NAZARENE
An epithet applied to Christ, and usually translated "of Nazareth," as in Matthew 21:11 Acts 2:22; Acts 1:4. It was foretold in prophecy, Psalms 22:7, Psalms 1:22 Isaiah 53:2, that the Messiah should be despised and rejected of men; and this epithet, which came to be used as a term of reproach, showed the truth of these predictions, Matthew 2:23 Acts 24:5. Nazareth was a small town, in a despised part of Palestine. See Galilee, and Nazareth.