bema

(βῆμα, rostrum), the third or innermost part of the ancient churches, corresponding to what we now call the chancel. The bema was the whole space where stood the altar, the bishop’s throne, and the seats of the priests in which sense Bingham understands the fifty-sixth canon of Laodicea, which forbids priests to go into the bema and take their seats there before the bishop comes (see Chrysost. Hom. 35, de Pentecost. tom. 5, p. 553). The name bema arose from its being more exalted than the rest of the church, and raised upon steps. As the bema was especially devoted to the clergy, they were called sometimes οἱ τοῦ βήματος, and τάξις τοῦ βήματος, or “the Order of the Bema.” — Bingham, Orig. Eccl. bk. 8, ch. 6; Suicer, Thesaurus, 1, 682; Landon, Eccl. Dict. 2, 143.

(Greek: step) Originally any raised platform, then the platform in Roman basilicas containing the judges’ seats; in the Greek Orthodox Church the space surrounding the Holy Table behind the iconostasis or image screen.

A Greek word for a judgment seat or court of a Roman official. This word, which literally means "step" or "stride," was commonly used in the first century AD to refer to a raised platform where political speeches or judicial decisions were made. The bema was an important feature in ancient cities, often located in important public areas such as marketplaces.

In the New Testament, the word is used several times:

• Jesus was questioned before the judgment seat of Pilate (Matthew 27:19; John 19:13).

• Herod Agrippa I addressed the people of Tyre and Sidon from a judgment seat (Acts 12:21).

• The apostle Paul was brought before the judgement seat of Gallio in Corinth (Acts 18:12–17).

• The apostle Paul was again brought before Festus’s judgement seat in Caesarea (Acts 25:6, 10, 17).

• Paul used the word to refer to God’s judgment seat

  • In Romans 14:10, he warned that all will stand before the judgment seat of God.

  • According to 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul described the judgment seat of Christ, where the value of each person's work will be judged (compare 1 Corinthians 3:13–15).

See also Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Judgment.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.