RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
AilTy
not his strong point. He was at home in the concrete and knew how to narrate with great effect stories from Holy Scripture, from the history of the Church, and from his own or others' experience. Besides preaching, he taught in the Leipsic Theological Seminary, and for many years did good service on the commission appointed to revise Luther's version of the Old Testament. He left a lasting memorial of his labors in more than one charitable foundation with whose origin he had much to do. Of the numerous collections of his discourses may be mentioned: Predigten iiber die evangelischen Perikopen (Halle, 1848; 12th ed., 1892); Das Leben im Lichte des Wortes Gottes (1861; 7th ed., 1886); Predigten iiber die epistolischen Perikopen (1867; 5th ed., 1899); Confirmationsreden (2 series, Leipsic, 1880). (A. Hauck.)
Bibliography: Friedrich Ahlfeld, weiland Pastor zu St. Nikolai in Leipzig; ein Lebensbild, Halle, 1885.
AICHSPALT, oik'spalt (AICHSPALTER, AS- PELT): A common designation (from his birthplace, Aspelt, near Luxembourg) for Peter, archbishop of Mainz (1306-20); b. between 1240 and 1250; d. at Mainz June 4, 1320. He is an important figure in the politics and history of his time, but of less interest for religion or theology. Of humble origin, he was ambitious and adroit, and sought his advancement with skill and success. A knowledge of medicine helped him to win the favor of princes and popes. He was chancellor to Wenceslaus II., king of Bohemia (1296-1305), and during this time quarreled with Albert of Austria and thenceforth was an opponent of the house of Hapsburg. He promoted the election of Henry of Luxembourg an emperor in 1308, and under him was all-powerful in German affairs. He was made bishop of Basel in 1296, archbishop of Mainz in 1306, and proved himself efficient and praiseworthy in his diocese.
Bibliography: J. Heidemann, Peter von Aspelt als Kirchenfurtt und Staatsmann, Berlin, 1875.
AIDAN, oi'don, SAINT: First bishop of Lindisfarne; d. at Bamborough (on the coast of Northumberland, 16 m. s.e. of Berwick) Aug. 31, 651. When Oswald, king of Northumbria (634-642), wished to introduce Christianity into his dominions (see Oswald, Saint; Celtic Church in Britain and Ireland), he applied to Seghine, abbot of Iona, for missionaries, and a certain Corman was sent, who soon returned, declaring it was impossible to Christianize so rude a people. Aidan, then a monk of Iona, suggested that Corman had failed to adapt his teaching to their needs and had expected too much, forgetting the Apostle's injunction of " milk for babes." Whereupon Aidan was at once ordained and sent to Oswald in Corman's Place (635). He established himself on the island ol Lindisfarne, near Bamborough, brought fellow workers from Ireland, and founded a school of twelve Ingush boys to provide future priests. Consistently exemplifying in his daily life the doctrines ne taught, he gained great influence with Oswald
wV/i *T his death' "i* 0swin> king of Deira> wnue the people were won by his mildness, humility, ana benevolence. He could not preach in the eaxon language at first and Oswald acted as inter-
preter. His work in Northumbria was continued by Finan (q.v.). All information about Aidan comes from Bede (Hist, eccl., iii. 3, 5-17, 26), who praises him and tells marvelous stories about him.
Bibliography: J. H. A. Ebrard, Die iroschottische Missionskirche, Gutersloh, 1873; A. C. Fryer, Aidan, the Apostle of the North, London, 1884; J. B. Lightfoot, Leaders in the Northern Church, ib. 1890; W Bright, Early English Church History, 153-168, 188-189, Oxford, 1897.
AIKEN, CHARLES AUGUSTUS: American Presbyterian; b. at Manchester, Vt., Oct. 30, 1827; d. at Princeton, N. J., Jan. 14, 1892. He was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1853; entered the Congregational ministry, and became pastor at Yarmouth, Me., 1854; became professor of Latin in Dartmouth 1859; in Princeton 1866, president of Union College 1869, professor of ethics and apologetics in Princeton Theological Seminary 1871; was transferred to the chair of Oriental and Old Testament literature 1882. He was a member of the Old Testament revision company, and translated Zockler's commentary on Proverbs in the Lange series (New York, 1869).
AILLY, PIERRE D', pyar d'a'Tyi' (Lat. Petrus de Alliaco): Chancellor of the University of Paris, later bishop of Cambrai and cardinal, one of the distinguished churchmen who sought to restore unity to the divided Church during the great papal schism (1378-1429; see Schism) by means of a general council; b., probably at Ailly-le-hautclocher (20 m. n.w. of Amiens), in the present department of Somme, 1350; d. at Avignon Aug. 9, 1420. He was brought up in Compiegne in the midst of the desolation caused by the war with England and an insurrection of the peasants (the Jacquerie); to this was no doubt in part due the strong national feeling and the prejudice against England which he showed later. He entered the University of Paris as a student of theology in the College of Navarre in 1372, and began to lecture on Peter Lombard in 1375. His lectures (printed as QucBstiones super libros sententiarum, Strasburg, 1490), gained for him the reputation of a clear thinker, and helped to make the nominalism of Occam predominant in the university. He also distinguished himself as a preacher.
On Apr. 11, 1380, Ailly was made doctor of theology and professor. His treatise on this occasion, and other essays written about the same time (published as appendix to the Qucestiones; also in Gersonii opera, ed. Du Pin, i. 603 sqq., Antwerp, 1706), show his position concerning the doctrine of the Church, which was brought to the front by the schism. The Christian Church, he said, is founded on the living Christ, not on the erring Peter, on the Bible, not on the canon law. The existing evils can be cured by a general council. Against those who opposed this idea of a council he wrote in 1381 a satirical epistle " from the devil to his prelates " (text in Tschackert, Appendix, pp. 15 sqq.). In 1384 he became director of the College of Navarre, where he had among his pupils Jean Gerson, who became his faithful friend. In 1389 Ailly was made chancellor of the university and almoner of Charles VI. of France, a position which
Ailly Aked