The belief that pagans made up a large part, perhaps even the majority, of Galilee's population in the first century CE – a view that has influenced generations of New Testament scholars – exists despite the evidence, not because of it. The image of Galilee that results from an integration of information provided by Josephus and the Gospels with the discoveries of modern excavations is entirely different. The vast majority of first-century CE Galileans were Jews. Pagans were a small minority. The various arguments scholars have proposed for a diverse population simply do not hold up to critical examination. In fact, when checked against the evidence, they fall apart.

Scholars have often claimed that Galilee's history of successive invasions by foreign powers resulted in an eclectic mixture of inhabitants. Galilee was ruled again and again by non-Jewish peoples, first by the Assyrians and later by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, and eventually the Romans. It did not undergo successive repopulation efforts, however. After the Assyrian conquest, it seems to have lain largely uninhabited until the Persian period. When resettlement began, it was slow, apparently consisting mostly of Phoenicians from the coast. Galilee's population under Greek rule probably also included Phoenicians, as well as a few Itureans (particularly in the northern regions), and some Jews. The repopulation of the region was gradual, occurring over centuries, and seemingly not the result of any intentional efforts by the various ruling powers, none of whom introduced a substantial number of colonists.