We extend the list to a few benedictions in extra-canonical Epistles in or near apostolic times. (18) 'The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and with all men in all places who have been called by God and through Him, through whom be glory,' etc. (Clement of Rome, Ep. to Corinthians, 65 [A.D. 97]). (19) 'The Lord of glory and of every grace be with your spirit ' (Ep. of Barnabas, 21 [A.D. 75-130, date uncertain]). Ignatius gives nothing like the apostolical benedictions, but tlie simple : ' Fare ye well in God the Father and in Jesus Christ our common hope' {ad Eph. 21), 'Fare ye well in godly concord' {Mag. 15), 'Fare
Je well unto the end in tlie patient waiting for esus Christ' {Rom. 10), 'Fare ye well in Christ Jesus our common hope' {Phil. 11), 'Fare ye well in the grace of God ' [Smyr. 13), and ' Fare ye well in the Lord ' {ad Pol. 8).
The Aaronitic benediction (Nu 6--"^^), though always used in the synagogue, does not appear in our ancient sources or in any Church liturgy (ex- cept in the Spanish) until Luther introduced it in his Mass (1526). It was also used in the German Protestant Masses. For the use of benedictions in later Church history, see the articles in PPE'^ ii, 588 tf. ; DCA i. 193 tf.
LiTERATORB. — See the brief but excellent article in F. Vigouroux, Diet, de la Bible, Paris, 1891-99, i. 1581-S3 ; W. J.
• J. A. Robinson, op. cit. 137-138, gives a long discussion. See also almost any scientific commentary, like Meyer, Lange, Ellicott, Alford, etc.
t Expositor, 6th ser., vii. [1903] 107.
: See Moffatt, EGT, 'Eevelatlon,' 1910, p. 493 f.
Yeomans in Princeton Rev. xxxiii. [1861] 286-321 ; J. H. Bernard in Expositor, 6th set., viii. [1903] 372 fl.; and the worlcs mentioned above. J, ALFRED FAULKNER.
BENJAMIN.— See Tribes.
BEOR. — Beor, the father of Balaam, is named in 2 P 2'^ (AV, with some ancient authorities, Bosor, which may be a corruption of Pethor [Grotius], or may be due to the Greek sibilant taking the place of the Heb. guttural [Vitringa]), Balaam by his great wisdom became vain, so a fool {ben ¥'6r), said Jerus. Targ. to Nu 22^ ; cf. JE ii. 468 ; C. Vitringa, Observ. Sacrce, i. 936 f. W. F. CoBB.
BERENICE, BERNICE (Ac 25^-^ 2630).— Bere- nice, eldest daughter of Herod Agrippal., was bom in A.D. 28, and early betrothed to Marcus, son of Alexander who was alabarch at Alexandria. On the death of Marcus, Berenice was given by her father to his brother and her uncle, Herod, king of Chalcis, in the Lebanon. Two sons were the issue of this marriage. Herod of Chalcis died in A.D. 48. Berenice then joined her brother, who was to be known later as Herod Agrippa II., at Rome. The pair obtained an infamous notoriety, and are pilloried by Juvenal (Sat. vi. 156 fl'.). After a con- siderable interval, Berenice ' persuaded Polemon, who was king of Cilicia, to be circumcised, and to marry her ' (Jos. Ant. XX. vii. 3). This union was soon terminated by the return of Berenice to Agrippa. The two are next heard of on the occa- sion of their visit to Ctesarea to greet the newly arrived Procurator Festus. Of Berenice's part in the interview with the Apostle Paul we are told only that she appeared ' with much display.' Just before the outbreak of the insurrectionaiy move- ment in A.D. 66 she was at Jerusalem 'to perform a vow which she had made to God ' (Jos. BJ II. XV. 1), and availed herself of the opportunity' to be- seech the Procurator Florus to abate the cruelties which were goading the Jews to war. W^hen hos- tilities commenced, Agrippa and his sister took throughout the side of the Romans. This brought them into contact with Vespasian and Titus. Titus became enamoured of Berenice. On his return to Rome, he had her to live with him in his palace — to the scandal of the Roman populace (Dio Cass. Ixvi, 15). The intrigue was not continued after the accession of Titus to the Imperial throne in A.D. 79. ' Berenicen statim ab urbe dimisit invitus invitam ' (Suet. Titus, vii. ). From that time Berenice is lost to view. A fragment of an inscrip- tion in her honour at Athens gives no indication of time or occasion. G. P. Gould.
BERCEA. — Beroea {Bipoia, some MSS B^ppota) was a city of Southern Macedonia, in the district of Emathia (Ptol. iii. 12). It stood on the lower slope of Mt. Bermios (Strabo, vii. Frag. 26), and commanded an extensive view to north, east, and .south over the plain of the Axiosandthe Haliacmon. Its streets and gardens were abundantly watered Ijy rills from an atttuent of the latter river. Five miles to the S.E. of the town the Haliacmon broke through the Olympian range to enter the plain. Beroea was about 50 miles S.W, of Thessalonica, 30 miles S. of Pella, and 20 miles W. of the Ther- maic Gulf. Its name survives in the modern Verria or Kara- Verria, which is one of the most pleasant towns in Rumili (Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, iii. 290 ft'. ).
To this city St. Paul and Silas withdrew when their converts, solicitous for their safety, sent them away from Thessalonica (.-Vc 17'"). It was an out- of-the-way town — oppidum devium (Cic. in Pis. xxxvi. [89]) — and therefore a suitable place of re- treat for the apostles, who continued to hope that