{
  "id": "dict_000905",
  "term": "Chorazin",
  "slug": "chorazin",
  "letter": "C",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A Galilean town that Jesus rebuked for its unrepentance after witnessing His mighty works. In the Gospels, Chorazin stands as a warning that greater spiritual light brings greater accountability.",
  "simple_one_line": "A Galilean town Jesus warned for rejecting the evidence of His works.",
  "tooltip_text": "A Galilean place-name in Jesus’ warning passages, used to illustrate accountability for rejected revelation.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Bethsaida",
    "Capernaum",
    "repentance",
    "judgment",
    "miracles of Jesus",
    "accountability"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Matthew 11:20-24",
    "Luke 10:13",
    "Tyre",
    "Sidon"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Chorazin was a town in Galilee mentioned by Jesus in pronouncing woe on places that had seen His mighty works yet did not repent.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Chorazin is a New Testament place-name for a Galilean town singled out by Jesus in warnings about unrepentance under clear evidence.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "A real place in Galilee, not a theological concept",
    "Mentioned in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13",
    "Used by Jesus as an example of accountability for rejected light",
    "Its exact archaeological identification is historically discussed, but its biblical significance is clear"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Chorazin was a town in Galilee associated with Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, Jesus pronounced woe on Chorazin because its people did not repent despite witnessing His mighty works. The town therefore serves as an example of serious responsibility before God when His truth is clearly revealed.",
  "description_academic_full": "Chorazin was a Galilean town mentioned in the Gospels in connection with Jesus’ rebuke of unrepentant towns that had received strong evidence of His messianic ministry. In Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, Chorazin is named alongside Bethsaida and contrasted with Tyre and Sidon. Jesus’ warning shows that increased privilege and clearer revelation increase accountability. Scripture gives little additional historical detail about Chorazin itself, but its role in the Gospel narrative is significant: it illustrates the seriousness of rejecting Christ’s mighty works and the call to repentance that accompanies them. The town functions as a historical place-name used in a solemn judgment saying, not as an abstract theological category.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Chorazin appears in Jesus’ denunciation of Galilean towns that had witnessed His miracles yet remained unrepentant. The context is a pronouncement of woe in which Jesus compares their response unfavorably with pagan cities that had less light.",
  "background_historical_context": "Chorazin was a town in Galilee, likely in the region north of the Sea of Galilee. Its exact identification is discussed in historical and archaeological studies, but the biblical text is concerned with its role in Jesus’ warning rather than with extensive geographic detail.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "As a Galilean settlement in first-century Jewish life, Chorazin belonged to the world of towns that heard Jesus’ message and observed His works. The Gospel warnings assume the covenant seriousness of receiving revelation and then failing to respond in repentance.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Matthew 11:21",
    "Luke 10:13"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Matthew 11:20-24",
    "compare the neighboring town of Bethsaida in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The New Testament uses the Greek place-name Χοραζίν (Chorazín). The underlying etymology is uncertain, but the term functions straightforwardly as a geographic name.",
  "theological_significance": "Chorazin illustrates the principle that greater revelation brings greater responsibility. Jesus’ warning shows that exposure to His works and words is not spiritually neutral; it calls for repentance and faith.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The passage reflects moral accountability in proportion to knowledge received. When truth is clearly disclosed, the failure to respond is more culpable than ignorance.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not turn Chorazin into a standalone doctrine or allegory. The point of the text is Jesus’ warning to real towns that had received light and refused to repent.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little doctrinal dispute about Chorazin’s significance in the Gospel texts. Discussion is usually historical or geographic, especially regarding the town’s precise location.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Chorazin is a biblical place-name used in a judgment warning. It should not be treated as a doctrinal term, nor used to construct speculative geography or secondary allegory.",
  "practical_significance": "Chorazin warns readers that hearing God’s truth and seeing evidence of His work increases accountability. The proper response to divine revelation is repentance and faith.",
  "meta_description": "Chorazin was a Galilean town rebuked by Jesus for unrepentance after witnessing His mighty works. The name stands as a warning about accountability for rejected light.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/chorazin/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/chorazin.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}