Bereans were the inhabitants of the ancient city of Berea, also known in the Bible as Beroea and now known as Veria. According to the Book of Acts, Chapter 17 verse 11, Paul of Tarsus and Silas preached at Berea, and the inhabitants "eagerly examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so", and many of them believed. Categories: Stub | Districts of Lesotho ... The Bible (From Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material), is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... Beroea is: an ancient city in Macedonia now known as Veria a former name of Aleppo, Syria This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Veria, also called Veroia, has a population of about 35,000. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (d. ... Silas or Silvanus (flourished 1st century) was an early Christian who was a companion of Paul and Peter. ...

Many churches and ministries, predominantly evangelical Protestant, have adopted the name Berean in reference to a central emphasis on the scriptures as unique religious authority, sola scriptura. This stance puts them in particular conflict with Catholicism, and some Berean organisations are described by Catholic critics as having a specifically anti-Catholic agenda. Evangelicalism, in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus is the savior. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Sola scriptura (Latin by Scripture alone) is one of five important slogans of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... Anti-Catholicism is religious or political opposition to the Roman Catholic Church, of a kind employing mischaracterizations, stereotypes and negative prejudices. ...

The Bereans is a Christian apologetics ministry in the Philippines. Their stated mission is "To help and equip the individual Christians, lay leaders and members alike, on being grounded in the essentials of the Scripture and assisting them on contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) against those who oppose and pervert sound biblical teachings". As such, they consider many Christian and Christian-derived denominations - both new religious movements in the Phillippines and long-established ones such as Catholicism - as cults that fail this test. The term Christian means belonging to Christ and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means anointed one, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written Messiah), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). ... Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. ... Roman Catholicism plays a very important role in Philippine society, with over (83%) of the population belong to that faith. ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs and goals which may be contradictory to those held by the majority of society. ...

History

Historically, the Bereans (also called Beroeans, Barclayans or Barclayites) were a sect following John Barclay (1734-1798), a disaffected Church of Scotland minister's assistant. Founded in Edinburgh in 1773, the Berean Church had congregations in Scotland, London and Bristol, but mainly merged with the Congregationalists after Barclay's death. John Barclay (1734 — 1798), Scottish divine, was born in Perthshire and died at Edinburgh. ... The Church of Scotland is the national (established) church in Scotland. ... Edinburgh viewed from Arthurs Seat. ... 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Bristol is a port city in south-western England, on the River Avon. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ...

The doctrines they upheld can be described as a modified form of Calvinism. Calvinism is also referred to by the name "Augustinianism", because Calvin, in turn, followed St. Augustine. Calvinism belong to the second phase of the Protestant Reformation which started to form following Martin Luther's excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. Calvinism has been known at times for its simple, unadorned churches and lifestyles, as depicted in this painting by Emmanuel de Witte where the 17th century congregation stands to hear a sermon. ... Augustine is the name of two important Saints: Augustine of Hippo (354-430) -- philosopher and theologian, author of The City of God, Confessions Augustine of Canterbury (d. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century (although out of earlier roots) as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ...

References

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. E. A. Livingstone. Oxford University Press, 2000

External links

Bereans (http://www.bartleby.com/65/be/Bereans.html), The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

John Barclay (http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/barclay_john1.htm) and the Berean Church Significant Scots at Electric Scotland (http://www.electricscotland.com)]

Acts 17:11 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=17&version=9) King James Version BibleGateway.com (http://www.biblegateway.com/)

Berean Christadelphians (http://www.bereans.org/).

The Bereans: Apologetic Research Ministry (http://www.thebereans.net/).

Why the Bereans rejected sola scriptura (http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1997/9703fea3.asp) Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com) article on the relation between Catholicism and Bereans.

Bereans Online (http://www.bereansonline.org/) a Jewish Berean group.

Google for "Berean OR Bereans" (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%28Berean+OR+Bereans%29&btnG=Google+Search)