Nazareth

Descending this steep ridge, we find ourselves at once in one of the pleasant valleys, planted and cultivated, which render Nazareth the least desolate and forsaken of all the towns of Palestine. Itself resting on a very steep slope, it is encircled by hills on all sides, leaving an undulating saucer-shaped basin, with many little valleys running into it on both sides and in front of the town. . . . The enclosing sides are towards the south and east well cultivated, corn-fields mingle with vineyards and fig-trees, and the occasional date palms, which here reach their northern limit, are marked features in the home landscape . . . (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 2, pp. 44-45.)

However refreshing, the scenery about Nazareth is the reverse of grand. There are no sublime heights, no deep ravines, no forest solitudes, as a French writer has suggested, to fill a boyish mind with wild dreams or enthusiastic visions, nothing here to suggest dreams of heroism or to feed the reveries of romance-an ordinary busy place, it was the natural nursery of one whose mission it was to meet man and man's deepest needs on the platform of commonplace daily life. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 2, p. 45.)

It is a restful place, thoroughly in keeping with the silent years of our Lord's life. There is not much stir. There is no bustle or noise. The people walk about quietly . . . . It is as different and distinct from other towns of the same size in Palestine as though it belonged to a different country. There is more of devotion in the churches, more of dignity and taste in the bearing of the people. The beautiful, tender and sympathetic life of our Lord seems to have been shared by the people of the place. (Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 138.)

We went into a veritable carpenter shop in the town of Nazareth and watched a Nazarene at work. He sawed and planed a small piece of wood for us, and the sight was helpful to our faith and suggestive of the genuine life there nearly nineteen hundred years ago . . . . The memories of the dear Child still haunt these hills. Here he lived and played and worked. He lived as lived the other children of peasant parents in this quiet village, and in great measure as they live now. Here he prepared himself amidst this hallowed obscurity for His mighty work on earth. (Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 102.)