Since ancient times, Christians have been in search of Emmaus. According to Biblical tradition, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of his disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)

There have been many locations that have been hypothesized as the spot of this ancient town, but the village of El Qubeibeh was adopted by the Franciscans as being the most likely.

The ancient Church, beginning in the 3rd century AD, identified the disciple Cleopas’ village (one of the disciples that Jesus appeared to on the road to Emmaus) as the city of Emmaus. It fit into the story of the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 3:40-57; 4:3; 9:50). However, although the name of the site corresponded to the account, the type of site and its distance from Jerusalem did not. Several biblical texts put the location at 160 stades from Jerusalem, which is about 30 km. During the Crusader period, a site at the proper distance from Jerusalem was sought, and so the Fontenoid Castle (Abu Ghosh) was suggested, but the new location did not take hold.

El Qubeibeh has been the only site since the 14th century to fit into the Biblical account. The village’s topographical situation, located on one of the roads to Jerusalem, certainly influenced the choice of the site, as well as the persistence of the local tradition.