SONORA
145
SOPHISTS
The expression is Christ's, in spite of the futile
attempts of some German Rationalists and others
to show that He could not have used it. It was not
invented by the writers of the Gospels to whom it
did not appear to be a favourite title, as they never
use it of Christ themselves. It was not derived by
them from what is asserted was a false interpretation
of Daniel, because it appears in the early portions of
the public ministry where there is no reference to
Daniel. The objection that Christ could not have
used it in Aramaic because the only similar exjjression
was bar-nasha, which then meant only "man", bar
having by that time lost its meaning of "son"', is
not of much weight. Only Uttle is known of the
Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the time of Christ;
and as Drummond points out special meaning could
be given to the word by the emjihasis with which
it was pronounced, even if bar-nashn had lost its
primary meaning in Palestine, which is not at all
proved. As the same writer shows, there were other
expressions in Aramaic which Christ could have em-
ployed for the purpose, and Sanday suggests that
He may have occasionally spoken in Greek.
The early Fathers were of the opinion that the ex- pression was used out of humiUty and to show Christ's human nature, and this is verj' probable considering the early rise of Docetism. This is also the opinion of Cornelius a Lapide. Others, such as Knabenbauer, think that He adopted a title which would not give umbrage to His enemies, and which, as time went on, was capable of being applied so' as to cover His Mes- sianic claims — to include everything that had been foretold of the representative man, the second Adam, the suffering servant of Jehovah, the Messianic king.
Jfsus Messie el Fih rff Dieu (Paris, 1906); Rose, Studies on the Gospeh (London, 1903); Drummond. The Jour, of Theol. Studies, II (1901), 350, 539; Hartl, Anfang und Emledes Tilels " Menchemohn" in Bibl. Zeitschrift (Freiburg, 1909), 342.
C. Aherne.
Sonora, Diocese of (de Sonora), in the Republic of Mexico, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Durango. Its area is that of the state of the same name, 76,619 B(\. miles, and its population (1910) 262,545. The bishoj) and the governor of the state reside at Hermo- sillo, a city situated 681 ft. above sea level, containing (1910 1 about 14,518 inhabitants. The Gospel was first preached in the territory of the Diocese of Sonora by the celebrated Father Niza, who accompanied the daring expeditions of the first explorers and con- querors of Mexico. The Spaniards .settled at different places in this .section ; they evangelized the numerous tribes who lived in that region in the beginning of the seventeenth century, after having established the new See of Durango, to which all these lands were gi\'en. The Jesuits, who were assigned the task of converting to Christianity the people of these lands, founded the famous missions of Rio Yaqui, Rio Mayo, and Upper and Lower Pimeria. Notable among these priests was the celebrated Father Kino (q. v.). When the Jesuits were expelled from all the Spanish colonies (1767) they had the following residences: Mission of the Upper and Lower Pimeria (Guazaves, Aconche, M:if ape, Oposura, Movas, S. Ignacio, Arizpe^ Aribechi, Baturo, Onaviis, Cucurupe, Cumuripa, Saguaripa, Sta .Mari;i Soanca, Tubutama, Odope, Saric, Tecoripa, Ires. Caborca, Babispe, Bacade Guachi, Cuquiarachi, Onapa. B:uiarniehi); S. Javier del Bac, Santa Maria Basoraca, and f iuebabi, which were then in the terri- tory now belonging to the United States; Mission del Rio Yaqui (Huirivis, Belem, Rahum, Torim, Bacum) ; Mission del Rio Mayo (Santa Cruz, Caamoa, Nabojoa, Conicari, Batacosa).
