Emmaus (Greek: Ἐμμαούς, Latin: Emmaus, Hebrew: אַמַּאוּס‎ Amaus or Hebrew: עַמְוַאס‎ Amvas; all derived from Hebrew: חמת‎ Hammat, meaning "warm spring") is the name of place associated with the life of Jesus. It is described in the New Testament as a village 60 or 160 stadia (7.5 miles or 19.5 miles) from Jerusalem where Jesus appeared after his resurrection.

Emmaus is a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.^[1]

Historical location

Many sites have been suggested for the biblical Emmaus, among them Emmaus Nicopolis (176 stadia from Jerusalem), Kiryat Anavim (66 stadia from Jerusalem on the carriage road to Jaffa), Coloniya (36 stadia on the carriage road to Jaffa), el-Kubeibeh (63 stadia, on the Roman road to Lydda), Artas (60 stadia from Jerusalem) and Khurbet al-Khamasa (86 stadia on the Roman road to Eleutheropolis}.

Imwas (‘Amwas)/Emmaus Nicopolis.

The first modern site identification of biblical Emmaus was by the explorer Edward Robinson, who equated it with the Arab village of ‘Amwas. The site is located at the end of the Ayalon Valley, on the border of the hill country of Judah, at 153 stadia (18.6 miles) from Jerusalem via the Kiryat Yearim 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 Seleucids in the region of Emmaus, and was victorious at the Battle of Emmaus (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 deployed there while the 10th legion was in Jericho. The town was re-founded as Nicopolis in 221 CE by Emperor Elagabalus and conferred the title of “city” following the request of a delegation from Emmaus. After the Plague of Emmaus in 639 CE, 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 broke bread on that late journey. From the 4th century on, the site was commonly identified as the biblical Emmaus.

Archaeologically, many remains have been excavated supporting historical and traditional claims. Five 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.

For more details on this topic, see Emmaus Nicopolis.

Al-Qubeibeh/Castellum Emmaus/Chubebe/Qubaibat

Another possibility is the village of al-Qubeibeh, west of Nebi Samwil on the Beit Horon road northwest of Jerusalem. The town, meaning “little domes” in Arabic, is located at about 65 stadia from Jerusalem. A Roman fort subsequently named Castellum Emmaus (from the Latin root castra, meaning encampment) was discovered at the site in 1099 by the 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, who writes in his Book of Gardens about a Muslim prince falling into the hands of the Crusaders at this spot. The Franciscans built a church here in 1902, on the ruins of a Crusader basilica. Excavations in 1943 revealed artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.

Abu-Ghosh/Kiryat Anavim

Abu Ghosh is located in the middle of the Kiryat Yearim Ridge Route between Nicopolis and Jerusalem, nine miles (83 stadia) from the capital. A convent of Minorites with a Gothic church in Abu Ghosh was turned into a stable. Robinson dated it to the Crusader period and declared it "more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine." Excavations carried out in 1944 corresponded with Crusader identification of the site as the biblical Emmaus.

Emmaus/Colonia (Qaloniya)/Motza/Ammassa/Ammaous/Beit Mizzeh

Colonia, between Abu Ghosh and Jerusalem on the Kiraith-Jearim Ridge Route is another possibility. At a distance of 35 stadia (four miles) from Jerusalem, it was referred to as Motza in the Old Testament, the Talmud and the writings of Josephus Flavius. One mile to the north is a ruin called Beit Mizzeh, identified as the biblical Motza. 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). According to Josephus ^[2] , Amassa (ancient Latin manuscripts) or Ammaous (medieval Greek manuscripts) was about 3.5 Roman miles (30 stadia) or 7 miles (60 stadia) from Jerusalem. A group of 800 soldiers settled here after the First Jewish Revolt. It is believed that the Latin Amassa and the Greek Ammaous are derived from the Hebrew name Motza. Motza was suggested as the biblical Emmaus by Birch, and adopted by Savi during the late 19th century.

References

Related articles

Emmaus Nicopolis

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Emmaus". Image Credit.

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