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Revision as of 06:18, 29 May 2005 by Emico (talk | contribs) (Restore from vandalism attach)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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.
Many churches and ministries, predominantly evangelical Protestant in the USA, have adopted the name Berean in allusion to this account. The Catholic Diocese of Lincoln describes one particular affiliation, the Berean Church, as comprising about 60 independent U.S. congregations of similar beliefs with features in common with Baptists, Methodists and Presybyterians. Their central emphasis on scriptural authority, sola scriptura, puts their beliefs in particular conflict with Catholicism.
History
The Bereans, as they are called, is a Protestant sect founded in Edinburgh in 1773. It's members are followers of the doctrines of Scottish Presbyterian Minister John Barclay (1734-1798). This is the first known usage of the word to describe a group. The doctrines they uphold 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.
Among doctrines practiced by protestants is the catholic doctrine of a Triune God or the Trinity. This Trinity doctrine was affirmed as an article of faith by the Roman Catholics only after the issuance of the Nicene Creed in AD (325). Before that, there was no concept of the Trinity. Indeed, the bible, accepted as the authority for divine teachings, and attested to by bible scholars, never mentioned this word or the idea of a Triune God or Trinity. The early christians worship only one true God, the Father in heaven.
The Nicene creed was introduced at the First Council of Nicaea, during the reign of the Emperor Constantine.
Further Reading
Berea, Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Trinity Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Encyclopædia Britannica
Bereans, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Nicene Creed, Creed, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001