Has the location of the upper room from the Day of Pentecost been discovered?
Archaeologist Joel Kramer just may have uncovered the location where the Last Supper and the Day of Pentecost happened.
Going on one of his archeological expeditions, Kramer took a careful look at a synagogue from the excavation project of Jewish archaeologist, Jacob Pinkerfield. In this ancient synagogue, Pinkerfield noticed a “Torah Arc” in the building. These arcs are where Jewish Scriptures were kept in places of worship.
Kramer says the proximity of this synagogue to where the Temple Mount stood is a key to its purpose. When Pinkerfield excavated the building, he uncovered several layers of flooring, the base most likely built during the Roman empire.
What was further uncovered from this site was a piece of plaster covered in graffiti. The graffiti translated to, “Conquer, O Savior mercy,” and “O Jesus that I may live.” This was no ordinary synagogue, but a gathering place for Christians.
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The building’s location isn’t just close to the place where the Temple Mount stood. It faces Northwest toward Golgotha and the empty tomb.
Kramer says that while the original site of the upper room was destroyed, this synagogue is in the same location, pointing to the believers in Jesus returning to this spot specifically to build the synagogue and commemorate the destination of the Last Supper and the Day of Pentecost.
“The house with the upper room was destroyed in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70,” Kramer says. “Soon afterwards, Jewish followers of Jesus built a synagogue in the same spot. Later, an octagonal church was built next to the synagogue. Still later, a larger Byzantine church was built, replaced by a crusader church that incorporated the ancient synagogue inside the building.”
The building stands to commemorate the risen Savior and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Kramer believes the significance of this goes beyond a surface-level celebration, acting as a remembrance of what happened at the Last Supper.
“What a perfect orientation for a building that is built to commemorate the event where Jesus told His disciples [to] eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of what I’ve done for you,” Kramer says.
It is in this same spot of remembrance where the indwelling of the Holy Spirit later happened.
“This is the birth of the church. This is where the church begins,” Kramer says.
Pentecost is more than just something Christians are to celebrate once a year. It is a real event which happened in a physical location and ignited the beginning of the church. It is the event that changed history as the Holy Spirit came to dwell with us.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media
Jonathan Cahn