]] Press: Princeton, 1992: pages 44-46.) The critical question now under scholarly debate is ''when'' in the Roman period Nazareth came into existence, that is, whether settlement there began before or after 70 AD (the First Jewish War).(Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, p. 35. [https://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html])

===New Testament times and associations===

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In [[Gospel of John|John]] 1:46, Nathaniel asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" The meaning of this cryptic question is debated. Some commentators suggest that it means Nazareth was very small and unimportant. But the question does not speak of Nazareth’s size but of its ''goodness''. In fact, Nazareth was viewed with hostility by the evangelists, for it did not believe in Jesus and “he could do no mighty work there” (Mk 6:5). In all four gospels we read the famous saying, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mt 13:57; Mk 6:4; Lk 4:24; Jn 4:44). In one passage the Nazarenes even attempt to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff (Lk 4:29). Many scholars since W. Wrede (in 1901) (W. Wrede, ''Das Messiasgeheimnis in der Evangelien''(1901), English translation, ''The Messianic Secret'', Cambridge: J. Clarke, 1971) have noted the so-called “Messianic secret,” whereby Jesus’ true nature and mission were unseen by many, including by his inner circle of disciples (Mk 8:27-33; cf. only those to whom the Father reveals Jesus will be saved, Jn.6:65; 17:6, 9, etc.. Nazareth, being the home of those near and dear to Jesus, apparently suffered negatively in relation to this doctrine. Thus, Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” is consistent with a negative view of Nazareth in the canonical gospels, and with the fact that even Jesus’ brothers did not believe him (Jn 7:5).

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Non-biblical textual references to Nazareth do not occur until around 200 AD, when [[Sextus Julius Africanus]], cited by [[Eusebius]] (''Church History'' 1.7.14), speaks of “Nazara” as a village in "Judea" and locates it near an as-yet unidentified “Cochaba.”) "A few of the careful, however, having obtained private records of their own, either by remembering the names or by getting them in some other way from the registers, pride themselves on preserving the memory of their noble extraction. Among these are those already mentioned, called Desposyni, on account of their connection with the family of the Saviour. Coming from Nazara and Cochaba, villages of Judea, into other parts of the world, they drew the aforesaid genealogy from memory and from the book of daily records as faithfully as possible." ([[Eusebius|Eusebius Pamphili]], [~~http~~://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vi.vii.html] ''Church History'', Book I, Chapter VII,§ 14) This curious description does not fit the traditional location of Nazareth in Lower Galilee. Several possible Cochabas have been identified: one fifteen kilometers north of Nazareth (on the other side of Sepphoris); one in the region of Bashan (to the East of the Jordan River); and two near Damascus. (See J. Taylor, ''Christians and the Holy Places''. Oxford: 1993, pp. 36-38, with map). In the same passage Africanus writes of ''[[Desposyni|desposunoi]]'', or relatives of Jesus, who he claims “kept the records of their descent with great care.” Later texts referring to Nazareth include one from the tenth century that writes of a certain [[martyr]] named [[Conon]] who died in [[Pamphylia]] under [[Decius]] (249-251), and declared at his trial: "I belong to the city of Nazareth in Galilee, and am a relative of Christ whom I serve, as my forefathers have done." (Clemens Kopp, ''Die heiligen Stätten der Evangelien'' [The Holy Places of the Gospels]. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1959, p. 90.) This Conon has been shown to be legendary.(Joan Taylor, ''Christians and the Holy Places''. Oxford: 1993, p. 243.)

