BEROEA

(Be·roeʹa).

A populous city of the province of Macedonia visited by the apostle Paul during his second missionary journey. (Acts 17:10-14) Modernly called Verria, it was located in a fertile area at the base of Mount Bermios about fifty miles (80 kilometers) W-SW of Thessalonica. It thus lay some twenty-four miles (39 kilometers) inland from the Aegean Sea.

It was probably about 50 C.E. when Paul and Silas arrived at Beroea after a nighttime departure from Thessalonica made necessary by mob violence. Beroea had a Jewish community and a synagogue in which the two missionaries preached. The readiness of the Beroeans to give ear to their message, and their diligence in examining the Scriptures in search of confirmation of the things learned, earned them the commendation found at Acts 17:11. A number of converts resulted from among these “noble-minded” persons, both Jews and Greeks. Paul’s work was cut short, however, by the arrival of fanatical Jews from Thessalonica bent on causing further mob activity. He sailed for Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind to care for the new group of believers in Beroea.—Acts 17:12-15.

Paul doubtless passed through or near Beroea on his third missionary journey, which brought him again into Macedonia. Among his companions at that time was a Christian from Beroea, Sopater.—Acts 20:1-4.