Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/381

 CARAFFA

329

CARAMUEL

There are 102 priests and 110 churches and chapels. The University of Caracas, founded in 1822, has fac- ulties of political, medical, mathematical, and ecclesi- ast leal sciences; the chairs of the latter faculty are in ' ropolitan seminary. The Church has suffered in Caracas more perhaps than in any other of the South American Republics. The university, therefore, the seminary, the convents that once flourished in that beautiful city, have gone through many hardships, and it is difficult to give an accurate account of their present condition. The population on the whole can still be called Catholic, while the recent International Eucharist ic Congress celebrated in Caracas shows a revival in the Venezu- elan Church.

Heknaez, Coleccion de Btdas Hrrres ,/ nfra* Darnaiftifas rela- tives (i A merira >/ Filipinas (Brussels. 1S7V> > ; Battanuier, .1 mi. Pont. Cath. (Paris, 19071. 244; Wernbr, Oriia Terrarvm Cath- aliens (Freibnrg, 1S(»0); .Stheit. KafhaU^etter M issiansallas (Stevl, 1906>; Heilprin, in I.ippinratfs (iarallrar (Philadel- phia, 1906); Statesman's Year Book (London, 1908).

J. Montes de Oca y Obregon.

Caraffa, Giovanni Pietro. Sec Paul IV.

Caraffa, Vincent, seventh General of the Society of Jesus, b. at Naples, 5 May, 15S5; d. at Rome, 8 June, 1649. He was of the family of the Counts of Montorio and a relative of Pope Paul IV. He en- tered the Society of Jesus, 4 October, 1G04, and was sixty years of age at his election as general. He died four years after. He had taught philosophy and gov- erned the principal house of the Society at Naples, and was provincial at the time of the election to the generalship. In 163.5 he had published his " Fascetto di mirra" (Bundle of Myrrh), which has been trans- lated into several languages. He is the author of several other ascetical works, such as the "Cammino del Cielo", the "Cittadino del Cielo", "II Peregrino della terra", "Idea Christiani hominis", and "II Serafino", all previous to his election. He wrote under the name of Aloysius Sidereus. His only known writing when general is his Encyclical letter: "De mediis conservandi primaevum spiritum Socie- latis" (The means of .preserving the primitive spirit of t lie Society). His short term of office coin- cided with the beginning of the war of Jansenism on the Society and the troubles with Palafox, Bishop of La Puebla. A great scandal occurred in Spain be- causi nt unsuccessful business speculations by a coad- jutor brother, and in France on account of the open apostasy to Calvinism of a priest; but the martyr- dom of men like Jogues, Br6beuf, Cuthbert Prescot, Neville, and others in Canada and England was an assurance thai the Society's ancient fervour had not relaxed. The well-known Confraternity of the Bona Mors, which is now so universal in the Church, was in- ted at the suggestion of Father Caraffa

i of the Society "/ Jeans (Cincinnati,

. .'/,. ,, Fai,,l.h,l,ail „,„ I II, ,1a, a

I87!D; Keller. Haia. Univ. (Pans, 1S19); De Backer, B J (Lii :■>■. tsr.s

T. J. Campbell.

Caraites, a Jewish sect professing to follow the test ..I tin' Biblel \tiqra' to the exclusion of Rabbini- cal traditions, and hence opposed to the Talmud. They are called in Jewish writings Beni Miqra' Bn' Miqra', Qer&'im i. e. followers of the Bible. The tendency to reject or minimize the traditions and decisions of the Elders is rather old; the Saddu- eees were, in thai respect, the forerunners of Caraism. Our Lord himself i- said to have discarded such t radi- tions altogether, but. when more closely examined,

the passages quoted show simply thai He, knowing

such traditional lore to be human, insisted more on the true spirit of the Bible. He corrected individual traditions to safeguard the true import of the Biblical legislation, but He did not deny the principle. (Cf. Matt, xv. 1 sq.) Caraism in the strict sense owes its

origin to Anan (died about a. d. 780), and for a time it bore the name of Anan ism. It gained ground among the Jews up to the tenth century, but then met with a decided and able opponent in Saadia al- Fayyumi, 892-942. During the eleventh century there was a lively struggle between Rabbinites and Caraites, especially in Spain, but through the influ- ence of two statesmen, Joseph Faussol and Judah ben Ezra, Caraism was almost entirely driven out of that country, and practically out of Western Europe. Since then it has succeeded in maintaining itself in the East, but has steadily lost grovind to the parent orthodox Judaism. To-day Caraism numbers about 10,000 adherents in Russia and 2000 in other coun- tries. In keeping with their principle, that the text of the Bible alone is authoritative, the Caraites have made some valuable contributions to grammar and Biblical philology; it must be granted, however, that the desire of finding in the Bible a justification for certain beliefs held on other grounds has led many of the Caraites to vindicate rules of interpretation as arbitrary as many of those of ancient Judaism. Anan and his successors have been greatly influenced by Islamic models in deducing laws from their own Sacred Books. Among the best-known authors of Caraism we may mention Judah Hadassi (twelfth century) whose "Eskhol ha-Kofer" n;is in the Middle Ages, and still is, one of the main sources of Caraism; Aaron ben Joseph (thirteenth century); Aaron ben Elijah (fourteenth century); Elijah ben Moses Bashyasi (fifteenth century). In modern times the most cele- brated Caraite scholar is Abraham Firkowich (1786- 1874), whom his well-deserving labours and dis- coveries, and still more his literary forgeries in favour of Caraism, have made especially fatuous.

The beliefs of Caraism wit h regard to < rod and man are substantially those of orthodox Judaism. They differ especially in religious observances. The Cara- ites have retained, or reverted to. many of the mysti- cal views of Essenism, particularly with regard to cleanliness. The Sabbath law is very rigorous. It must be added, also, that whatever may be their in- dependence from Rabbinism in theory, the Caraites have adopted in practice many Rabbinical customs and observances.

Jost, Gesehichte des Judenthumi u einer Sekten (Leipzig, lS. r i7-. r )9>, II, 294-382; FOrst, Gesehichte des Kara, (Leipzig, 1862-65); G ratz, History of tht Jews (Philadelphia, 1891-98), passim, espec. HI, 130 sqq.; DE ET.ARKAVY, s. v., in Jewish Encyclopedia.

R. Btntv.

Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Juan, Spanish ecclesias- tic and writer; b. at Madrid. 2:1 May. 1606; .1. .it Vigevano, 8 September, 1682, He was a precocious child, early delving into serious problems in mathe- matics and even publishing astronomical tables in his tenth year. After receiving a superficial education at college, where his unusual ability brought rapid ad- vancement, this prodigy turned his attention to the Asiatic languages, especially Chinese. Be was re- ceived into the Cistercian Order at the monastery of La Espina, in the Diocese of Palencia, and after or- dination entered upon a singularly varied and brilliant career. His sermons attracted the favourable atten- tion of the Infante Ferdinand, Governor of the Low

Countries, while lie was attached to the monastery of Dunes in Flanders and in 1638 he was honoured with the degree of Doctor of Theology by the University of I.ouvain. When he was obliged to leave the Pal- atinate, the King of Spain made him his envoy to the court of the Emperor Ferdinand 111. He was in turn Abbot of Melrose (Scotland), Vbbol Superior of the Benedictines of Vienna, and grand-vicar to the Archbishop of Prague. In 1648, when the Swedes attacked Prague, he armed and led s band of ecclesi- astics who did yeoman service in the defence of the city. His bravery on this occasion merited for him a