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Non-biblical textual references to Nazareth do not occur until around 200 AD, when [[Sextus Julius Africanus]], cited by [[Eusebius]] (''Church History'' 1.7.14), speaks of “Nazara” as a village in "Judea" and locates it near an as-yet unidentified “Cochaba.”) "A few of the careful, however, having obtained private records of their own, either by remembering the names or by getting them in some other way from the registers, pride themselves on preserving the memory of their noble extraction. Among these are those already mentioned, called Desposyni, on account of their connection with the family of the Saviour. Coming from Nazara and Cochaba, villages of Judea, into other parts of the world, they drew the aforesaid genealogy from memory and from the book of daily records as faithfully as possible." ([[Eusebius|Eusebius Pamphili]], [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vi.vii.html] ''Church History'', Book I, Chapter VII,§ 14) This curious description does not fit the traditional location of Nazareth in Lower Galilee. Several possible Cochabas have been identified: one fifteen kilometers north of Nazareth (on the other side of Sepphoris); one in the region of Bashan (to the East of the Jordan River); and two near Damascus. (See J. Taylor, ''Christians and the Holy Places''. Oxford: 1993, pp. 36-38, with map). In the same passage Africanus writes of ''[[Desposyni|desposunoi]]'', or relatives of Jesus, who he claims “kept the records of their descent with great care.” Later texts referring to Nazareth include one from the tenth century that writes of a certain [[martyr]] named [[Conon]] who died in [[Pamphylia]] under [[Decius]] (249-251), and declared at his trial: "I belong to the city of Nazareth in Galilee, and am a relative of Christ whom I serve, as my forefathers have done." (Clemens Kopp, ''Die heiligen Stätten der Evangelien'' [The Holy Places of the Gospels]. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1959, p. 90.) This Conon has been shown to be legendary.(Joan Taylor, ''Christians and the Holy Places''. Oxford: 1993, p. 243.)

In [[1962]], a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] inscription found in [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], dating to the late 3rd or early 4th century, mentions Nazareth as one of the places in which the priestly family of [[Hapizzez]] was residing after [[Bar Kokhba's revolt]] (132-135 AD).(It is often supposed that the Hapizzes went to Nazareth after the [[First Jewish Revolt]] (70 AD), but R. Horsley has pointed out that "the date of resettlement may well be well into the second (or even the third) century [AD]." ('' History and Society in Galilee'', 1996, p. 110). It was in 131 AD that the Roman Emperor [[Hadrian]] forbade Jews to reside in Jerusalem (then [[Aelia Capitolina]]), thus forcing them elsewhere.) From the three fragments that have been found, it is possible to show that the inscription was a complete list of the twenty-four priestly courses (cf. [[1 Chronicles]] 24:7-19; [[Nehemiah]] 11;12), with each course (or family) assigned its proper order and the name of each town or village in [[Galilee]] where it settled. An interesting aspect of this inscription is that the name for Nazareth is not spelled with the "z" sound (as one would expect from the Greek gospels but with the Hebrew [[tsade]] (thus "Nasareth" or "Natsareth").(M. Avi-Yonah. "A List of Priestly Courses from Caesarea." ''Israel Exploration Journal'' 12 (1962):138.)

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===1947-1948===

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Nazareth was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the [[1947 UN Partition Plan]], near the southern border within the northernmost part.[~~http~~://domino.un.org/maps/m0103_1b.gif] The town was not a field of battle during [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] before the first truce on [[June 11]], although some of the villagers had joined the loosely organized peasant resistance forces, and troops from the [[Arab Liberation Army]] had entered Nazareth. During the ten days of fighting which occurred between the first and second truce, Nazareth capitulated [[July 16]] to Israeli troops during [[Operation Dekel]], after little more than token resistance. The surrender was formalized in a written agreement, where the town leaders agreed to cease hostilities in return for promises from the Israeli officers, including brigade commander [[Ben Dunkelman]], (the leader of the operation), that no harm would come to the civilians of the town. A few hours later [[Chaim Laskov]] gave order to Dunkelman to evacuate the civilian population of Nazareth. Dunkelman refused to obey these orders. In sharp contrast to the surrounding towns, the [[Arab Israeli|Arab]] inhabitants in Nazareth were therefore never forced out. (Peretz Kidron, in ''Blaming the Victims'', [[Edward W. Said]] and [[Christopher Hitchens]], [[Verso Books]], 1988, p. 86-87.[[Blaming the Victims]], [[Verso Books]] pps 86-87)

