Geographical and Historical Context:

Beroea, known in modern times as Veria or Veroia, is an ancient city located in the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. It is situated at the foot of the Vermio Mountains, near the Haliacmon River. Beroea was a significant city in the Roman province of Macedonia and played a notable role in early Christian history.

Biblical Significance:

Beroea is prominently mentioned in the New Testament in the Book of Acts. The Apostle Paul, along with Silas, visited Beroea during his second missionary journey after leaving Thessalonica. The account of their visit is recorded in Acts 17:10-15.

Acts 17:10-12 : "As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Beroea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men."

The Bereans are commended for their noble character and diligence in examining the Scriptures. Unlike the Thessalonians, who reacted with hostility, the Bereans received the Gospel message with eagerness and verified its truth by studying the Scriptures. This approach is often highlighted as a model for Christian study and discernment.

Cultural and Religious Context:

Beroea was a city with a significant Jewish population, as evidenced by the presence of a synagogue where Paul and Silas preached. The city's openness to the Gospel message and the Bereans' commitment to scriptural examination reflect a community that valued learning and truth.

Impact on Early Christianity:

The positive reception of the Gospel in Beroea contributed to the spread of Christianity in Macedonia. The Bereans' example of scriptural examination has been influential in Christian thought, emphasizing the importance of verifying teachings against the Word of God.

Later Historical Developments:

In subsequent centuries, Beroea continued to be an important center for Christianity. The city became a bishopric in the early Christian church and played a role in the ecclesiastical history of the region. Today, Veria is a city with a rich Christian heritage, and the legacy of the Bereans' scriptural diligence continues to be celebrated.

Archaeological and Modern Significance:

Modern archaeological efforts in Veria have uncovered remnants of its ancient past, including structures from the Roman and Byzantine periods. The city's historical and biblical significance attracts scholars and visitors interested in early Christian history.

Beroea's mention in the New Testament and its commendation for scriptural examination serve as a lasting testament to the importance of diligent study and openness to the truth of the Gospel.BEROEA

be-re'-a (Beroia or Berroia):

(1) A town of southwestern Macedonia, in the district of Emathia. It lay at the foot of Mt. Bermius, on a tributary of the Haliacmon, and seems to have been an ancient town, though the date of its foundation is uncertain. A passage in Thucydides (i.61) relating to the year 432 B.C. probably refers to another place of the same name, but an inscription (Inscr Graec, II, 5, 296i) proves its existence at the end of the 4th century B.C., and it is twice mentioned by Polybius (xxvii0.8; xxviii.8). After the battle of Pydba in 168 B.C. Berea was the first city to surrender to Rome and fell in the third of the four regions into which Macedonia was divided (Livy xliv0.45; xlv.29). Paul and Silas came to Berea from Thessalonica which they had been forced by an uproar to leave, and preached in the synagogue to the Jews, many of whom believed after a candid examination of the apostolic message in the light of their Scriptures (Acts 17:10, 11). A number of "Gr women of honorable estate and of men" also believed, but the advent of a body of hostile Jews from Thessalonica created a disturbance in consequence of which Paul had to leave the city, though Silas and Timothy stayed there for a few days longer (Acts 17:12-15). Perhaps the Sopater of Berea who accompanied Paul to Asia on his last journey to Jerusalem was one of his converts on this visit (Acts 20:4). Berea, which was one of the most populous cities of Macedonia early became a bishopric under the metropolitan of Thessalonica and was itself made a metropolis by Andronicus II (1283-1328): there is a tradition that the first bishop of the church was Onesimus. It played a prominent part in the struggles between the Greeks and the Bulgarians and Serbs, and was finally conquered by the Turks in 1373-74. The town, which still bears among the Greeks its ancient name (pronounced Verria) though called by the Turks Karaferia, possesses but few remains of antiquity with the exception of numerous inscriptions (Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, III, 290 if; Cousinery, Voyage dans la Macedoine, I, 57; Dimitsas, Makedonia in Greek, 57).

Marcus N. Tod

(2) The place where Menelaus the ex-high priest was executed by order of Antiochus Eupator, the victim, according to local custom, being cast from a tower 50 cubits high into a bed of ashes (2 Maccabees 13:3). It was the ancient city of Chalab, lying about midway between Antioch and Hierapolis. Seleucus Nicator gave it the name Berea. It was a city of importance under the Moslems in the Middle Ages, when the old name again asserted itself, and remains to the present time.

The name "Aleppo" came to us through the Venetian traders in the days before the great overland route to India via Aleppo lost its importance through the discovery of the passage round the Cape. Aleppo is now a city of nearly 130,000 inhabitants. The governor exercises authority over a wide district extending from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean.

