Berea
Paul and Silas fled to Berea after being driven out of Thessalonica by a hostile mob, and found a strikingly different reception: Luke describes the Bereans as "more noble" than the Thessalonians because they received the message eagerly and searched the Scriptures daily to verify whether Paul's teaching was true. Many Bereans believed as a result, including a number of prominent Greek women and men, but the Thessalonian agitators pursued Paul even there, forcing him to leave for Athens while Silas and Timothy remained behind. The Bereans' example - testing even an apostle's teaching against Scripture rather than accepting it uncritically - has made "Berean" a lasting byword for careful, Scripture-grounded discernment.
Details
- Region
- Macedonia
- Modern Location
- Veria, Greece
Key Passages
The Noble Bereans
Acts 17:10-12
Their daily searching of the Scriptures to test Paul's teaching became the model for careful, discerning faith rather than uncritical acceptance.
10nd the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Did You Know?
The Bereans 'searched the scriptures daily' to verify even an apostle's teaching - and Luke calls them 'more noble' for it, the Bible's compliment to fact-checkers.
Berean churches, colleges, and study movements around the world today take their names from this one verse about this one town.
Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea while Paul fled - the church was solid enough to leave in trainee hands within weeks.