The churches imitated were in Judea. Judea is a geographical term, and in the New Testament usually refers to the province of Judea, in which Jerusalem was located (e.g., Matthew 4:25; Mark 3:7; Luke 3:1; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:16). In this sense, Judea excludes Samaria and Galilee to the north. There are, however, a couple of instances in the New Testament where Judea
includes Samaria and Galilee (Luke 1:5; perhaps Acts 10:37), and most commentators understand Paul to be using the name in this wider sense here in 1 Thessalonians 2:14. However, it is more common for Paul to use Judea
in its narrower sense; this sense is also more meaningful in the context, since Jewish persecution of Christian believers is regularly associated with Jerusalem (Acts 8:1; Acts 21:10; Romans 15:31).
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,