Nazareth
Nazareth an-Nāṣira | |
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Country | Israel |
Population | 77,000 |
Current mayor | Ali Sallam |
Nazareth was a small village in biblical times. It was the early home of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 2:23) In 2006, the population of modern Nazareth was 64,800.[1] The Modern Arabic word for Christian (nasranis) is derived from the name of the city Natzara.
Today it is the largest Arab city in Israel, where a majority are Christian or Muslim. It is located in lower Galilee, and is it is a relatively large city for northern Israel. Nazareth is located about 25 miles directly north of Samaria, the center of the Samaritan population at the time of Jesus.
It was a four-day walk (about 90 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, assuming a pace of an average of a bit more than 2 miles per hour for 10 hours each day. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth.
Nazareth had a terrible reputation in biblical times of being a slum where disreputable people lived. The Apostle Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46
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