Who Were the Bereans?

Historically, the Bereans (also called Beroeans, Barclayans or Barclayites) were a Protestant sect
following former Scottish Presbyterian minister John Barclay (1734-1798). Founded in Edinburgh in
1773, the Berean Church followed a modified form of Calvinism. It had congregations in Scotland,
London, and Bristol, but mainly merged with the Congregationalists after Barclay's death in 1798.

A new Protestant Christian group began in the 1850s in the United States under the tutelage of Dr. John
Thomas. The name "Christadelphian" was chosen as it is believed that those who believe and obey the
Commandments of Christ and the Bible as the inspired word of God, are "Brethren in Christ". The
original group split, with one group continuing with the name "The Christadelphians" and the second
group adding the word "Berean" to become the "Berean Christadelphians". The word "Berean" was
chosen to reflect the words in Acts 17, "These (Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica in
that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those
things were so."[citation needed]

Christadelphians, and Berean Christadelphians believe in the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob concerning the Kingdom of God. They deny the Doctrine of the Trinity, a central tenet of
orthodox Christianity, and this refusal to recognize the triune nature of God has resulted in a major
impasse between the Christadelphians and the Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches.
[citation needed]

Some groups among the Bible Student movement also adopted the name, such as the Berean Bible
Students and the Berean Bible Institute. Churches and institutions who adopt the Berean name, usually
do so in order to express their desire to reflect the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17, committing
themselves to "searching the scriptures daily".

he Bereans were residents of the city of Berea in Macedonia. Paul and Silas preached to them during
Paul’s second missionary journey. The account of Paul and Silas in this location is recorded in Acts
17:10-15. It reads,

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went
into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received
the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of
them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the
Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came
there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way
to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as
Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they
departed.

These Bereans exhibited several positive characteristics that marked their response to the gospel
message. First and foremost, the Bereans were “more noble” because of their willing reception of the
Word of God. Unlike the unbelieving Thessalonian Jews, the Bereans were eager to hear the teaching
of Paul and Silas.
Second, the Bereans examined what they heard by comparing it to the Old Testament Scriptures. The
fact that they honestly listened and conducted further personal research led many Bereans to faith in
Jesus as the Messiah. This expansion of Christianity was not limited to those within the synagogue, but
also extended to many Greek men and women in Berea.

Third, the Bereans guarded Paul’s safety. When Paul’s enemies arrived from nearby Thessalonica, the
Berean believers protected Paul by getting him out of the region. They did not turn him over to his
enemies or disassociate from him as the Jews from Thessalonica might have expected.

Fourth, the Bereans continued to grow in their faith. After Paul’s departure, Silas and Timothy
remained in Berea. Why? The Bible does not explicitly say, but one reason was probably to give the
Berean Christians a chance to obtain further instruction in the Christian faith.

Later in the book of Acts, we are given further insight into the faithfulness of at least one Berean man.
When Paul decides to return for additional ministry in Macedonia despite the tremendous persecution
he had recently faced, one of the men who chose to accompany him was from Berea: “There he spent
three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria,
he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him” (Acts
20:3-4). Sopater, likely a Gentile Christian, continued to assist Paul (and Timothy) in ministry long
after Paul’s first visit to Berea.

In summary, the Bereans have long been seen as a positive example of how a person or community
should respond to biblical teaching. We are called to eagerly learn from God’s Word and, no matter
who the teacher is, to investigate new teaching in comparison with the Bible. The practice of the
ancient Bereans is a model for all who desire to grow spiritually today.

The Berean Study Bible (BSB) is a Bible translation published in 2016 by the Bible Hub. The
translation team was comprised by scholars from the Bible Hub and the Discover Bible.

The Berean Study Bible seeks to connect readers with the Greek and Hebrew root words and meanings
in an easy-to-read format. The study Bible merges two previous translations, the Berean Literal Bible
and the Berean Interlinear Bible. The Berean Study Bible was created to offer an accurate translation of
the Greek and Hebrew texts in a reader-friendly format. The publishers believe that the Scriptures are
meant to be studied and shared freely, as Paul urged in Colossians 4:16: “After this letter has been read
among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the
letter from Laodicea.” To promote sharing, the BSB is offered free online and through downloads.
Other free digital resources that will aid in Bible study are being developed.

The name Berean comes from Acts 17:11: “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.” After encountering resistance and persecution in Thessalonica,
Paul and Silas went to Berea to preach the gospel. There, the God-fearing Bereans listened with interest
to what Paul and Silas said about Jesus, and then they compared what they heard with the Old
Testament Scriptures. Verse 12 says, “As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few
prominent Greek women and men.” The name Berean has come to symbolize people who are careful in
their theology and doctrine and accept teaching only if it is supported by Scripture.
According to the Berean Study Bible website, Berean Bibles consist of four components or “translation
tiers”:

1. An interlinear Bible to directly follow the Greek and Hebrew texts.

2. A literal translation to take the reader to the core of the Greek and Hebrew meanings.
3. A modern English translation, effective for public reading, memorization, and evangelism.
4. An annotated translation to bring out the full meaning and intensity of the original texts.

The Berean Bible Translation Committee considers the translation process open and subject to change
as language evolves and meanings change. Various Bible translators use different methods for
translating the Bible into English and other languages. Those methods fall on a continuum of dynamic
translation (“thought for thought”) and literal translation (“word for word”). The Berean Study Bible
utilizes both “word for word” and “thought for thought” approaches in the translation process. It
maintains the original gender designations in Scripture and strives to be as consistent as possible to the
core meanings of the original sources.

The Berean Study Bible includes all the links to Greek and Hebrew words that are part of the Berean
Literal Bible. It also makes generous use of section headings and paragraph formatting to help ensure a
smooth reading experience. In all, the Berean Study Bible is a good option for those wanting deeper
study, cross-references, and a reader-friendly format.