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Nazareth was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the [[1947 UN Partition Plan]], near the southern border within the northernmost part.[https://domino.un.org/maps/m0103_1b.gif] The town was not a field of battle during [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] before the first truce on [[June 11]], although some of the villagers had joined the loosely organized peasant resistance forces, and troops from the [[Arab Liberation Army]] had entered Nazareth. During the ten days of fighting which occurred between the first and second truce, Nazareth capitulated [[July 16]] to Israeli troops during [[Operation Dekel]], after little more than token resistance. The surrender was formalized in a written agreement, where the town leaders agreed to cease hostilities in return for promises from the Israeli officers, including brigade commander [[Ben Dunkelman]], (the leader of the operation), that no harm would come to the civilians of the town. A few hours later [[Chaim Laskov]] gave order to Dunkelman to evacuate the civilian population of Nazareth. Dunkelman refused to obey these orders. In sharp contrast to the surrounding towns, the [[Arab Israeli|Arab]] inhabitants in Nazareth were therefore never forced out. (Peretz Kidron, in ''Blaming the Victims'', [[Edward W. Said]] and [[Christopher Hitchens]], [[Verso Books]], 1988, p. 86-87.[[Blaming the Victims]], [[Verso Books]] pps 86-87)

== Current events ==

Preparations for the [[Pope]]'s visit to Nazareth in 2000 triggered highly publicized tensions related to the [[Church of the Annunciation|Basilica of the Annunciation]]. The 1997 permission for construction of a paved plaza to handle the expected thousands of Christian pilgrims caused Muslim protests and occupation of the proposed site, which is considered the grave of a nephew of [[Saladin]]. This site used to be the home of a school built during the Ottoman rule. The school was named al-Harbyeh (in Arabic means military), and many elderly people in Nazareth still remember it as the school site, nevertheless, the same site still contains,the Shihab-Eddin shrine, along with several shops owned by the [[waqf]] (Muslim community ownership). The school building continued to serve as a government school until it was demolished to allow for the plaza to be built.

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The initial argument between the different political factions in town (represented in the local council), was on where the borders of the shrine and shops starts and where it ends. The initial government approval of subsequent plans for a large mosque to be constructed at the site led to protests from Christian leaders worldwide, which continued after the papal visit. Finally, in 2002, a special government commission permanently halted construction of the mosque. (Final Bar on Controversial Nazareth Mosque, [~~http~~://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=17590], Nazareth mosque will not be built next to the Basilica of the Annunciation [~~http~~://www.israelinsider.com/channels/politics/articles/pol_0116.htm] In March 2006, public protests that followed the disruption of a Lenten prayer service by an Israeli Jew and his Christian wife and daughter, who detonated incendiary devices inside the church, (Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest attack, [~~http~~://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-04-israeli-arabs_x.html] succeeded in dismantling a temporary wall that had been erected around the public square that had been constructed but had yet to be unveiled, putting an end to the entire controversy.

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The initial argument between the different political factions in town (represented in the local council), was on where the borders of the shrine and shops starts and where it ends. The initial government approval of subsequent plans for a large mosque to be constructed at the site led to protests from Christian leaders worldwide, which continued after the papal visit. Finally, in 2002, a special government commission permanently halted construction of the mosque. (Final Bar on Controversial Nazareth Mosque, [https://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=17590], Nazareth mosque will not be built next to the Basilica of the Annunciation [https://www.israelinsider.com/channels/politics/articles/pol_0116.htm] In March 2006, public protests that followed the disruption of a Lenten prayer service by an Israeli Jew and his Christian wife and daughter, who detonated incendiary devices inside the church, (Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest attack, [https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-04-israeli-arabs_x.html] succeeded in dismantling a temporary wall that had been erected around the public square that had been constructed but had yet to be unveiled, putting an end to the entire controversy.

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On [[July 19]], [[2006]] a rocket fired by the Lebanese [[Shia Islam|Shia]] militant group [[Hezbollah]] as part of the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]] killed two children in Nazareth. No holy sites were damaged.(Rocket attacks kill two Israeli Arab children, [~~http~~://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L196187346.htm]>

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On [[July 19]], [[2006]] a rocket fired by the Lebanese [[Shia Islam|Shia]] militant group [[Hezbollah]] as part of the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]] killed two children in Nazareth. No holy sites were damaged.(Rocket attacks kill two Israeli Arab children, [https://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L196187346.htm]>

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A group of Christian businessmen declared in 2007 their plans to build the largest cross in the world (60 m high) in Nazareth as the childhood town of [[Jesus Christ]].[~~http~~://www.christiantoday.com/article/plans.underway.for.worlds.largest.cross.in.nazareth/11677.htm]

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A group of Christian businessmen declared in 2007 their plans to build the largest cross in the world (60 m high) in Nazareth as the childhood town of [[Jesus Christ]].[https://www.christiantoday.com/article/plans.underway.for.worlds.largest.cross.in.nazareth/11677.htm]

==Religious shrines==

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*Alternatively, there is biblical indication that Nazarene was a mistranslation of Nazarite, a person who had taken a vow of holiness and was thus 'separated out' from the masses. Matt. 2:23 says of Iesous (Jesus), "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." Not only is there no word translated ‘Nazarene’, as well as no reference to a city of 'Nazareth' in the Hebrew Scriptures, but reference bibles state that the prophecy cited in Matt. 2:23 is in reference to Judges - 13:5 concerning Samson's description as a Nazarite.

