BEREANI. – This is the name given to the adherents of a Scottish sect who, wishing to imitate the Christians of Berea (Act. 17:11), read Scripture every day. Its founder was Giovanni Barklay (1734–98), a Presbyterian minister of the Church of Scotland, from which he separated. In Italy there is the “Unione di Berea,” which publishes small booklets containing one or more verses of Sacred Scripture on each page, distributed for the individual days
of the year, with members required to learn a biblical passage each week.
BIBL.: Anon., The Denominational Reason Why, London 1890; Unione di Berea, Appunti sui passi biblici per il 1929, Arezzo 1928; Berean Verses for Pockets and Purses, London 1933; Camillo Crivelli