Was Yashua from the “City” of Nazareth OR the “Commune” or Kibbutz at “Nazar”eth
The tribe of Judah was given most of the land at the southern end of Israel – south of Jerusalem, on the West coast of the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. If Yashua was from solely the House of David – Tribe of Judah (per Joseph’s family), they would likely not be settled in the northerly Land of Galilee. It would be more likely they would have settled south of Jerusalem. But they did not. Why would Joseph (Yashua’s legal father and from Judah) said to be from Nazareth in the Gospel of Luke? It is because Joseph was ALSO likely to be a Nazarene and he would have raised his son with his beliefs. In addition, We suggest the reason why the Holy Family settled in “Nazar”eth and was also to be near His father’s chosen faith and His maternal family.
The Code of Jewish Law clearly states that a child of a Jewish mother is Jewish, regardless of the father’s lineage (or whatever else may show up in a DNA test), while the child of a non-Jewish mother is not Jewish. Matrilineal descent has been a fundamental principle of Torah since the Jewish people came into existence. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/601092/jewish/Why-Is-Jewishness-Matrilineal.htm
At the time of Yashua, Essene communities were found in both the northern and southern areas of the country. The Southern Essenes were described in detail by Greek authors, Pliny and Philo as well as Jewish historian Josephus. The southern community at Qumran lived a more monastic, ascetic and celibate lifestyle without marriage. Yashua mentions the ‘eunuch’ Southern Essenes here when discussing the laws of divorce:
But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
Matthew 19:11-12 NASB
Wasn’t Nazareth Just a City?
The northern Essenes at Mount Carmel and Nazareth allowed marriage. Nazareth was not so much a “city” in the days of Yashua. It was a small communal village, at best. Archeologists estimate that about 400 residents with a single well to support them during the time of Christ. You can view the location where it was believed to be here: https://goo.gl/maps/tkuZM6hT57jqqaJy5 Nazareth was north of Mount Tabor in the land of Naphtali. It would have been a day’s journey west to the coast and Mount Carmel, a more well-known and established Essene commune, near Modern day Haifa; or a days’ journey east to the Sea of Galilee. No permanent structures were allowed to be built on the holy and revered Mount Carmel, thus the more permanent structures that served this community were at the nearby Nazar kibbutz. I will do more history on Mount Carmel in another post. But for now let’s get back to the community of Qumran on the South would have been probably four days journey from the northern Nazarenes along the Jordan River valley. There was also an “Essene Quarter” in Jerusalem which would have been a single day walk away from Qumran. That is discussed here if interested. http://www.centuryone.org/essene.html and http://www.askwhy.co.uk/christianity/0160EsseneQ1.php So Yashua was raised as a Nazarene. He was not from the “City” of Nazareth, as has been mistranslated over and over… but from an Essene Kibbutz of Nazarenes in the north. In fact, most of the Bible verses that are interpreted as “Nazareth” in English are actually only derivations of the term, “of Nazar.”
The teachings and way of life of the Essenes were most accurately described by Flavius Josephus, the Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, and Philo, the Alexandrian philosopher. Others in this 300-year period refer to them, including Epiphanius, Eusebius, Hippolytus, Porphry, Strabo, and Chaeremon.
Dr. Rabbi Gabriel Cousens http://treeoflifecenterus.com/who-were-the-essenes/