Hershel Shanks

EMMAUS’S MAIN CHURCH was built up over the centuries. Excavators believe that the earliest stratum is Herodian and may include remnants of a house that came to be revered as the “Cleopas House,” where Jesus broke bread and was recognized by his disciples after the Resurrection. A Byzantine triapsidal basilica was built over the Roman remains. Sources as early as Eusebius and Jerome considered this village to be the actual site of Jesus’ appearance. The Crusaders built a church upon the old Byzantine remains, and its walls can still be seen today.