Jesus Era House Discovered in Nazareth
EmailABC's Simon McGregor-Wood reports from Jerusalem: Just a few days before millions of Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas, Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered the first remains of a house in the town of Nazareth dating from the time of Jesus. According to the New Testament Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which at the time was a small village of no more than 50 homes. Similar buildings have been uncovered elsewhere in the surrounding Galilee region but never in Jesus’ home town itself. Yardena Alexandre, head of the team that discovered the remains of the house told ABC News Monday, “This would have been a small house with several rooms and a courtyard. Since it was built on a hillside it may have been terraced and had more than one level.” The remains were found during building work on a museum. They include a wall, a hideout and a cistern. Archaeologists also found clay and chalk pots used by Jews in the area at the time. From that the team deduced the home belonged to what they referred to as a “simple Jewish family.” “This is an important find because it is the first dwelling place from the early Roman period found in Nazareth itself. It helps give us a clearer picture of what the place was like when Jesus was alive” Alexandre said. Today Nazareth is a bustling city and a centre of Christian pilgrimage. The humble remains lie in the center of the city near the famous Church of the Annunciation. The place where according to Christian tradition, the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she would give birth to Jesus. The archaeologists believe that since Nazareth at the time was such a small place, Jesus and his friends would probably have known the newly uncovered house. The remains will be preserved as an exhibit in the new museum once it is completed.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
How long do you think it will be before some over-zealous group is claiming they have found the house where Jesus lived?
Posted by: Greyghost | December 21, 2009, 11:37 am 11:37 am
how wonderful this story is! without sounding “over-zealous”…it would be wonderful to find Christ’s home in nazareth.
Posted by: lorraine hygaard | December 21, 2009, 11:56 am 11:56 am
The house is an example of how Jesus’ home could have looked like.
It’s very exciting to see this.
Posted by: ddg | December 21, 2009, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
Well, maybe they’ll find some old mail addressed to him or an old prescription bottle with his name on it.
Posted by: leogorky | December 21, 2009, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
Have they found what they were smoking at this time ?!
Posted by: Rose | December 21, 2009, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
LOL at the posts from leogorky, greyghost, & Rose. Good points! (-;
Posted by: Scorpio Redhead | December 21, 2009, 3:17 pm 3:17 pm
The perscription bottles would be a great find indeed. It would help explain how people believed all this nonsense.
Posted by: urapnis | December 21, 2009, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
I agree greyghost. It won’t be long before Pat Robertson (or the like) exclaims to the world they have the smoking gun, Jesus’ home found! Come and be cured of your ails on this holy ground and receive special forgiveness for a small payment of $19.95. As for the historical significance of the find, well it’s about a exciting as the mud huts in Afghanistan. I don’t see many people running to get into that place.
Posted by: hrybfyblnd | December 21, 2009, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
ooops, I meant prescription!
Posted by: urapnis | December 21, 2009, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
This adds to the overwelming archeological evidence which proves that the Bible is correct. Praise be to our God, Jesus Christ.
Posted by: HolyBeThyName | December 21, 2009, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
Hey urapnis, Remember your quote when you stand befor HIM.
Posted by: Fred | December 21, 2009, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
What a wonderful find. I only hope one day to visit the area myself and put my footsteps where Jesus himself once walked. That would be a great gift indeed.
Posted by: Mona | December 21, 2009, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
This is an awesome find. All of the haters need not respond to these types of stories. Just leave it alone and let those who find joy in this have it. You all have time to be saved; may God bless you.
Mark 3:28
“I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven,
Posted by: Michele | December 21, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
This is awesome. I’m sure the likeliness of this being Jesus home is slim, but it’s very cool to learn about this era. It is surprising, however, that there are so many hateful comments re: Christians and their beliefs. What is the goal of making fun of someone for their beliefs. If you can talk someone into a relationship with Jesus, you can talk someone out of it. An encounter with God is what it takes for someone to believe in Christ’s divinity. Unkind posters, are you hoping for people to be like, ‘eah what was I thinking. Nonsense, this is stupid.’ Cause really, all you’re doing is discriminating. I pray that everyone who posted has an awesome holiday season… Even the meanies. God bless.
Posted by: Misty | December 21, 2009, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
This is a remarkable find. I hope eventually, this and other discoveries lead researchers to find some of Jesus’s own writings. Much as I love the Bible, I”ve never understood why Jesus left the writing of the New Testament to others when he could have easily have written his teachings himself. Hopefully, there are writings from Jesus out there that are yet to be discovered.
Posted by: Silly one | December 21, 2009, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
If there were only about 50 homes in the village at the time, then if Jesus lived and lived in the village there is a 1 in 50 chance this was his house, and there is a much higher probability that he was inside it at least once. He would have known who lived in it, at the very least.
I do wonder how discovering the remains of a house in a place where houses were known to have once been is a proof of the divinity of a person or the veracity of a book.
I sincerely hope that one day Christians will be able to look at their stories as that, wonderful stories from their faith, no more and no less real than the stories of other faiths. And if your faith is true, try following it and stop trying to be right all the time. Try actually being Christ-like and behave in a manner consistent with your Avatar’s behaviour.
Posted by: L.Zk | December 21, 2009, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
interesting story, how do they know it is connected to Jesus? Hope that following up story is told…Merry Christmas!
