They were observant Jews, so they circumcised their sons, celebrated Passover, did not work on the Sabbath, travelled as pilgrims to Jerusalem, and valued the traditions of Moses and the prophets. The peasant families who lived there eked out a living, paid their taxes, and tried to live in peace. The little village of Nazareth, off the main road, over the hill but still within walking distance of the city of Sepphoris, was Jesus’ home. Used for ritual-purity immersion, they were found at virtually every Jewish site in Galilee, the Golan, and Judea. Ritual bathing pools or mikveh were also found at Nazareth. When the flesh had decayed, the remaining bones were gathered together and usually placed in an ossuary or bone box. The body was first buried in a body-length shaft cut at right angles into the walls of the tomb chamber, sealed with a large stone rolled into place. The tombs surrounding Nazareth were also very modest. The village of Nazareth in the 19th century The Jewish queen Salome Alexandra had made reading and writing compulsory for all Jewish boys – for study of the Torah. Young Jewish men were expected to be literate.Being able to talk well was a valued skill. They spoke Aramaic, a language with a strong poetic tradition.The people were physically robust, strong-minded, practical, respectful of traditional and loyal to family. It had a population of about 400, so everyone knew everyone else.It was a conservative town, clinging to traditional Jewish culture in a world that had been radically affected by Greek thought and culture.There was a single, ancient spring for water. It was built on porous rock, so as well as the buildings above the surface there were underground cisterns for water, vats for oil, and silos for grain. Excavations show just how small it actually was – but every bit of space was used effectively.Nazareth lay in the hills twelve miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee: fertile land.It is beguiling to think that Joseph and Jesus, as builders, may have traipsed over to Sepphoris to work on the new buildings.

It was a nondescript dot on the map with not much to offer, overshadowed by nearby Sepphoris, the luxurious Greek-style capital of Herod Antipas.

The village seems to have been held in some contempt in 1st century Palestine. It was here that Jesus spent his boyhood, living with his mother and father, and here that he faced the sceptical townsfolk of Nazareth. Nazareth is famous for one thing, and one thing only: it is the home town of Jesus. What was the large town nearby? How might it have affected Nazareth?.What is the strange way you can tell the size of ancient Nazareth?.

Jesus of nazareth