uncial (UN·ci·al). A form of majuscule handwriting, particularly in Greek and Latin, characterized by a kind of large, rounded letters used in the script of manuscripts in the period ca. CE 300–900.

unleavened bread (un·LEAV·ened bread). A reference to the Hebrew matstsoth, matzoth (pronounce MAT·so) plural of matstsah (pronounce MAT·sa). A thin, flat cracker-like bread made of flower without yeast. Pursuant to the Mosaic Code the people of Israel were to remove any food item made containing yeast, or a leavening agent, was to be removed from the homes of the people of Israel for the seven-day festival (Exodus 12:15, Exodus 13:7). See Days of Unleavened Bread. In the New Testament the Greek word for bread, artos, can refer to either leavened or unleavened bread. While some passionately argue that artos can refer only to leavened bread, Luke’s gospel makes it quite clear that this is not the case at Luke 24:30 where the resurrected Jesus Christ dined at Emmanus. There, during the Days of Unleavened Bread, Jesus takes artos, which his two Torah-compliant Jewish hosts gave him to break. He proceeds to break the artos and hand pieces to his hosts. The context of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread necessitate for artos here to be unleavened bread as Torah requires it. Moreover, the normal bread we know today is white, fluffy, and puffed-up, but that was not the case with leavened bread two thousand years ago (see Colbert 2002:22). The leavened bread of that day was a flat bread, similar to pita bread but quite thin, which one had to tear not brake. Physically unleavened bread could be broken but leavened bread could not. One broke unleavened bread and tore leavened bread.

Upper Room (UP·per room). In Christian parlance a reference to the second story room wherein Jesus and his disciples dined together the evening of his arrest on the 14th of Nisan. It was here that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and instituted the first Christian Passover (see also Passover). The next day he was put to death by crucifixion (see Crucifixion). See article on the Cenacle for a discussion of the traditional location of the Upper Room.