Settling in Galilee
Matthew's account continues by saying that an angel again appeared to Joseph to tell him Herod was dead and that it was now safe to return to Israel. Matthew also says the angel revealed that Herod Archelaus had succeeded his father, and that Joseph should take the family to Nazareth in Galilee rather than Judea (the region surrounding Jerusalem), “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” Matthew 2:23.
Luke relates that Nazareth had been the home city of Mary and Joseph before Jesus' birth, but it's understandable that the Holy Family may have been drawn to Jerusalem, their holy city and the center of all the action for the whole of Jewish history, knowing the promises the angels had given them regarding Jesus.
discussion question
What is the relationship of Mohammed to Christianity?
Mohammed was the prophet and founder of Islam; he was born in A.D. 570 in Mecca, the commercial and religious center of Arabia at the time. The Catholic Encyclopedia says that after meeting Christians and Jewish people during trade journeys, he brought monotheism to Arabia as a religious reform through the Koran, which he authored. He died in A.D. 633.
