Nazareth, historic city of Lower Galilee, in northern Israel; it is the largest Arab city of the country. In the New Testament Nazareth is associated with Jesus as his boyhood home, and in its synagogue he preached the sermon that led to his rejection by his fellow townsmen. The city is now a centre of Christian pilgrimage.

The etymology of the city's name is uncertain; it is not mentioned in the Old Testament or rabbinic literature; the first reference is in the New Testament (John 1). The contempt in which this then insignificant village was held is expressed in the same chapter ("Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"). From there, Jesus went to perform his first miracle, that of the changing of water to wine at Cana (John 2). Nazareth had a Jewish population in Jesus' time; its Christian holy places are first mentioned after Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire (ad 313). The only site in Nazareth that can be definitely identified as dating back to New Testament times is the town well, now called St. Mary's Well; others are in dispute between the various churches.