1st-century house in Nazareth may be where Jesus grew up

Archaeologists have new evidence suggesting a small house made of mortar and stone and cut into a rocky hillside in modern-day Israel could be where Mary and Joseph raised Jesus, who is believed to have grown up in Nazareth. The structure was first uncovered in the 1880s by nuns at the Sisters of Nazareth convent. Archaeologists found that, centuries after Jesus’ time, the Byzantine Empire decorated the house with mosaics and constructed a church over the house, protecting it.

Was this the house where Jesus grew up? It is impossible to say on archaeological grounds. …On the other hand, there is no good archaeological reason why such an identification should be discounted.

Ken Dark, a professor at the University of Reading in the U.K.

Crusaders who ventured into the Holy Land in the 12th century fixed up the church after it fell into disrepair, suggesting that both the Byzantines and Crusaders believed that this was the home where Jesus lived. The artifacts found in the first-century house include broken cooking pots, and limestone vessels, suggesting that a family lived there, the archaeologists said. The limestone vessels suggest a Jewish family lived in the house, because Jewish beliefs held that limestone could not become impure. Occupancy by a Jewish family would support the idea that this could have been Jesus’ house.

Science