BEREA. — Ancient name of three cities.
1) B. of MACEDONIA (Lat. Beroea). Important city at the foot of Mount Bermio (present-day Verria), 68 km northwest of Thessalonica. Subject to Rome since 146, it became the capital of the third district of Macedonia. At the rise of Christianity there was an important Jewish colony, where St. Paul preached successfully after fleeing from Thessalonica (Acts 17:10-14). One of the Apostle’s companions, Sopater, was from B. (Acts 20:4).
2) B. of PALESTINE, probably to be identified with el-Bireh, north of Jerusalem, is called Bê'êrâh, Vulg. Bera (Judg. 9:21; cf. 1 Chron. 7:37) and Bê'êrâh, Vulg. Beroth “wells” (Josh. 9:17). Here Rachin and Alcimus, sons of Demetrius Soter, camped shortly before the battle in which Judas Maccabeus met his death (1 Macc. 9:4; Vulg. Bera).
3) B. of SYRIA. The Greek name Bêpoùa was given by Seleucus Nicator (311–280) to the very ancient city of Aleppo (Halab) in northern Syria. Aleppo (q.v.), together with the nearby Carchemish on the Euphrates, was deeply influenced by Assyro-Hittite civilization. The impious and ambitious Menelaus was caused to be killed there (163 B.C.) by Antiochus V Eupator (2 Macc. 13:4 [Greek text]; Flavius Josephus, Antiquitates Iudaicae, XII, 9, 7).