Eremite (Jm)poq, desert), one who lives in a wil- derness, or other solitude, for purposes of religious con- templation. The name was given in the ancient Church to those Christians who flad from the persecu- tors of Christianity into the wilderness, and there, iso- lated from all other men, gave themselves up to a life of rigid asceticism. Paul of Theljes is called the first eremite, and he soon found numerous followers. From the association of eremites the coenobites arose, who, in turn, form the transition to the monastic orders, which became in the Church of Rome and in the East- em Church the most common form of organized ascet- icism. The name eremite remained, however, in use both for those who, in opposition to monastic associa- tion, preferred the eremitic life, and for a number of orders or branches of orders (orders of eremites), which either retained some customs in the life of the original eremites, or which made special jirovisions that their members could live in entire isolation from each other meeting only for the celebration of divine service. Thus the proper name of the Augustinians (q. v.) was the Eremites of St. Augustine, although they became, in fact, a regular order. Tliere were also eremites be- longing to the orders of Franciscans (q. v.), Camaldu-
lenses (q. v.), Coelestines (q. v.), Hieronymites (q. v.), and Servites (q. v.). Among the other orders of the eremites were the Eremites of St. John the Baptist (see John the Baptist, Eremites of), and the Eremites of St. Paul. — Wetzer und Welte, Kirchen-Lex. iii, 501. See Paul, St., Eremites of. (A. J. S.)
Erez. See Cedar.
Erfurt, a city in the Prussian province of Saxo- ny, with, in 1864, 40,200 inhabitants. In 741, Erfurt became the seat of a bishop, but St. Adalar was the last as well as the first bisliop, the see being united with that of Mentz. In 1378 the city received per- mission from the pope residing at Avignon (Clement VII) to establish a universit}', and the permission was in 1389 confirmed bj' the Roman pope Urban VI. In 1392 the university was opened, being the fifth uni- versity of Germany. At the beginning of the 16th century, Luther was for some time one of its profess- ors. Subsequently its reputation dwindled down, and it was abolished in 1816. — Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen- Lexiko7i, iii, 661. (A. J. S.)
Erhard, Bishop. See Hildulf.
E'ri (Heb. Eri', '''}",, loatchfuT), the fifth son of the patriarch Gad (Gen. xlvi, 16 ; Sept. 'Ai]Stic, Vulg. Heri), and progenitor (Num. xxvi, 16; Sept. 'A5£i, Vulg. Her) of the Erites (q. v.). B.C. 1856.
Eric IX (according to some historians VIII), sur- named the Saint, a king of Sweden. He was the son of Jedward, a "good and rich yeoman," as he is called in an old Swedish chronicle, and of Cecilia, the sister of king Eric Arsal. Having become king of Sweden, his chief endeavor was the Christianization of Sweden. He conquered southern Finland, and compelled the inhabitants to adopt the Christian religion. He also united Norway with Sweden. In the war against the Danish prince IMagnus, he fell in a battle near the town of Upsala, May 18, 1160.— Hoefer, Nouv. Bionr. Gener. xvi, 243. (A. J. S.)
Erigena. See Scotus Erigena.
E'rite (Heb. collect, with the art. ha-Eri' , '''^"'^, Sept. [appar. ever3'where in this name reading "1 for
I] <j'Ac\^(',Vulg. Ileritm, A.V. "the Erites"), a patro- nymic designation (Num. xxvi, 16) of the descendants of the Gadite Eri ((j. v.).
Erizatsy (Sargis or Sergius), a learned Armeni- an bishop, born towards the middle of the 13th cen- tury', at Eriza or Arzendjan, a city of Armenia. In 1286, James I, patriarch of Sis, called him to his court, and made him his secretary. In 1291 he was conse- crated bishop of Arzendjan, and, a short time after, the king of the Armenians of Cilicia (Hayton or Hathoum
II) made him almoner of his palace. In 1306 he -was present at the national council which was held at Sis, capital of Cilicia, and died a short time after. He wrote a treatise on The Hierarchy, and several other works, which remain in MS. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Genir. xvi, 258.
Erlangen, a city in Bavaria, with a population of 10,900 inhabitants, mostly Protestant. It is the seat of one of three universities of Bavaria, with a Luther- an theological faculty. The University was founded in 1742 by the margrave Friedrich of Brandenburg- Baireuth for his residence, but in 1743 transferred to Erlangen. The University has in modern times been a chief seat of the Confessional party in the Lutheran Church. (A. J. S.)
Ernesti, Johanx August, an eminent critic and scholar, was born Aug. 4, 1707, at Tennstadt, in Thu- ringia. He completed his academical studies at Wit- tenberg and Leipsic. In 1742 he became professor of ancient literature at Leipsic, and in 1758 doctor and professor of theology there. He held the two last- named professorships together till 1770, when he gave up the former to his nephew, August Wilhelm, Hn
EROGE
282
ERSKI^^E
died Sept. 11, 1781. He distirii^ruishcd himself greatly l>y liis philological and classical publicntions, and also l.y the new light which his tlieory of interpretation thiew iijion the sacred Scriptures. He adopted from ^^'etstei^ the grammatico-hutorical mctliod of interpre- tation, and gave it general currency. Among the most important of his critical and philological writings are Opiiscula phUoloffico-criiica (Amster. 1762, 8vo) : — Opuscida oratorio, orationes, proluskmes ei elogki (Leyd. 1762 and 1767, 8\-o): — Archa>ologia litteraria (Leips. 1768 and 1790, 8vo) : — India doctrince soUdicris (Leips. 1736, 7th ed. 1783, 8vo). The style of this work gave to Ernesti tlie name of the Cicero of Germany. His most important work in the field of theology is his In- stilutio inferpretis Novi Ttstamenti (Leips. 1761, 8vo ; 5th ed. ISO!)). This work first clearly set forth what is called the (/ramma'.ico-historical method of interpreta- tion. It was translated by Terrot, and published in the Biblical Cabinet (Edinb. 1843, 2 vols. IGmo) ; there is also an edition, with notes and appendix, by Moses Stuart (Andover, 1827, 12mo). Some valuable essays may be found in his Opuscida theolorjicn (1792, 8vo). He" rendered great service to theological literature b}' the publication of the Neue theolofflsche BibliotkeJc (1760- 1779, 14 vols.). His Lectiones Acudemicw in Ejnstolam ad Ilebraos was published by G. J. Dindorf in 1815 (Lips. 8vo). Ernesti's reputation as a classical scholar rests chiefly upon his excellent editions of Homer (Leips. 1759, 8vo), of Callimachus (Leyd. 1761, 2 vols. 8vo), of Poly bins (Leip:-. 1763-04, 3 vols. 8vo), of Xen- ophon, Aristotle, and of Cicero (i6. 1776, 3d ed. 7 vols.), of Tacitus {ib. 1772, 2 vols. 8vo) ; also of Suetonius, Aristophanes, etc. His Eidnffi/, by Augustus William Ernesti, was published at Leipsic (1781, 8vo). See Hagenbach, German Rationalism, transl. \)j Gage, p. 76 ; Teller, Ernesti's Vcrdienste urn Theologie und Re- ligion (Leips. 1783); Van Voorst, Oraiio de J. A. Er- nestio (Leyd. 1804); 'H.oeterjNour.Bioffr. Generale, xvi, 296; Kahnis, German Protestantism, p. 119.