Mount Precipice

Mount Precipice

Mount Precipice is a cliff near the city of Nazareth in Israel. Above is the view down from the top. It looks steep because it is, as the 1,000 foot plunge is almost straight down. Since "precipice" means "a very steep cliff," Mount Precipice lives up to its name.

Does it live up to its fame?

Mount Precipice became famous after the Catholic church said it was the place where the Jews in Nazareth synagogue, enraged at Jesus' reminder of how God at times blessed the gentiles more than the Jews,* led Jesus with the intent to throw him over the edge.

Is Mount Precipice really "the brow of the hill" mentioned in Luke chapter 4?

There is a possibility of it being that brow but it is extremely unlikely for five reasons.

1.  According to the Bible, Nazareth was built on that hill: "the brow of the hill on which the town was built" (Luke 4:29). Nazareth is a much larger town today than it was 2,000 years ago, yet the urban spread has yet to reach Mount Precipice, so there is still no town built on this hill.

2.  While a 1,000 foot drop will kill a man, so will a 50 foot drop. The area in and around Nazareth is still rugged and has many cliffs with a 50+ foot drop, including en route to Mount Precipice.

3.  The old synagogue of Nazareth, marked with the white arrow below, is about 2 kilometers from Mount Precipice. Most of the leaders of the synagogue would have been old men for whom trudging up and down the rugged terrain to reach Mount Precipice would have been difficult.

4.  During the time of Jesus, Israel was under Roman rule, which allowed only Romans to execute anyone. Throwing Jesus over a cliff would have been a spur-of-the-moment crime of passion to be committed at the nearest available hilltop.

5.  An angry mob marching for 2 kilometers would have caught the attention of Nazareth's Roman garrison, which would have intervened and upheld Roman law.

What isn't in dispute?

The eyesore of the crass pillar and cubes (below) left by some pillars of North American Christianity, including a bingo parlor and a casino (inset), that apparently financed the Mount Precipice "lookout."

What are the Biblically authentic sites in Israel?

Golgotha, Jesus' Tomb, Wailing Wall, Hezekiah's Tunnel and Gihon Spring in Jerusalem, and Nazareth Village. See below for others.