Christianity: Details about 'Emmaus'
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Emmaus is the name of a place in Palestine that has proven important in Christian teachings. Named in Luke 24:13, Emmaus is a village in the country, located at sixty stadia (7.5 miles) or one hundred and sixty stadia (19.5 miles) from Jerusalem, depending on the biblical version.
Jesus in EmmausThe Bible references that Jesus was seen in Emmaus, the very day of the resurrection, after Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene and after Peter and John ran to the tomb only to find it empty (John:20). While two disciples (including Cleopas) are walking along the Emmaus road, Jesus appears to them and begins interacting with them. When they reach the village of Emmaus, the disciples ask Jesus to stay with them to eat as he seemed willing to walk on. After he prays and breaks the bread, they recognize him, and he disappears. Then they come back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples about it, and while they share their excitements Jesus appears once again. (Luke:24, John:20). Historical locationMany sites have been suggested for the biblical Emmaus, but none of them has had enough evidence to make a strong case as to its exact location in Palestine. Its identification is a matter of mere guesswork: it has been sought at (a) Emmaus Nicopolis (see 2 below), distant 176 stadia from Jerusalem; (b) Kuryet el- Enab (see 4 below), distant 66 stadia, on the carriage road to Jaffa; (c) Kulonieh (see 5 below), distant 36 stadia, on the same road; (d) el-Kubeibeh (see 4 below), distant 63 stadia, on the Roman road to Lydda; (e) Urtas, distant 60 stadia; and (f) Khurbet el-Khamasa, distant 86 stadia, on the Roman road to Eleutheropolis. 2. Imwas (‘Amwas)/Emmaus/Nicopolis. The first modern site identification of biblical Emmaus was given by the explorer Edward Robinson, equating to it a contemporary Arab village named ‘Amwas. The site is located at the end of the Aijalon Valley and at the border of the hill country of Judah, at 153 stadia (18.6 miles) from Jerusalem via the Kiriath-Jearim Ridge Route, 161 stadia (19.6 miles) via the Beth-Horon Ridge Route and 1,600 feet lower by elevation.Around 166 BC Judas Maccabeaus fought against the Syrians in the region of Emmaus, and was victorious (1 Maccabees 3:55-4:22). Later, it was fortified by Bacchides, a Seleucid general (1 Macc 9:50). When Rome took over the land it became a head of toparchy, and was burnt by order of Varus just after the death of Herod in 4 BC. During the First Jewish Revolt, before the siege of Jerusalem, Vespasian’s 5th legion was placed there while the 10th legion was in Jericho. The town was re-founded as Nicopolis in 221 AD by Emperor Elagabalus and conferred the title of “city” following the request of a delegation from Emmaus. After a plague in 639 AD, the city disappeared.Eusebius was the first to mention Nicopolis as biblical Emmaus in his Onomasticon. Jerome, who translated Eusebius’ book, implied in one of his letters that there was a church in Nicopolis built in the house of Cleopas where Jesus had broke the bread on that late journey. From the 4th century on, the site was commonly considered as the biblical Emmaus. Archaeologically, many remains have been excavated supporting historical and traditional evidence. Five main structures were found and dated, including a Christian basilica from the 3rd century, another basilica from the 6th century and a 12th century Crusader church. 3. El-Qubeibeh/Castellum Emmaus/Chubebe/Qubaibat. Another site, west of Nebi Samwil on a road running northwest of Jerusalem, is the modern village of el-Qubeibeh. The town, meaning “little domes” in Arabic, is located at about 65 stadia from Jerusalem. A Roman fort named Castellum Emmaus (from the Latin root castra, meaning encampment and referring to the idea of village) was discovered at the site in 1099 by Crusaders.In the 12th century, the Crusaders called the site “Small Mahomeria,” in order to distinguish it from “Large Mahomeria” near Ramallah. Sounding similar to “Mahommed,” the term was used in medieval times to describe a place inhabited or used for prayer by Muslims. It was referred to as Qubaibat for the first time at the end of that same century by the writer Abu Shamad. In his "Book of Gardens," he tells the story of a Muslim prince falling into the hands of Crusaders who were in the vicinity.Favored by the Crusaders and first mentioned as the biblical Emmaus in 1280, the site was adopted from the end of the fifteenth century on by the Franciscans. Later on, only after that site identification was more or less established, the commemoration of the “seven Maccabaen brothers,” that had been previously attached to another place was transferred to the church of el-Qubeibeh.In 1852 the Franciscans discovered church ruins on the site, which they purchased in 1861 and used to build a church in 1902, still standing today. According to their finds the ruins corresponded to the foundations of a basilica of the Crusaders. Remains of an even more ancient structure were found, which might have been a Byzantine church or a house from the Roman period, sometimes identified as the house of Cleopas. Later excavations in 1943 revealed occupation of the site from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. 4. Abu-Ghosh/Kiryat el ‘Enab. Located by the Old Testament site of Kiriath-Jearim, Abu Ghosh is in the middle of the Kiriath-Jearim Ridge Route between Nicopolis and Jerusalem, nine miles (83 stadia) from the capital. The town was named after a family of robbers who inhabited it in the 19th century. This family, the Sheiks Abu Ghaush, terrified the travelers in the first half of the century until the Turkish government took care of them. The biblical name, Kiriath Jearim, means “village of forests,” while the modern name, Kiriath el’Enab means “village of grapes.”Kiriath-Jearim was known in the Bible for housing the arc of the covenant for about 120 years after its capture by the Philistines and its return to Beth Shemesh. A Roman fort was found with a Greek inscription stating that the Tenth Legion stationed there. Monkish tradition also identified the village as Anathoth, the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah. There used to be a convent of Minorites with a Gothic church at Abu Ghosh, which was later transformed in the times of Robinson into a stable. Robinson described it as “obviously from the time of the crusades, and more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine.” Excavations were done in 1944 on that church, proving the Crusader identification of the site as the biblical Emmaus. 5. Emmaus/Colonia (Qaloniya)/Motsa/Ammassa/Ammaous/Beit Mizzeh. Colonia, sitting between Abu Ghosh and Jerusalem on the Kiraith-Jearim Ridge Route is another site worth considering. At a distance of 35 stadia (four miles) from Jerusalem, it was both referred to in the Old Testament, Talmud and by Josephus. It was suggested as the biblical Emmaus by Birch and adopted by Savi during the late 19th century. One mile away to the north is a ruin called Beit Mizzeh, identified as the biblical Mozah. Listed among the Benjamite cities of Joshua 18:26, it was referred to in the Talmud as a place where people would come to cut young willow-branches as a part of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Mishnah, Sukkah 4.5: 178). It is believed that the Greek Ammaous and the Latin Amassa found their root in the Hebrew name. According to Josephus, Ammouas was about 3.5 Roman miles away from Jerusalem (30 stadia), and was the place of the colonization of 800 discharged veterans after the First Jewish Revolt. Emmaus, PennsylvaniaMoravians who founded Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States, named the borough after Emmaus. Other local towns in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, including Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Nazareth, Pennsylvania, also are named after locations visited by Jesus of Nazareth, according to Christian teachings. RetreatA few organizations run a retreat called The Road to Emmaus, and there is a very well kept secret surrounding it. The key word starts with P. References
Emmaüs Emmaus אמאוס Emmaüs
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