(3) (Berea); A place mentioned in 1 Maccabees 9:4. It may be identical with BEEROTH (which see) in Benjamin, a Hivite town, 8 miles North of Jerusalem, or with the modern Birez-Zait, 1 1/2 miles Northwest of Jifneh.

W. Ewing

960. Beroia -- Berea, a city of Macedonia
... Berea. Perhaps a provincial from a derivative of peran (Peroea, ie The region beyond
the coast-line); Beroea, a place in Macedonia -- Berea. see GREEK peran. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/960.htm - 6k

961. Beroiaios -- Berean, a native of Berea
... of Berea. From Beroia; a Beroeoean or native of Beroea -- of Berea. see GREEK Beroia.
(beroiaios) -- 1 Occurrence. 960, 961. Beroiaios. 961a . Strong's Numbers
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/961.htm - 5k

To the Clergy of Beroea.
... Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, LXXV. To the Clergy of Beroea. I perceive
that it is with reason that I am well disposed to your ...
/.../theodoret/the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/lxxv to the clergy of.htm

To Theoctistus, Bishop of Beroea.
... Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, CXXXIV. To Theoctistus, Bishop of Beroea.
Our Saviour, Lawgiver, and Lord, was once asked, "What ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/cxxxiv to theoctistus bishop of.htm

Acacius, Bishop of Beroea, Zeno, and Ajax, Men Distinguished and ...
... Book VII. Chapter XXVIII."Acacius, Bishop of Beroea, Zeno, and Ajax,
Men Distinguished and Renowned for Virtue. The following ...
/.../chapter xxviii acacius bishop of beroea.htm

Of the Boldness of Speech of the Decurion of Beroea.
... Chapter XVII."Of the boldness of speech of the decurion of Beroea. ... When he reached
Beroea, he invited the men of office and of high position to a banquet. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xvii of the boldness of.htm

To the Bishop Theoctistus.
... 1671] for if our city, solitary as it is, and with only a small population, and
that a poor one, succours the strangers, much rather may Beroea, [1672] which ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/xxxii to the bishop theoctistus.htm

Paul and Silas in Macedonia
... the peace, they let them go. Then the brothers at once sent Paul and Silas
away by night to Beroea. When they arrived there, they ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/paul and silas in macedonia.htm

The Confession of Cyril Lucar, AD 1631.
... His friends surrounded the palace of his successor, Cyril of Beroea, crying, 'Pilate,
give us the dead, that we may bury him.' [115] The corpse was washed ...
/.../ 15 the confession of.htm

Matthew
... I have also had the opportunity of having the volume described to me by the
Nazarenes [2351] of Beroea, [2352] a city of Syria, who use it. ...
/.../various/jerome and gennadius lives of illustrious men /chapter iii matthew.htm

Of Meletius Bishop of Antioch.
... as we have recently observed, was created bishop of Sebastia in Armenia, after the
deposition of Eustathius; from Sebastia he was transferred to Beroea, a city ...
/.../chapter xliv of meletius bishop of.htm

Of the Holy Monk Julianus.
... lights of the truth Flavianus, Diodorus, and Aphraates sent Acacius, [771] an athlete
of virtue who afterwards very wisely ruled the church at Beroea, to the ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xxiv of the holy monk.htm

Beroea (4 Occurrences)
...BEROEA. be-re'-a (Beroia or Berroia): (1) A town of southwestern Macedonia, in the
district of Emathia. ... Multi-Version Concordance Beroea (4 Occurrences). ...
/b/beroea.htm - 11k

Thessalonica (8 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God
was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the ...
/t/thessalonica.htm - 25k

Message (222 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:11 The Jews at Beroea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica,
for they very readily received the Message, and day after day searched ...
/m/message.htm - 34k

Nobler (2 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:11 The Jews at Beroea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica,
for they very readily received the Message, and day after day searched ...
/n/nobler.htm - 7k

Learnt (12 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:13 As soon, however, as the Jews of Thessalonica learnt that God's Message
had been proclaimed by Paul at Beroea, they came there also, and incited the ...
/l/learnt.htm - 10k

Gaius (5 Occurrences)
... Acts 20:4 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and
Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and ...
/g/gaius.htm - 10k

Ga'ius (5 Occurrences)
... Acts 20:4 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and
Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and ...
/g/ga'ius.htm - 7k

Working (205 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had news that Paul was preaching the
word at Beroea, they came there, troubling the people and working them up. ...
/w/working.htm - 36k

Inciting (2 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God
was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the ...
/i/inciting.htm - 7k

Incited (10 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:13 As soon, however, as the Jews of Thessalonica learnt that God's Message
had been proclaimed by Paul at Beroea, they came there also, and incited the ...
/i/incited.htm - 9k

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