Beroea (later, BERRHOEA, BEROIE, and BEROE), a titular see of Macedonia, at the foot of Mount Bermios, now Doxa; it still preserves its ancient name, pronounced Veria by the Greeks (Turkish Kara-Feria, Slav Ber). The Romans captured it after the battle of Pydna (168 B.C.) and from 49 to 48 Pompey took up his winter quarters there (Plutarch, Pomp. 64). In its Jewish synagogue St. Paul preached successfully (Acts, xvii, 10, 13); on with-drawing he left at Bercea his disciples Silas and Timothy. Onesimus, formerly Philemon‘s slave, was its first bishop according to the Apostolic Constitutions (VII, 46). At the time of the last partition of the empire, it was allotted to Macedonia Prima (Hierocles, Synecdemos, 638), and its see made suffragan to Thessalonica. Amongst its bishops, Gerontius was present at Sardica in 344, Luke at the Latrocinium of Ephesus in 449, Timothy at the Council of Constantinople under the Patriarch Menas in 536, Joseph at the Eighth Ecumenical Council in 869. Under Andronicus II (1283..1328) Beroea was made a metropolis. The actual Greek metropolitans add the title of Naoussa, a neighboring city. It has now about 10,000 inhabitants.
Besides this Beroea, there was in Thracia a Beroe, or Augusta Trajana (Hierocles, 635), whither Pope Liberius (355-358) was exiled (Sozomen, IV, 11). It is called Berrhwa, or Beroe, in episcopal lists (Georgius Cyprius, 53; Parthey, Notit. episc., VI, 57; VII, 53; VIII, 57). Its Turkish name was Eski-Zagra, for which the present Bulgarian substitute is Stara-Zagora. For its episcopal list see Lequien, I, 1165-68; Gams, 427. Bereea is also an ancient name of Aleppo.
L. PETIT