‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ (John 1.46)
Nathaniel asked this question 2,000 years ago and many scholars have been asking it since.
Indeed, until recent times, the lack of any archaeological evidence for a first century settlement had been used by atheist sceptics to insinuate that Jesus was a figure of myth. James Randi, an American sceptic and illu-sionist, famous for debunking Uri Geller, has greatly embarrassed himself in his dismissal of the historic existence of Nazareth. Claiming that there is absolutely no evidence for a Jesus-period town of Nazareth he concluded a talk on the subject: ‘St Luke, and thus the inerrant Bible, was plainly, demonstrably, dead wrong.’ Many others have followed his lead and scorn the idea that the gospels are describing real people and places.
Dismissive gaffes
There are two obvious reasons why James Randi, and his rather shrill atheist followers, are difficult to take seriously in such headline-grabbing claims. First, if you watch Randi speak, most Sunday School children would know that he speaks without knowledge. He claims that Christians believe Jesus was born in Nazareth (they don’t) and that this birth story is to be found in the Gospel of John (it isn’t). But he clearly is not interested in such details, so what about the archaeological claims regarding Nazareth? These dismissive comments are not supported by those working in the field.
Second, it is on this mainstream, publicly available, archaeological research that the mythicists (yes, it is a word – those who think Jesus was a myth) demonstrate that they prefer sensational bluster to sober science. Archaeological work at Nazareth, undertaken by scholars from many different points of view, continues to confirm the existence of a functioning settlement in the time of Jesus.
Evidence emerges
Archaeology is a difficult pursuit in a bustling, modern city like Nazareth. People would prefer not to have holes dug under their houses and roads.
Despite this obstacle, archaeology has recovered evidence of farming, tombs and residential homes from the first century. What the evidence clearly shows is that Nazareth was a small, unimportant town and not a wealthy city. There was a lavish city being built five miles away called Sepphoris. In all likelihood the residents of Nazareth, craftsmen (tekton) like Joseph (Mark 6.3), were builders who had moved to the area to help in its construction. These observations all fit with what we know from Nathaniel’s dismissive remark – Nazareth was an unlikely hometown for the Saviour of the world!
However, archaeology is a work in progress and our knowledge of ancient Nazareth improves with every passing year. The Nazareth Archaeological Project has been working on a site beneath the Sisters of Nazareth Convent since 2006 and their discoveries are prompting a rethink. They have found evidence of successive Byzantine and Crusader period churches that were themselves built on much earlier residential buildings.
One particular Early Roman-period courtyard house has been protected by these later church structures. The remains had been the source of much debate because they are also associated with tombs. We know for certain that no Jews would have built their houses on burial sites. It was difficult to imagine Jesus or Joseph ever living here. However, as the archaeological work has continued, our view of Nazareth has dramatically changed.
Home of Jesus?
In 2009 a second Nazareth courtyard house was found from the Early Roman period by the Israeli Antiquities Authority during modern building works. The presence of the tombs has now been explained. The tombs are later than the houses. The Early Roman-period houses were abandoned in the later first century and the ruins were then reused as a burial site. Peeling back the decades, we find a Nazareth that may have been a little more substantial and wealthy than had previously been thought. And what of the house that then became preserved much later by the Byzantines? They may have had some local knowledge that preserved a memory that this had been the family home of Jesus – a similar history of preservation of a significant house is seen at Capernaum. This identification cannot be proven, but one fact is clear – the home town of Jesus is being mapped and explored on the ground all the while the armchair sceptics post their Internet blogs dismissing its existence.
Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Yes. Not only the Saviour of the world, but an increasing collection of artefacts and architecture from this distant period of history. You can be sure there is a lot more good yet to come.
