Road To Emmaus Key Words

Emmaus: Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately 7 miles northwest of present day Jerusalem. The New Testament reports that Jesus appeared before two of his followers in Emmaus after his resurrection.

Jerusalem: The holy city of the Jews, sacred also to Christians and Muslims, that lies in the Judaean hills about 20 miles (32 km) from the Jordan River; pop. 562,000. From 1947, the city was divided between the states of Israel and Jordan until the Israelis occupied the whole city in June 1967 and proclaimed it the capital of Israel although it is not accepted as such by the United Nations. It is revered by Christians as the place of Christ’s death and resurrection and by Muslims as the site of the Dome of the Rock.

Nazareth: In the New Testament, the city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events.

Prophet: In religion, a prophet is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and to speak for them, serving as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy.

High Priest, Chief Priests, Priests, and Levites – members of the tribe of Levi who were responsible for the temple and its sacrifices, and thus were the religious and social leaders of the Jewish people.

Condemned: Condemned means to be pronounced guilty or at fault, unfit for use, damned or rejected according to the Oxford English Dictionary, OED. Therefore Jesus being condemned to death basically means he was rejected to death. Society, thanks to Judas, turned against him and nailed him to the cross. Thus condemning him to death.

Crucified: Jesus was crucified (put to death) by nailing & binding him to a cross.

Israel: An ancient kingdom of Palestine founded by Saul c. 1025 b.c. After 933 it split into the Northern Kingdom, or kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom of Judah to the south. Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians in 721.

Messiah: A messiah is a saviour or liberator of a group of people, most commonly in the Abrahamic religions. The Jewish messiah is a leader anointed by God, physically descended from the Davidic line, who will rule the united tribes of Israel and herald the Messianic Age of global peace also known as the World to Come. The translation of the Hebrew word Mašíaḥ as Χριστός (Khristós) in the Greek Septuagint became the accepted Christian designation and title of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that prophecies in the Hebrew Bible (especially Isaiah) refer to a spiritual saviour and believe Jesus to be that Messiah (Christ).

Moses: The hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered the Law during their years of wandering in the wilderness.

Scriptures: The sacred writings of the Bible.