[naz-uh-reen, naz-uh-reen] 
| 1. | a native or inhabitant of Nazareth. |
| 2. | a member of a sect of early Jewish converts to Christianity who retained the Mosaic ritual. |
| 3. | the Nazarene, Jesus Christ. |
| 4. | of or pertaining to Nazareth or the Nazarenes. |
| Naz·a·rene (nāz'ə-rēn', nāz'ə-rēn') n.
[Middle English, from Late Latin Nazarēnus, from Greek Nazarēnos, from Nazaret, Nazareth.] |
Nazarene
This epithet (Gr. Nazaraios) is applied to Christ only once (Matt. 2:23). In all other cases the word is rendered "of Nazareth" (Mark 1:24; 10:47; 14:67, etc.). When this Greek designation was at first applied to our Lord, it was meant simply to denote the place of his residence. In course of time the word became a term of reproach. Thus the word "Nazarene" carries with it an allusion to those prophecies which speak of Christ as "despised of men" (Isa. 53:3). Some, however, think that in this name there is an allusion to the Hebrew _netser_, which signifies a branch or sprout. It is so applied to the Messiah (Isa. 11:1), i.e., he whom the prophets called the _Netse_, the "Branch." The followers of Christ were called "the sect of Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5). All over Palestine and Syria this name is still given to Christians. (See NAZARETH.)
Nazarene
in the New Testament, a title applied to Jesus and, later, to those who followed his teachings (Acts 24:5). In the Greek text there appear two forms of the word: the simple form, Nazarenos, meaning "of Nazareth," and the peculiar form, Nazoraios. Before its association with the locality, this latter term may have referred to a Jewish sect of "observants," or "devotees," and was later transferred to the Christians
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