Posted by: jingle | December 21, 2009, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
Jingle said: interesting story, how do they know it is connected to Jesus? Hope that following up story is told…Merry Christmas!
It’s connected to Jesus because the New Testament says he grew up in Nazareth. It’s a very small town of 50 or so homes so it seems very connected.
Lzk: Why can’t you let people believe what they want to believe? Why do you feel you have to impose your view onto Christian’s?
Posted by: kennedy | December 21, 2009, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
It is interesting from a purely archelogical and historical aspect. It says NOTHING about the divinity of Jesus or the fact that anyone of that era really understood the dimentions of what Christianity takes. It merely describes PERHAPS a dwelling of that area. It will be impossible to detrmine probably EVER the validity of the Jesus story. Either you want to accept it on faith or not. There is proof for none of it as there is no proof for divinity in the Hebrew Bible as well. Religion is about faith NOT proof. I find it interesting from an intellectual point of view but as for the supernatural I do not buy it and probably never will.
Posted by: Natalie R | December 21, 2009, 10:37 pm 10:37 pm
It will be impossible to detrmine probably EVER the validity of the Jesus story. posted by Natalie R
———–
Yes, there will come a time when proof of Jesus’s existence and divinity will be revealed.
That day will be when He returns for His followers. I hope you will come to believe in Jesus Christ AND become His follower.
Because when He returns, it will be too late. Christianity IS about faith … a faith that does not require proof understandable by humankind. One must believe through faith.
You use the word supernatural; I reject that term in reference to God. Supernatural is man-made to describe ‘the bogey-man’ and ‘things that go bump in the night’. Jesus Christ is not supernatural, He is divine.
God bless!
Posted by: malcat | December 21, 2009, 10:53 pm 10:53 pm
Now that we’ve found a house from the same era, shall we all gather there to worship? Just in case? (sarcasm)
Posted by: jan | December 22, 2009, 2:17 am 2:17 am
When you have faith, you don’t need proof of Jesus’s divinity. Faith is a beautiful thing.
Posted by: Simply moi | December 22, 2009, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm
Simply Moi, faith is ignorant. How about trying to use your brains for a change! If there’s a God, he gave them to you for a reason.
Posted by: urapnis | December 22, 2009, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Fred,
I agree with you. Urapnis should remember his words when he stands before our Lord and Savior. I made Santa Claus angry a few years ago, and now I have to buy my own presents. He lands on my roof every Christmas Eve and mocks me.
Posted by: jerkin4jesus | December 22, 2009, 7:09 pm 7:09 pm
so glad all my posts are being deleted! Why??? If you disagree with what I have to say, post a logical reply. Stop being such cowards.
Posted by: urapnis | December 22, 2009, 7:36 pm 7:36 pm
Urapnis, maybe you can ask Santa to put your posts back up? I was thirsty once, and I prayed for rain, and lo and behold, it rained!!! At first I thought, maybe sometimes it just rains. But then I had an epiphany, and I realized that God was listening. I wonder why my winning lottery ticket hasn’t come in yet.
Posted by: jerkin4jesus | December 22, 2009, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
Jerkin: I can just keep reposting. I’m not in violation of any of the site’s TOS. People just can’t handle the truth. Good luck with that lottery ticket. Holy be thy lottery’s name.
Posted by: urapnis | December 22, 2009, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
HolyBeThyName: You wrote “This adds to the overwelming archeological evidence which proves that the Bible is correct. Praise be to our God, Jesus Christ.”
I’d like you to explain to me how this PROVES *anything*. The only thing that story even suggests is that an archaeological site uncovered the remains of a house in what would have been Nazareth. How in God’s name does this prove ANYTHING about the bible’s accuracy? How can you possibly make that leap and jump to that completely unsupported conclusion???
Thinking like yours is downright scary. In fact, it is thinking like that which probably spawned your religion. It’s no better than “oh, his body is gone, he must have risen from the dead and will therefore be back to save us.” huh??? Is that really the most likely conclusion???
Seriously, people like you are dangerously ignorant.
Posted by: urapnis | December 22, 2009, 8:57 pm 8:57 pm
The 2nd greatest scientist of the 20th century,nobel-winner Niels Bohr said science is not the only truth.
Another archeological artefact called the Nazareth stone, records Caesar’s response to the first Easter!
I was born in India and I know that Jesus is GOD.
Posted by: mathew | December 23, 2009, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
Matthew,
You give me a SINGLE piece of evidence or proof that Jesus is/was God or that even is a God, and I will join whatever cult you belong to, no questions asked.
Proof, not your faith or opinions or hopes. Proof. Without proof, the statement “I know that Jesus is God” is nothing more than one person’s opinion. Proof, young Matthew.
Remember:
Proof (noun)- any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
Posted by: urapnis | December 24, 2009, 12:16 am 12:16 am
If we see the three more important religions Christian, Islamic and Judaism, all of them accept that Jesus lived in Nazareth, his divinity is only accepted by the Christians. Everybody accept the Bible as an historical book, and the christian are the only one to give to it a divine origin. What is true and what is not? nobody knows. That is enough to live accepting other believes and DO NOT discriminate other for wqhar they think,
Posted by: Guillermo Sablich | December 25, 2009, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm