Return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth

The Return from Egypt by James Tissot
Events in the
Life of Jesus
according to the Gospels
Early life

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 Book:Life of Jesus

The return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth, also known as the Return from Egypt, appears in the reports of the early life of Jesus given in the Canonical gospels. Both of the gospels which describe the nativity of Jesus agree that he was born in Bethlehem and then later moved with his family to live in Nazareth. The Gospel of Matthew describes how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Egypt to escape from Herod the Great's slaughter of the baby boys in Bethlehem. Matthew does not mention Nazareth as being the previous home of Joseph and Mary; he says that Joseph was afraid to go to Judea because Herod Archelaus was ruling there and so the family went to Nazareth instead.[1][2][3] The Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, does not record anything about the flight to Egypt, but says that Joseph had been previously living in Nazareth,[4] and returned there after the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.[5]

Significance

In Matthew 2:23, the return to Nazareth is said to be a fulfilment of the prophetic word, "He shall be called a Nazarene". It is not clear which Old Testament verse Matthew might have had in mind; many commentators suggest it is Isaiah 11:1, where it says "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (NIV): the Hebrew word for "branch" is nezer.[6][7]

Art

The family's return journey from Egypt has frequently been a subject of artistic representation.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Matthew 2:22
  2. ↑ Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus: apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium, Oxford University Press 1999, page 38; Paula Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ (Second edition, Yale University Press, 2000, page 36); R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007) page 43; Rudolf Schnackenburg, The Gospel of Matthew, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002) page 27; Marcus Borg, 'The Meaning of the birth stories', in Borg and Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (HarperOne, 1999), page 180.
  3. ↑ "The Persecuted Child". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Luke 2:4
  5. ↑ Luke 2:39
  6. ↑ Keener, Craig (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Eerdmans. p. 114. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. ↑ IVP New Testament Commentaries, Growing Up in a Small Town, accessed 29 November 2016
Return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth
Preceded by
Massacre of the Innocents		 New Testament
Events 		Succeeded by
Finding Jesus in the Temple
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