Aimo. See Haymo.
Aimon, also called Aimoin, Aymoin, a French Benedictine of the convent of Fleuiy, died 1008. He was a pupil of Abbo of Fleury, at whose request he wrote the work Historia Francorum, which extends from 253 to 654. A continuation by another author, which is more valuable than the original, carries the narrative to the year 727. It is contained in Bouquet's Collection des historiens de France (Paris, 1738, 8 vols.). Aimon also wrote Vita Abbonis Floriaeencis, and sever- al works on St. Bernard. — Herzog, i, 198.
A 'ill (Heb. A'yin, }*2, a fountain) signifies liter- ally an eye, and also, in the simple but vivid imagery of the East, a spring, or natural burst of living water, always contradistinguished from the well or tank of artificial formation, and which latter is designated by the word "Beer" 0X2) or "Bor" (1X2 and 113). Ain still retains its ancient and double meaning in the Arabic 'Ain. Such living springs abound in Palestine even more than in other mountainous districts, and, apart from their natural value in a hot climate, form one of the most remarkable features of the country. Prof. Stanley- (Palest, p. 147, 509) has called attention to the accurate and persistent use of the word in the original text of the Bible, and has well expressed the inconvenience arising from the confusion in the Auth. Vers, of words and things so radically distinct as Ain and Beer. The importance of distinguishing between the two is illustrated by Exod. xv, 27, in which the word Ainoth (translated "wells") is used for the springs of fresh water at Elim, although the rocky soil of that place excludes the supposition of dug wells.
Ain oftenest occurs in combination with other words, forming the names of definite localities: these will bo found under En- (q. v.), as En-gedi, En-gannim, etc. It occurs alone in two cases. See Fountain.
1. (Sept. at Josh, xxi, 16, 'Arra, at 1 Chron. iv, 32, "Hi/; elsewhere it blends as a prefix with the follow- ing names, 'Ep-tflwB, 'Ep-i/uov.) A city at first as- signed to the tribe of Judah, on its southern border . (Josh, xv, 32), but afterward to Simeon (Josh, xix, 7 ; 1 Chron. iv, 32). In all these passages it is inentinni'd as adjoining Remmon or Eimmon (q. v.), and it seems to be the En-Rimmon (q. v.) of Neh. xi, 29. It was one of the Levitical cities (Josh, xxi, 16). Reland (Palcrst. p. 554, 625) thinks it the same with the Betane (UtTta')))
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of Judith i, 0, and the Bethanht (BnSaviv) located by Eusebius (Onomast. s. v. 'Api, i. e. 'At v) at four Koman miles from Hebron. But these are rather the Beth- anoth (q. v.) of Josh, xv, 59. Dr. Robinson conjectures it may have been the same with the modern village el- Ghuwein, the ruins of which he saw in a valley a short distance to the right of the road a few hours south of Hebron {Researches, ii, 625). But this again is prob- ably the Anim (q. v.) of Josh, xv, 50. The margin of our Bibles identifies this Ain with the Ashan of Josh, xv. 42, but in 1 Chron. iv, 32 both are mentioned. In the list of priests' cities in 1 Chron. vi, 59, Ashan (q. v.) appears to take the place of Ain.
2. (With the art., 'C.Vtl, Ha-A'yin.') One of the landmarks on the northern or eastern boundary of Palestine as described by Moses (Num. xxxiv, 11), near the lake Gennesareth, adjoining Shephan, and apparently mentioned to define the position of Rib- lah, viz. "on the east side of 'the spring'" (Sept. tizi 7r»;yfic). But the ambiguous phrase '^vb C*1~"2 (literally, from the east as to the spring), rather refers directly to the boundary as extending in general terms easterly to Ain, in the direction of Riblah (q. v.). By Jerome, in the Vulgate, it is rendered con- tra fontem Daphnin, meaning the spring which rose in the celebrated grove of Daphne dedicated to Apollo and Diana at Antioch. Riblah having been lately, with much probability, identified (Robinson, Research. new ed. iii, 542-6 ; Porter, ii, 335) with a place of the same name on the north-east slopes of the Lebanon range, "the spring" of the text is probably the mod- ern Ain, in Ccele-Syria, between the Orontes and the Litany (Biblioiheca Sacra, 1847, p. 405, 408) ; so call- ed from a large fountain of the same name a little to the north of the village, which " is strong enough to drive several mills, and about it are heavy blocks of hewn stone of a verj- antique appearance" (ibid. 1848, p. 698). Dr. Robinson, however, thinks it is rather an appellative, and refers to the fountain of the Oron- tes still farther south-west of Riblah (new ed. of Re- searches, iii, 534).
Ainsworth, Henry, D. D., one of the earliest leaders of the Independents, then called Brownists ; a celebrated nonconformist divine of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The time and place of his birth are unknown. In early life he gained great reputation by his knowledge of the learned languages, and particularly of Hebrew. He removed about 1593 to Amsterdam, and had a church there (with an inter- val spent in Ireland) until his death, which occurred suddenly in 1622. Suspicion of his having been poi- soned was raised by his having found a diamond, of great value, belonging to a Jew, and his refusing to return it to him till he had confessed with some of the rabbins on the prophecies of the Old Testament relating to the Messiah, which was promised; but the Jew not having sufficient interest to obtain one, it is thought he was the instrument of his death. Ains- worth was a man of profound learning, well versed in t he Scriptures, and deeply read in the works of the rabbins. His much celebrated " Annotations on several Books of the Bible" were printed at various times and in many sizes. In those on the five Books of Moses, Psalms, and the Canticles, the Hebrew words are compared with and explained by the ancient Greek and Chaldee versions, and other records and monuments of the Hebrew. The " Annotations <»i the Pentateuch" were republished in Edinburgh (Blackie and Sen, 2 vols. 8vo) in 1843.— Neal, Hist, of the Puri- tans, ii, 43 ; Wilson, Dissenting Churches, i, 22.