Berea
BEREA
A city of Macedonia, not far from Pella towards the southwest, and near Mount Bermius. It was afterwards called Irenopolis, and is now called by the Turks, Boor; by others, Cara Veria. Paul preached the gospel here with success; the ingenuous Bereans examined his doctrine by the Old Testament scriptures, and many believed, Mal 17:10,14 ; 20:4.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Berea
Bera (, some Manuscripts ) was a city of Southern Macedonia, in the district of Emathia (Ptol. iii. 12). It stood on the lower slope of Mt. Bermios (Strabo, vii. Frag. 26), and commanded an extensive view to north, east, and south over the plain of the Axios and the Haliacmon. Its streets and gardens were abundantly watered by rills from an affluent of the latter river. Five miles to the S.E. of the town the Haliacmon broke through the Olympian range to enter the plain. Bera was about 50 miles S.W. of Thessalonica, 30 miles S. of Pella, and 20 miles W. of the Thermaic Gulf. Its name survives in the modern Verria or Kara-Verria, which is one of the most pleasant towns in Rumili (Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, iii. 290ff.).
To this city St. Paul and Silas withdrew when their converts, solicitous for their safety, sent them away from Thessalonica (Act 17:10). It was an out-of-the-way town-oppidum devium (Cic. in Pis. xxxvi. [89])-and therefore a suitable place of retreat for the apostles, who continued to hope that the obstacles at Thessalonica would soon be removed and that they would be enabled to return-a hope which was not realized (1Th 2:18). Their city of refuge, however, proved a sphere of successful missionary activity. It was large and prosperous enough to have attracted a colony of Jews, whom the historian commends as more noble in spirit () than those of Thessalonica, comparatively free from jealousy, less fettered by prejudice, more receptive of new truth. They daily examined the Scriptures ( )-especially, no doubt, the passages brought under their notice by the preachers, but not these alone-to find if the strange things taught found confirmation there, with the result that many of them believed (Act 17:12). Nor were the labours of the apostles confined to the synagogue. It is stated that of the Greeks and of those of honourable estate, men and women in considerable numbers believed (Act 17:12). This is the true rendering of the Greek words ( ) rather than that in the Revised Version , also of the Greek women of honourable estate, and of men, not a few.
St. Pauls residence in Bera probably lasted some months (W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul, 1895, p. 234). For the searching of the Scriptures daily ( ), for the preaching of the gospel in the city as well as in the synagogue, and the consequent conversion not only of many Jews but also of not a few Gentiles, a considerable time was required. St. Paul would doubtless be slow to move farther south, and thereby put a longer distance between himself and Thessalonica, where his heart was. At length, however, malicious Jews came all the way from that city to Bera, and so stirred up the baser passions of the crowds ( ), that the Christians thought it advisable to send St. Paul forth to go as far as to the sea (not but being the true reading in Act 17:14). That he was the real object of hatred is indicated by the fact that Silas and Timothy could safely remain behind (Act 17:14). Contrary to his usual practice, the historian does not name the seaport of Bera, but it was probably from the town of Dium, the great bulwark of the maritime frontier of South Macedonia, that St. Paul and his escort set sail for Athens (Act 17:15), Sopater, who is mentioned in Act 20:4 as one of St. Pauls later associates, was a Beran. There is a tradition (Ap. Const. vii. 46) that Onesimus was the first bishop of the Church of Bera.
Literature.-W. Smith, DGRG [Note: GRG Dict. of Greek and Roman Geography.] i. [1856] 393; E. M. Cousinry, Voyage dans la Macdoine, 1831, i. 57ff.; Conybeare-Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, new ed., 1877, i. 399ff.; T. Lewin, St. Paul3, 1875, i. 235ff.; W. M. Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, 1835, iii. 290ff.
James Strahan.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Berea
(), a place in Judea apparently not very far from Jerusalem, where Bacchides, the general of Demetrius, encamped shortly before the engagement in which Judas Maccabaeus was slain (1Ma 9:4). Other copies, however, read Berzath (, , , etc., see Grimm, in loc.), from in which Reland conjectures (Palaest. p. 624) that it may be the BEZETH (q.v.) of 1Ma 7:19, especially as Josephus, in his parallel account (Ant. 12, 11, 4), calls the place in question Bethzetho (, Ant. 12, II, 1; compo. 10, 2). SEE BEROEA.