On 7 May, 1779, Pius VI established the Diocese of Sonora, to which belonged at that time the present states of Sinaloa and Sonora and the two Californias (Upper and Lower). It was suffragan of the then immense Archdiocese of Mexico. This territory was XIV.— 10
divided in 1840 when the See of S. Francisco de
Cahfornia was founded. In 1863 it ceased to be a
suffragan of Me.xico and became suffragan of the new
metropohtan see estabUshed at Guad:dajara. In 1873
it was separated from Lower C;ULfornia, which be-
came a vicariate Apostohc, and in 1883, when the
See of Sinaloa was created, the See of Sonora was
reduced to its present hmits. In 1891 Leo XIII,
by the Bull Illud in Prinm, separated this See from
the ecclesiastical Province of Gu.-idalajara and made
it a suffragan of the new Archdiocese of Durango.
The bishop's residence was first situated in the city
of Arizpe, but owing to the uprisitig of the Indians
it was removed to Alamos and later to Culiacan, the
present capital of the State of Sinaloa. When the
new See of Sinaloa was created the Bishop of Sonora
made his residence at Hermosillo.
This diocese has 1 seminary with 10 students, 17 parochial schools, 2 Cathohc colleges with about 700 students. Protestants have foimded 11 churches. Among the 221,000 inhabitants a great number of Indians from the Seris, Yaquis, Apaches, Papagos, and other tribes are to be found; these have unfor- tunately returned in large numbers to barbarism since the missionaries abandoned them. Few Ajiaches and Papagos Indians remain in the Sonora territory. The Seris Indians are more numerous and live in the large island of Tiburon in the Gulf of California and- in a large part of the territory along the banks of the Rio Sonora. Those who live on the island are savage and opposed to civilization, while those on the con- tinent have formed agricultural colonies and are quite subdued since the last uprising. As to the Yaqui Indians, the Federal Government of Mexico has had some serious trouble with them. It appears, however, that had they not been deprived of their lands a more peaceful people could hardly be found.
Vera, Catecismo geogrdfico hist6rico de la Iglesia Mexicana (Amecameca, 18S1); Davila, Continuacidn de ta historia de la C. de J. eu Nueva Espafia (Puebla. 1SS9) ; Carrez, Atlas geographicus Societotis Je.^u (Pari.q, l500): DoMENECH, Guia general descriptiva de la Repuhlica Mexieana (Mexico, 1899).
Camillus Crivelli.
Soothsaying. See Divination.
Sophene, a titular see, suffragan of Melitene in Armenia Secunda. In the sixth century "Notitia; episcopatuum" of Antioch, Sophene is a suffragan of Amida in Mesopotamia ("Echos d'Orient", X, 145). Justinian in a letter to Zetas, "magister militum" of Armenia and Pontus Polemoniacus, grants him juris- diction over various provinces, among them Sophene and Sophenene, "in qua est ^Iartyropolis" ("Codex. Just.", I, 29, 5). At the beginning of the seventh century George of Cyprus ("Descriptio orbis ro- mani", ed. Gelzer, 49) mentions Sophene in .\rmenia Quarta, and we know elsewhere that Arsamosata was the capital of the latter province. From these texts we conclude, first, that there were two distinct dis- tricts, Sophene situated more to the north and very well known to the classical writers as an Armenian province, subject to the Roman Empire, and, second, Sophenene, situated near Martyropolis and Amida. The latter is probably the titular see. Le Quien ("Orienschristianus", II, 1001), mentions two bishops of Sophene: Arsaphus, present at the Council of Constantinople in 381; Euphemius, at Chalcedon, 451. The exact situation of this bishopric is unknown.
Smith, Diet, of Greek and Roman Geog. (London. 1870). .s. v.; Gelzeh, Georgii Cyprii Descriptio orbis romani, LXI: Chapot, La fronliire de VEuphrate (Paris, 1907), 168-70.
S. VAILIifi.
Sophists, a group of Greek teachers who flourished at the end of the fifth century B. c. They claimed to be purveyors of wisdom — hence the name ao<t>urTal, which originally meant one who possesses wisdom — but in reality undertook to show that all true certitude is unattainable, and that culture and preparation for the business of public life are to be acquired, not by
