After this desperate achievement Ehud repaired to Seirah (improp. Seirath ; see Gesen. Lex. s. v.), in the mountains of Ephraim (iii, 26, 27), or Mount Ephra- im (Josh, xix, 50). To this wild central region, com- manding, as it did, the plains east and west, he sum- moned the Israelites by sound of horn (a national custom according to Josephus; A.V. "a trumpet"). Dsscending from the hills they fell upon the Moabites, dismayed and demoralized by the death of their king (Josephus, not Judges). The greater number were killed at once, but 10,000 men made for the Jordan with the view of crossing into their own countrj'. The Israelites, however, had already seized tlie fords, and not one of the unhappy fugitives escaped. As a reward for his conduct Ehud was appointed judge (Jo- ssphus, not Judges). The Israelites continued to en- joy for eighty years (B.C. 1509-1430) the indepen- dence obtained through this deed of Ehud (Judg. iii, 15-30). — Smith, s. v. ; Kitto, s. v. See Judges.
Ekdach. See Carbuncle.
Eichhorn, Johann Gottfried, a celebrated German Orientalist and theologian, was born Oct. IG, 1752, at Dorenzimmern, in the principality of Hohen- lohe-Q!)hringen. He received his education at the gymnasium of Heilbronn and at the Universitj' of Gottingen, under Michaelis and Heyne. He became professor of Oriental literature at Jena in 1775, and was named court-councillor by the duke of Saxe-Wei- mar in 1783. In 1788 he succeeded IMichaelis as pro- fessor of philosophy at the University of Gottingen, and in 1811 he was m-ule professor of theology there, wliich ])ost he retained until his death, June 25, 1827. Eichhorn was a thoroughly industrious student and a very voluminous writer. His first proof of Oriental knowledge was given in his Gescklchte des Oslmdiscken Jfandels vor Mohammed (Gotha, 1775, 8vo). This was followed by Monumenta nnttqui.i.dma historke Araburn, post A lb. Schidtens, ardblce edldlt, ladne wrtit, et an- imadvers. adjecit J. G. Eichhorn (Gotha, 1775, 8vo) : — De rei nummarim apud Arabos initiis (Jena, 1776, 4to). At Jena he devoted himself to Biblical literature, and established, as a sort of organ, a magazine entitled Repertorium fur biblisch': unl morgenliindlsche Literatur, which lasted from 1777 to 1786 (Leipzig), and was followed l)y the Allgemeine Bibliothek d. hiblischen Lit- eratur (Leipz. 1787-1803, 10 vols. 8vo). His profes- sorship at Gottingen opened to him a wider field (1788) after the death of J. D. Michaelis. He lectured not only on Oriental literature, and on the exegesis of the O. and N. T., but also in the field of general history, in which he soon appeared as an author. In 1790-93 appeared iiis Urgeschichte (Primitive History), edited by Galilcr from the Repertorium (NuremI). 8vo). His more important works, in addition, are Commentarius
in Apocalyjisin Joannis (Gotting. 1791, 2 vols. 8vo) :
Einleitnng ins A.T. : Einleitunrj ins .V. T. (also publish- ed under the general title of Kritische Sehriften, Leips. 1804-1814, 8vo, 7 vols.). He also published a number of historical writings, besides many essays, reviews, etc. ; and all this time his lectures were kept up in the unirersitv. The zealous and continued indus-
try of Eichhorn is one of the marvels of modem lit. erature.
As an interpreter of the Bible, Eichhorn, following Michaelis, transcended him in the boldness of his crit- icism and in his far-reaching Kationalism. The re- sults of his criticism were tliat the Bible, as we have it, has only a moral and literarj' superiority over other books. Tlie primeval history attributed to Moses was made up of ancient sagas, and gathered up, partlj', by Moses into the Pentateuch. His system of interpre- tation multiplies paradoxes, and tends to uproot the Christian revelation, as such, entirely. In his view the Apocalypse is a prophetic drama, and he comments on it as he would on a jday of Aristophanes or Terence. But his vast labors in Biblical literature retain great part of their reputation, while his method of interpre- tation is fast passing into oblivion, even in Germany. — Saintes, History of Rationalism, chap, xi ; Herzog, Real-Encyhkp. iii, 710.
Eicliliorn, Karl Friedrich, son of Johann Gott- fried Eichhorn (q. v.), was born at Jena in 1781. Af- ter completing his studies at the Universitj' of Gottin- gen, he became privatdocent of law at the University of Jena. In 1805 he was appointed professor at the Universit}^ of Frankfort on the Oder, and in 1811 was transferred, with the university, to Berlin, where he edited, with Savigny, Goschen, and, later, with Ru- dorff, the Zeitschrift fur gescMcMliche Reehtswitsenschaft. From 1817 to 1828 he was professor of Church law, and other branches, at Gottingen ; from IHSl to 1833 pro- fessor at the University of Berlin. In 1833 he was appointed a member of the supreme state court, and subsequently' filled some other high offices in the civ" il administration. He was regarded as the head of the historical school of Gei-man jurists. He died at Berlin July 4, 1854. Besides a number of law books, which still occup}' a high rank in that literature, he wrote a work on Church law (Grundsdtze des Kirchen- rechts der kathol. u. evangel. Religionsparteien, Gotting. 1831-1833).— Herzog, Reul-Encykl. xi, 470, (A. J. S.)
Eiiihard. Sec Eginhard.
Einsiedeln (Maria-Einsiedeln, Beiparce Virginii Eremus, Notre Dame des Ermites), a Benedictine mon- aster}' in Switzerland, founded in the 9th century by Meinrad of Soleure, who was murdered by robbers A.D. 861. In 934, Eberhard, provost of the cathedral of Strasburg, built a monaster}' and church here, which the emperor Otto, in 946, endowed with the free right of election. The convent was to be consecrated Sep- tember 14, 948, by the bishop of Constanz, but the latter claimed to have heard the preceding night the song of angels, and to have seen Christ himself, at- tended bj' angels, saying mass and consecrating the chapel ; and when, the next morning, he prepared to perform the act of consecration, he was admonished by a voice saying, "Hold on, brother, God himself has dedicated the chapel." The story was believed, and on the sole strength of it the annual pilgrim- age to Einsiedeln on September 14, to commemorate the "Angelic Consecration" (Kngtl-Wcihe), became, and still is, one of the most famous pilgrimages in the Church of Rome. The popes granted full absolution to all who went in ])ilgrimage to the church. The congregation consisted mostly of scions of noble fami- lies, and the convent steadily increased in ])Ower and riches. A new church was built in the beginning of the last century on the model of the Lateran Church, and contains Meinrad's cell and the image of the Vir- gin. In the time of the Reformation most of the monks left the convent, but it was subsequenth' reor- ganized bj' Ludwig Blarer, a Benedictine monk of St. Gall. In 1710 260,000 are said to have visited Ein- siedeln, and in 1851 the number was over 200,000. The vendors of blessed images, medals, etc., do a thriv- ing business there, and at a large profit. There are at Einsiedeln confessionals for the people of different