Berea
Berea is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Greece in modern-day Greece. Known today as Veria. It appears across 6 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Berea (Greek: Beroia) enters the New Testament narrative during Paul's second missionary journey as a city of remarkable receptivity to the gospel. After being expelled from Thessalonica by a mob stirred up by jealous opponents, Paul and Silas traveled southwest to Berea, where they preached in the synagogue (Acts 17:10–15). Luke offers an unusual commendation of the Berean Jews, noting that they "received the word with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). As a result, many Jews believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. This model of diligent scriptural investigation has made "Berean" a lasting designation for careful Bible study in Christian tradition. However, opponents from Thessalonica pursued Paul to Berea, agitating the crowds, and Paul was escorted away by ship to Athens while Silas and Timothy remained behind. Sopater of Berea is later mentioned in Acts 20:4 as one of Paul's companions accompanying him to Jerusalem with the collection for the church there.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Ancient Berea corresponds to modern Veria (also spelled Veroia or Beria), a city in the Emathia regional unit of Greek Macedonia. Veria has been continuously inhabited since antiquity and today preserves a monument marking the traditional site of Paul's preaching, erected in the twentieth century. Archaeological finds from the Roman period confirm Veria's status as a prosperous provincial city with a substantial Jewish community. Inscriptions, architectural remains, and a rich Byzantine heritage attest to the city's long importance. A small outdoor shrine called the Bema of the Apostle Paul, decorated with a mosaic depicting scenes from Acts 17, marks the traditional location of Paul's address to the Bereans.
Verse Appearances (6)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]