In the heart of Nazareth’s old city market stands a small church built over what tradition identifies as the synagogue where Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and declared: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The Synagogue Church, maintained by the Greek Catholic (Melkite) community, is modest in size but enormous in significance.
The Tradition
According to the Gospel of Luke (chapter 4), Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath, read a passage from Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah, and announced that he was the fulfillment of that prophecy. The reaction was not positive. The congregation was furious, and the incident ended with the crowd attempting to throw him off Mount Precipice.
The current church, built by the Crusaders and modified over the centuries, sits at the traditional location of that synagogue. The interior is simple, with a focus on the reading platform where, according to tradition, Jesus stood.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Synagogue Church is part of the network of holy sites within walking distance in Nazareth’s old city. Hoshen Tours connects the dots between the sites, the stories, and the market around them.