Nazareth and Childhood

Artifacts, tombs, pottery, and structures dating to the 1st century have been excavated in Nazareth, demonstrating that the town was occupied in the time of Jesus (Matthew 2:21-23). Further, two houses from the 1st century have been uncovered, and finds such as stone vessels for ritual washing indicate residents were Jews who observed the Mosaic Law. One house had a church built around it in the 5th century AD (Church of the Nutrition), revered as the childhood home of Jesus (Luke 2:39-40). This house was abandoned after the 1st century AD.