Nazareth was a real place in the time of Jesus.
Nazareth plays a key role in the Christian story. It’s where Jesus grew up and where an angel appeared before Mary to tell her she would give birth to the child of God.
Today, Nazareth is a bustling city of 75,000 people. It was never proven to have existed during Biblical times when Jesus walked the Earth—which is a favorite attack line used by skeptics in doubting the existence of Jesus.
But just a few years ago, Israeli archaeologists discovered the remains of a house from the time of Jesus in the heart of Nazareth. It was found under the courtyard of the former Sisters of Nazareth covenant in the process of erecting a new Christian center.
It is a simple home of two rooms and a courtyard, which contained several fragments of chalk vessels, which is a clue that Jews lived here in this period, researchers said.
Due to the number of burial caves and other archeological discoveries found nearby that date to the early Roman era, researchers believe that ancient Nazareth was likely a village of about 50 residences.
Archaeologist Ken Dark of the University of Reading believes that this site could have even greater significance—he believes it could actually be the childhood home of Jesus. Throughout history, several structural attempts have been made to protect the home from being destroyed, which suggest its importance.