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 PARAHYBA

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PARALIPOMENON

Parahyba, Diocese of (Parahtbenesis), in the State i)f Parahyba, Brazil, suffragan of Bahia, founded 27 July, IS!)2, having been separated from the Diocese of Olinda (q. v.). It is coterminous with the State of Parahyba, one of the smallest in Brazil, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, and is bounded, north by the State of Rio (irande do Norte, south by Peruanibuco, and west by CearA. It has an area of 28,850 square miles. The episcopal city, which is also the state capital, dates from a Portuguese settlement of 1579. It is situ- ated partly on an elevated plateau and partly on the surrounding plain, the latter(and newer) section along the Parahyba comprising, with its port of Cobadello, the business quarter. Sugar, cacao, rice, and tobacco are some of the products of this coast region, while the slopes back of the town are heavily forested. The chief ecclesiastical buildings of the city are the cathe- dral, Notre Dame dos Neves (Our Lady of the Snows), and the former Jesuit College, now occupied by the State offices. The first and present (1911) bishop of the diocese, Mgr de Miranda Henriques, is a native of Parahyba. Born 30 August, 1855, he studied at the Pio-Latino American College at Rome and received there the degree of Doctor of Canon Law. Ordained priest IS September, 1880, he was made canon of Bahia 14 August, 1885, and appointed bishop 2 Janu- ary, 1894. He was consecrated on 7 January, 1894, and assumed his duties the following March. The diocese numbers (1911) 735,572 Catholics; 1000 Prot- estants; 48 parishes; 52 secular, 10 regular priests; 1

United Stales of Brazil (issued by the Bure.^u of American Republics, Wasliington, 1901) ; Galanti, Compendia de Hist, do Brazil (4 vols., Sao Paulo, 1896) ; Annuaire pontifi. calh.

K. Crofton.

Paralipomenon, The Books op (TlapaXeiwofi.fi/uii', o', /3'; Lumi 1'ahalipomenon), two books of the Bible containing a .-iuinmary of sacred history from Adam to the end of the Captivity. The title Paralipomenon, books "of things passed over", which, from the Sep- tuagint, passed into the old Latin Bible and thence into the Vulgate, is commonly taken to imply that they supplement the narrative of the Books of Kings (otherwise known as I-II Sam. and I-II Kings); but this explanation is hardly supported by the contents of the books, and does not account for the present par- ticiple. The view of St. Jerome, who considers Para- lipomenon as equivalent to "epitome of the Old Tes- tament", is probably the true one. The title would accordingly denote that many things are passed over in these books. The Hebrew title is Dibherv Hiyyamim, "the acts of the days" or "annals". In the printed Hebrew and the Protestant Bibles they are entitled " Books of Chronicles".

Unity and Place.s in the Canon. — The two books are really one work, and are treated as one in the He- brew MSS. and in the Massoretic summary appended to the second book. The division was first made in the Septuagint for the sake of convenience, and thence was adopted into the Latin Bibles. The Hebrew text was first divided in Bomberg's edition of the rabbinical Bible (Venice, 1516-7). Moreover, there is a proba- bility that Paralipomenon originally formed part of a larger work which included the two Books of Esdras (Esdras Neheraias). For not only is there similarity of diction and style, of spirit and method, but I Esdras begins where II Par. ends, the decree of Cyrus being repeated and completed.

It should be remarked, however, that these facts can be explained by simple community of authorship. In the Septuagint and Vulgate, as well as in the Prot- estant bibles, the Books of Paralipomenon are placed immediately after the Books of Kings. In the printed editions of the Hebrew Bible they stand at the end of the third division, or KelhAbhim.

Contents. — The first part of I Par. (i-ix), which is a sort of introduction to the rest of the work, contains

a series of genealogical and statistical lists, inter- spersed with short historical notes. It comprises: (1) the genealogy of the patriarchs from Adam to Jacob (i); (2) the genealogy of the twelve tribes (ii-viii); (3) a list of the families of Juda, Benjamin, and Levi dwelling in Jerusalem after the Exile, with the gene- alogy of the family of Saul repeated (ix). The second part of I Par. contains the history of the reign of David preceded by the account of the death of Saul (x-xxix). II Par. comprises the reign of Solomon (i- ix), and the reigns of the kings of Juda (x-xxxvi, 21). Part of the edict of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return and to rebuild the temple is added as a conclusion (xxxvi, 22-23). The historical part of Paralipomenon thus covers the same period as the last three Books of Kings. Hence naturally much of the matter is the same in both; often, indeed, the two narratives not only agree in the facts they relate, but describe them almost in the same words. The Books of Paralipome- non also agree with the Books of Kings in plan and general arrangement. But side by side with these agreements there are many differences. The Books of Paralipomenon narrate some events more briefly, or present them in a different manner, and omit others altogether (e. g., the adultery of David, the violation of Thamar, the murder of Amnon, and the rebellion of Absalom), while they dwell more on facts regarding the temple, its worship and its ministers, furnishing much information on these subjects which is not found in the other books. Moreover, they ignore the north- ern kingdom except where the history of Juda requires mention of it.

Object. — On comparing Paralipomenon with the Books of Kings we are forced to the conclusion that the writer's purpose was not to supplement the omis- sions of these latter books. The objects of his interest are the temple and its worship, and he intends pri- marily to write the religious history of Juda with the temple as its centre, and, as intimately connected with it, the history of the house of David. This clearly appears when we consider what he mentions and what he omits. Of Saul he narrates only his death as an in- troduction to the reign of David. In the history of David's reign he gives a full account of the translation of the ark to Mount Sion, of the preparations for the building of the temple, and of the levitical families and their offices ; the wars and the other events of the reign he either tells briefly, or passes over altogether. Solomon's reign is almost reduced to the account of the building and the dedication of the temple. After the disruption of the kingdom the apostate tribes are hardly mentioned, while the reigns of the pious kings, Asa, Josaphat, ,Ioas, Ezechias, and Josias, who brought about a revival of religion and showed great zeal for the temple and its worship, are specially dwelt on. Again, the additions to the narrative of the Books of Kings in most cases refer to the temple, its worship and its ministers. Nor is the decree of Cyrus allowing the rebuilding of the temple without signifi- cance. The same purpose may be noted in the genea- logical section, where the tribes of Juda and Levi are given special prominence and have their genealogies continued beyond the Exile. The author, however, writes his history with a practical object in view. He wishes to urge the people to a faithful and exact ad- herence to the worship of God in the restored temple, and to impress upon them that thus only will the community deserve God's blessings and protection. Hence he places before them the example of the past, especially of the pious kings who were distinguished for their zeal in building the temple or in promoting the splendour of its worship. Hence, too, ho takes every occasion to show that the kings, and with them the people, prospered or were delivered from great calamiti&s because of their attachment to God's wor- ship, or experienced misfortune because of their unfaith- fulness. The frequent mention of the Levites and of