NAZARENE (naz-a-rene'), (Gr. Narapnvos, nad zar-ay-nos').
An epithet constituting a part of one of the names given to our Lord. From the number of times that the epithet is employed, it appears that it became at the very first an appellation of our Lord, and was hence applied to designate his fol lowers. Considering that the name was derived from the place where Jesus resided during the greater part of his life, we see no reason to think that at first it bore with it, in its applica tion to him or his followers, anything of an offensive nature. Such a designation was in this case natural and proper. In process of time, how ever, other influences came into operation. Naza reth was in Galilee, a part of Palestine, which was held in low esteem for several reasons—its dialect was provincial ; lying remote from the capital, its inhabitants spoke a strange tongue, which was rough, harsh and uncouth, having pe culiar combinations of words, and words also peculiar to themselves (Buxtorf, Lex. Talmud; Mark xiv :7o) ; its population was impure, being made lip not only of provincial Jews, but also of heathens of several sorts, Egyptians, Arabians, Plicenicians (Strabo, Geog. xvi:523) ; its people
were in an especial manner given to be seditious, which quality of character they not rarely dis played in the capital itself on occasion of the public festivals (Joseplitis, Wetstcin, as cited in Schleusner, s. v. raXiXaios); whence may be seen the point of the accusation made against Paul as 'ringleader of the sect of Nazarenes' (Acts xxiv :5). As Galilee was a despised part of Pales tine, so was Nazareth a despised part of Galilee, being a small, obscure, if not mean, place. Ac cordingly its inhabitants were held in little con sideration by other Galileans, and, of course, by those Jews who dwelt in Judma. Hence the name Nazarene came to bear with it a bad odor, and was nearly synonymous with a low, ignorant and uncultured, if not un-Jewish person (Kuinoel, in Matt. ii :23). It became accordingly a con temptuous designation and a term of reproach (Wetstein, in Matt. ii :23, 26, 71), and as such, as well as a mere epithet of description, it is used in the New Testament. J. R. B.