It costs a lot to recreate abject poverty

It has so far cost $5 million to recreate the village of Nazareth in the impoverished state it enjoyed when the historical figure of Jesus is said to have lived there, reports say.

Every detail of the village, from the crops to the buildings, is based on careful scholarship. Pfann and a team of scholars, archaeologists, architects and engineers have produced hundreds of pages of documented research and plans based on ancient writings, mosaics and archaeological discoveries. To finance their work, they have raised about $5 million so far, mainly from Christian donors abroad.

And that's only enough to partially restore the site.

Someone, it seems, is being taken for a ride.