Berea
(1Ma 9:4). Lieut. Conder (Tent Work, ii, 335) proposes to identify this place with Bireh, which, however, has long since been settled as the site of Beeroth.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Berea
a city of Macedonia to which Paul with Silas and Timotheus went when persecuted at Thessalonica (Acts 17:10, 13), and from which also he was compelled to withdraw, when he fled to the sea-coast and thence sailed to Athens (14, 15). Sopater, one of Paul’s companions belonged to this city, and his conversion probably took place at this time (Acts 20:4). It is now called Verria.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Berea
A city of Macedon, whither Paul withdrew, with Silas and Timothy, at his first visit to Europe, from Jewish persecution at Thessalonica, whence also, when the persecutors followed him from Thessalonica, he retired seawards to proceed to Athens (Act 17:10-15). The Berean Jews were “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word (preached) with all readiness of mind (not in a cavilling, critical spirit), and (yet not in a credulous spirit, for they) searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so.” (See Isa 8:20; Joh 5:39; Gal 1:8-9.) The result was necessarily, “many believed; also of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men not a few.”
Sopater, or Sosipater, one of them, became Paul’s missionary companion (Act 20:4; Rom 16:21) in returning to Asia from his second visit to Europe, where he had been with him at Corinth. Now Verria, or Kara-verria, commanding a wide view of the plain of the Axius and Haliacmon; one of the most pleasant towns of Roumelia, with 20,000 inhabitants. One of the two roads from Thessalonica to Berea passed by Pella. A road led from Berea to Dium, whence probably Paul sailed to Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind.
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
BEREA
Paul, accompanied by Silas, first visited Berea on his second missionary journey (Act 17:10). The town was in the province of Macedonia in northern Greece, on the main road from Thessalonica in the north to Athens in the south. (For map of the region see ACTS, BOOK OF.)
The Jews of the local synagogue, unlike many of the Jews Paul met on his travels, were prepared to listen to Pauls teaching and test it against the Scriptures. As a result, many believed. However, Paul was forced to leave the young church when Jews from neighbouring Thessalonica forced him out of the town (Act 17:11-14). Paul most likely revisited Berea on his third missionary journey (Act 20:1-2). A representative from the Berean church joined his party to take an offering from the Greek churches to the poor Christians in Jerusalem (Act 20:4; Rom 15:26; 2Co 8:1-4; 2Co 9:1-4).
Fuente: Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
Berea
BEREA (1Ma 9:4).See Bera, 3.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Berea
be-rea. See BERCEA
Bereave; Bereaver; Bereft
be-rev, be-rever, be-reft: Bereave is frequently used in the Old Testament in the (now almost obsolete) meaning of to deprive, to take away, especially with reference to loss of children. The Hebrew word used here is , shakhol, to be childless, or in the Piel to make childless (compare Gen 42:36 et al.). In the King James Version Ecc 4:8 (from the Hebrew , haser, to lack) we read and bereave my soul of good (the Revised Version (British and American) deprive), and in Eze 36:14 (from Hebrew , kashal, to stumble), neither bereave thy nations any more (the Revised Version, margin cause to stumble).
Bereaver, otherwise very rare, is found the Revised Version (British and American) Eze 36:13 (from Hebrew , shakhol to be childless), a bereaver of thy nation (the King James Version hast bereaved).
Bereft is found in 1Ti 6:5 (from the Greek apostereo, to rob) bereft of the truth (the King James Version destitute). The expression bereavement (the Revised Version (British and American) Isa 49:20) in the phrase the children of thy bereft means the children born to thee in the time when God had afflicted thee.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Berea
Berea (Act 17:10), a city of Macedonia, situate on the river Astraeus, not far from Pelia, towards the south-west, and near Mount Bermius. It was afterwards called Irenopolis, and is now known by the name of Boor. Paul and Silas withdrew to this place from Thessalonica; and the Jewish residents are described as more ingenuous, and of a better disposition (not ‘more noble,’ as in the Authorized Version) ‘than those of Thessalonica,’ in that they diligently searched the Scriptures to ascertain the truth of the doctrines taught by the Apostles.
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Berea
[Bere’a]
City of Macedonia, visited by Paul, where he found some Jews who were more noble than those of Thessalonica, inasmuch as they tested by the scriptures what Paul preached: to which is added “therefore many of them believed.” Sopater was of this city. It is now called Kara Verria, on the eastern slope of the Olympian range. Act 17:10; Act 17:13; Act 20:4.
Fuente: Concise Bible Dictionary
Berea
A city in the south of Macedonia.
Act 17:10; Act 17:13; Act 20:4
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Berea
Berea (be-r’ah). A city of Macedonia, Act 17:10-13 (Bera in R. V.), on the eastern side of the Olympian mountains; now Verria, with a population of about 6000.
Fuente: People’s Dictionary of the Bible
BEREA
a city of Macedonia
Act 17:10; Act 17:13; Act 20:4
Fuente: Thompson Chain-Reference Bible
Berea
a city of Macedonia, where St. Paul preached the Gospel with great success, and where his hearers were careful to compare what they heard with the scriptures of the Old Testament, Act 17:10; for which they are commended, and held out to us as an example of subjecting every doctrine to the sole test of the word of God.