Barcellona, Antonino

BARCELLONA, ANTONINO. - Oratorian theologian, b. in Palermo on 22 Nov. 1726, d. there on 28 June (5 May, according to A. Narbone) 1805. Having entered the Filippini of Palermo at a young age, he spent his whole life there in study and ministry, directing the library, open to the public, which he greatly enriched. For 50 years he taught ecclesiastical history to laypeople every Wednesday, according to the Filippino method, closing the lesson with moral reflections. He was a valued counselor of the archbishops of Palermo.

He published the theological-ascetical work, in 9 books, La felicità dei santi, 3 vols., Palermo 1800-1801. He left many manuscript works, of which the following were published posthumously: Parafrasi delle profezie di Gerencia e Baruch, 2 vols., Venice 1827 (Parafrasi dei profeti, 5 vols., ibid. 1810 and 1827, according to Scinà, Villarosa, Narbone, with the history of the prophetic times and of the Jewish people from the Babylonian exile to 70 A.D.); Parafrasi de quattro Evangeli posti in armonia, 2 vols., Palermo 1839, in 6 books and 13 dissertations on the most difficult themes of Gospel exegesis. The vast erudition of B. is that of a self-taught man, often imprecise.