Page "Nazareth" Paragraph 15

James F. Strange, an American archaeologist, notes: “ Nazareth is not mentioned in ancient Jewish sources earlier than the third century AD.

This likely reflects its lack of prominence both in Galilee and in Judaea .” Strange originally calculated the population of Nazareth at the time of Christ to be " roughly 1, 600 to 2, 000 people " but, in a subsequent publication, revised this figure down to “ a maximum of about 480 .” In 2009 Israeli archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre excavated archaeological remains in Nazareth that might date to the time of Jesus in the early Roman period.

Alexandre told reporters, " The discovery is of the utmost importance since it reveals for the very first time a house from the Jewish village of Nazareth.