ArchaeologyofJesus’Nazarethisthefirstbookonthearchaeologyoffirst-centuryNazareth:Jesus’hometowninGalilee.Requiringnopreviousknowledgeofbiblicalhistoryorarchaeology,itoutlinesthelatestarchaeologicalevidence,placingtheGospels’accountofJesus’youthintheBible,andoriginsofChristianpilgrimage,inanewcontext.ThebookconcentratesonthefascinatingSistersofNazarethsiteinthecentreofthepresentcity.There,twenty-firstcenturyarchaeologicalresearchidentifiedaByzantinepilgrimagechurch,whichislikelytobetheChurchoftheNutrition-dedicatedtotheupbringingofChrist-themostimportantpreviously’lost’earlyChristianchurchintheHolyLand.Aseventh-centurypilgrimsaidthatavaultedareaundertheChurchoftheNutritioncontainedtheactualhousewhereJesuswasbroughtupbyMaryandJoseph.Intriguingly,belowtheByzantinechurchattheSistersofNazarethsiteavaultedareapreservedwhatareprobablytheruinsofafirst-centuryhouse.EvenbeforetheByzantinechurchwasbuilt,a-probablyfourth-century-cave-churchwasconstructednexttothefirst-centuryruins,suggestingthattheywereassignedChristianreligiousimportance.Thesimilaritieswiththepilgrim’sdescriptionraisethequestionofwhethertheSistersofNazarethhousereallycouldhavebeenthechildhoodhomeofJesus.ThebookdrawstoitsconclusionbymeansofadiscussionofthishistoricalexistenceforJesusandtheimplicationsofthearchaeologyofNazarethforunderstandingtheGospels.