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Frank Zindler, managing editor of the American Atheist Press, has asserted that Nazareth did not exist in the first century. (Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, pp. 33-42.[~~http~~://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html]). His arguments include the following:

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Frank Zindler, managing editor of the American Atheist Press, has asserted that Nazareth did not exist in the first century. (Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, pp. 33-42.[https://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html]). His arguments include the following:

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*No "ancient historians or geographers mention [Nazareth] before the beginning of the fourth century [AD]." Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, p. 34.[~~http~~://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html]

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*No "ancient historians or geographers mention [Nazareth] before the beginning of the fourth century [AD]." Zindler, F. "Where Jesus Never Walked," ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97, p. 34.[https://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html]

*Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud, nor in the Apocrypha and it does not appear in any early rabbinic literature.

*Nazareth was not included in the list of settlements of the tribes of [[Zebulun]] ([[Joshua]] 19:10-16) which mentions twelve towns and six villages

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== External links ==

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* [~~http~~://www.nazarethinfo.org Nazareth Official City Website]

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* [https://www.nazarethinfo.org Nazareth Official City Website]

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* [~~http~~://virtualreligion.net/iho/nazareth.html Nazareth] entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

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* [https://virtualreligion.net/iho/nazareth.html Nazareth] entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

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* [~~http~~://www.bibletexts.com/glossary/nazareth.htm W.R.F. Browning, ''Oxford Dictionary of the Bible'']

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* [https://www.bibletexts.com/glossary/nazareth.htm W.R.F. Browning, ''Oxford Dictionary of the Bible'']

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* [~~http~~://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=141&letter=N ''Jewish Encyclopedia'']

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* [https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=141&letter=N ''Jewish Encyclopedia'']

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* [~~http~~://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Def.show/RTD/Easton/ID/2676 ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'' 1897]

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* [https://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Def.show/RTD/Easton/ID/2676 ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'' 1897]

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* [~~http~~://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Nazareth.html The History of the Ancient Near East]

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* [https://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Nazareth.html The History of the Ancient Near East]

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* [~~http~~://www.nazarethvillage.com Nazareth Village, recreation of Nazareth 2000 years ago. The Nazareth Jesus Knew]

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* [https://www.nazarethvillage.com Nazareth Village, recreation of Nazareth 2000 years ago. The Nazareth Jesus Knew]

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* [~~http~~://www.nazarethmyth.info The Myth of Nazareth] Claims that the settlement did not exist in the time of Jesus.

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* [https://www.nazarethmyth.info The Myth of Nazareth] Claims that the settlement did not exist in the time of Jesus.

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* [~~http~~://www.jesusneverexisted.com/nazareth.html "Nazareth: the town that theology built"].

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* [https://www.jesusneverexisted.com/nazareth.html "Nazareth: the town that theology built"].

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* [~~http~~://www.tektonics.org/gk/humphreysk01.html "The lost city of Nazareth"]: A response to the above article (scroll down to section 2 for information on Nazareth)

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* [https://www.tektonics.org/gk/humphreysk01.html "The lost city of Nazareth"]: A response to the above article (scroll down to section 2 for information on Nazareth)

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* [~~http~~://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html "Where Jesus Never Walked"] (F. Zindler, Managing Director, ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97)

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* [https://www.americanatheist.org/win96-7/T2/ozjesus.html "Where Jesus Never Walked"] (F. Zindler, Managing Director, ''American Atheist'', Winter 1996-97)

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* [~~http~~://www.ianandwendy.com/Israel/Nazareth/slideshow.htm Photo Gallery of Nazareth]

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* [https://www.ianandwendy.com/Israel/Nazareth/slideshow.htm Photo Gallery of Nazareth]

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[[Category: Geography]]

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