HISTORY AND LEGEND:
Mystery, Nazis and Paul the Apostle The Secret History of One of Greece’s Oldest Jewish Communities. Veria’s Jews are said to have heard the gospel directly from Paul himself, documenting his visit, says one legend, on a long-lost Torah scroll. But by the time the Nazis were defeated, this 2,000-year-old community was extinct (David B. Green, Haaretz). We have the Book of Act to believe that the Apostle Paul visited Berea. Probably he did, but there is no independent verification. There's no telling whether the city's modern synagogue is on the same site as the one visited by Paul. It may be.
The story about the lost ancient Torah scroll that had a note of Paul's visit in its margin is entertaining. But, as the article shows (and as we might have guessed anyway), it is not credible.
Alas, the destruction of the Jewish community in Veria by the Nazis is all too historical.
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