Acts 17:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"More noble-minded," that is, more obedient. And see, they did not examine the Scriptures casually, but carefully. This is precisely what "searching" means. They wished from them to be more firmly assured concerning the Passion of Christ, since they already believed. "These were," says the writer, "more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica." That is, they did no evil to the apostles. They believed, while the others did the opposite by stirring up a disturbance. "These were," he says, "more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica." That is, they were such in virtue and faith in God. "They received the word with all readiness, daily searching the Scriptures to see whether these things were so," and not simply from excitement or rivalry.

"More noble," that is, more humane. "Searching the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so." They examined Scripture not as unbelievers, for they had already believed, but as those who did not know the prophetic traditions. By examining Scripture and finding that the events concerning the Incarnation of the Lord agreed with the words of the ancient prophets, they were thereby strengthened still more in the faith.

In Berea, about ten miles from Thessalonica, the Jews received them better. Many Gentiles also converted. But the disturbance stirred up by the Thessalonian Jews forced Paul soon to leave this city. Accompanied by some of the believers, he took the road to Athens. Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

Here the apostles' preaching had even greater success. But when the Thessalonian Jews learned that the word of God had also been preached by Paul in Berea, they came there and began stirring up the people against him. Then Paul left Silas and Timothy in Berea to strengthen in the faith those who had turned to Christ. He himself went farther and arrived in Athens.

In Berea there was also a large Jewish population, but these Jews were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians. Among them the Apostle Paul could rest from the upheavals he had endured.

According to his custom, he preached in the synagogue. The Bereans not only did not hinder him in this respect, nor reject the preached Gospel with blind fanaticism, as happened elsewhere.

They themselves daily and diligently examined Holy Scripture, in order to test the Apostle Paul's arguments and references against the authentic testimony of God's word.

The result was that both Greeks and many Jews believed, not only men, but also women from the more respected classes.

More noble-minded: more precisely, more noble, not by origin, of course, but by the direction and disposition of their spirit. They were of a more noble character and disposition than the Thessalonian Jews.

This was shown by the fact that they received the word, that is, the evangelical preaching from the lips of Paul and Silas, with all eagerness.

They received it into the heart and with seriousness. Daily, probably in private gatherings rather than synagogue assemblies, which took place only on Sabbaths, they examined the Scriptures (cf. Jn 5:39).

Their purpose was to investigate whether these things were truly so, and whether what Paul and Silas preached was indeed true.

The apostles' secret departure from Salonika shows that even after their failure, the Jews did not abandon their persecution of the apostles.

Therefore the Christians considered it better to escort them by night to Berea, in southwest Macedonia, where even the Jews received them kindly.

Many turned to Christ, but only after carefully examining all the proofs from the Scriptures to which the holy apostles appealed in their gospel proclamation.

It is noteworthy that here too the writer of Acts especially notes the conversion of noble Greek women, and also of the Greeks themselves in no small number.

At the same time many Jews were converted. Therefore the writer calls them more noble than the Thessalonian Jews had shown themselves to be.