Ainsworth, Laban, a Congregational minister, was born at Woodstock, Conn., July 19th, 1757. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1778, and became pastor of the church at Jaffrey, N. H., Dec. 10th, 1782. Here he continued in the pastoral relation un- til his death, March 17th, 1858. He was an evangel-
ical preacher of more than ordinary ability, and a man of great humor in his social intercourse, but ear- nestly intent in his great calling. He retained the respect and affection of his people to the last. — Amer. Cong. Year Book (vol. vi, 1859, p. 117).
Aionios. See Eternal.
Air (_cn)p), the atmosphere, as opposed to the ether (aiOiip), or higher and purer region of the sky (Acts xxii, 24 ; 1 Thess. iv, 17 ; Rev. ii, 2 ; xvi, 17). The Heb. term nil, ru'ach, occurs in this sense but onco (Job xli, 16) ; " air" is elsewhere the rendering of C^'.y, shama'yim, in speaking of birds of the heavens. The later Jews (see Eisenmenger, Entd. Jud. ii, 437 sq.), in common with the Gentiles (see Eisner, Obs. ii, 205; Dougttei Annul, p. 127), especially the Pytha- goreans, believed the air to be peopled with spirits, under the government of a chief, who there held his seat of empire (Philo, 31, 28; Diog. Laert. viii, 32; Plutarch, Qua;st. Rom. p. 274). These spirits were sup- posed to be powerful, but malignant, and to incite men to evil. That the Jews held this opinion is plain from the rabbinical citations of Lightfoot, Wetstein, etc. Thus in Pirke Aboth, lxxxiii, 2, they are described as filling the vhole air, arranged in troops, in regular subordination (see Rosenroth, Cabbala denud. i, 417). The early Christian fathers entertained the same be- lief (Ignat. ad Ephes. § 13), which has indeed come down to our own times. It is to this notion that Paul is supposed to allude in Epb. ii, 2, where Satan is called " prince of the power (i. e. of those who ex- ercise the power) of the air" (see Stuart, in the Biblioth. Sacra, 1843, p. 139). Some, however, explain " air" here by darkness, a sense which it bears also in profane writers. But the apostle no doubt speaks according to the notions entertained by most of those to whom he wrote, without expressing the extent of his own belief (see Bloomfield, Rcc. Sgn., and Meyer, Com- ment, inloc). See Power; Principality. The sky as the midst of heaven, or the middle station between heaven and earth, may symbolically represent the place where the Divine judgments are denounced, as in 1 Chron. xxi, 16. See Angel.
The phrase tic c'i'tpa A«ahj', to speak into the air (1 Cor. xiv, 9), is a proverbial expression to denote speaking in vain, like rentis verba prof undere in Latin (Lucret. iv, 929), and a similar one in our own lan- guage ; and tic aipa ciptn; t) beat the air (1 Cor. ix, 26), denotes acting in vain, and is a proverbial allu- sion to an abortive stroke into the air in pugilistic contests (comp. Virgil, sEn. v, 377). See Games.
Ai'rus ('Ia'ipoc, comp. Jairus of the N. T.), one of the temple-servants whose " sons" are said to have returned from the captivity (1 Esdr. v, 31) ; probably a corruption for Gahar (q. v.) of the genuine text (Ezra ii, 47).
Aisle is derived from the Latin ala, French aile, a wing, and signi- fies the wings or side- passages of the church. The term is incorrectly applied to the middle av- enue of a church, which its derivation shows to be wrong. Where there is but one aisle to a tran- sept, it is always to the east. In churches on the continent of Europe the number of aisles is frequently two on either side of the nave and choir, and at Cologne there are even three. See Church Architecture.
Aisle in Melrose Abbey.
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE
•2 7
AKIXS
Aix-la-Chapelle (Aquis-gramtm or Aqtue-gra- 7ii, Germ. Aachen), a large city of Germany, dependent on the archbishopric of Cologne in spiritual matters. As the favorite abode of Charlemagne, it acquired great ecclesiastical importance ; and many councils were held there. From the time of Otho I (937) to Ferdinand 1,1558, twenty- nine German emperors were crowned in this city.
The first Council of Aix-la-Chapelle was held in 780, on discipline ; in the council held in 799 Felix of Urgel renounced Agnoetism, which he previously upheld. The others are that of 803, where the Bene- dictines received their religious regulations ; of 809, on the procession of the Holy Ghost ; 813, when the canons of the preceding council were published ; 816, confirmatory of the rules of Chrodegang ; 817, on St. Benedict's rule, etc. ; 825, on the same subjects ; 831, declaring the innocence of the Empress Judith ; 83G, on the restoration of Church property ; 837, on Epis- copal controversies ; 842, by Kings Louis and Charles, on the division of Lothaire's possessions ; two sessions in 860, against Queen Thetburga ; 862, allowing King Lothaire to contract a new marriage ; 992, forbidding marriages during Advent, from Septuagesima to East- er, etc.; 1165, to canonize Charlemagne. — Smith, Tables of Church Hist.
A'jah (Heb. Ayah', JT'X, prop, a cry, hence a hawk, as often), the name of two men.
1. (Sept. 'AVf ; but Aid, Auth. Vers. " Aiah8' in Chron.) The first named of the two sons of Zibeon the Horite or rather Hivite (Gen. xxxvi, 24 ; 1 Chron. i, 40), B.C. ante 1964.