(C. SCHMIDTf.)
Bibliography: Sources of information are indicated in U. Chevalier, Repertoire des sources historiques du moyen age, Paris, 1883. Consult J. A. Fabricius, Bibliotheca Latina, ii. 218, Hamburg, 1734; Histoire litteraire de la France, xvii. 129.
EBERLIN, JOHANN: One of the most important popular writers of the time of the Reformation;
b. at Gunzburg (30 m. w.n.w. of Augsburg), Bavaria,
c. 1465; d. at Wertheim (20 m. w. of Wurzburg), Baden, c. 1530. His youth is obscure. He was already priest of the diocese of Augsburg when he was matriculated at Basel in 1489. Here he became master of arts, and later entered the monastery of the Franciscans at Heilbronn. In the second decade of the sixteenth century he entered the monastery of Tubingen, developing a remarkable activity as a preacher in the town and its neighborhood, where he became involved in disputes with the theologians of the University of Tubingen. Subsequently he went to Ulm and in 1520 seems to have been in the monastery of the Franciscans at Freiburg in the Breisgau where he became acquainted with Luther's works, which he studied with great zeal. The result of his studies showed itself in his Lent-sermons, preached in Ulm after his return to that city, as a consequence of which he was persecuted and compelled to leave (1521). At this time he conceived the plan of writing a cycle of popular works under the title Fiinfzehn Bundesgenossen, in which fifteen prominent people should give utterance to the wrongs of the nation, one after the other expressing his opinion in a special treatise. The work appeared at Basel, 1521, and shows the influence of Luther. Eberlin's propositions of reform were most radical; his main attacks were directed against monastic affairs, but he touches almost every question of ecclesiastical, religious and social life. In the later Bundesgenossen Eberlin was influenced by the radical tendencies of Carlstadt, and his ideas undoubtedly contributed to the revolutionary tendencies of the lower classes which found expression in the Peasants' War. Eberlin shows himself in this work a popular writer of the first rank, original and striking in his way of treating matters in popular and blunt language. Friend and foe testify to the great sensation caused by this collection of treatises. In the mean time Eberlin had gone north. After a short stay at Leipsic he went to Wittenberg
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Eber Ebionites
where like many older men he became a student at the University (1522). Under the immediate influence of Luther and Melanchthon his radicalism sobered down, as appears from his treatise Vom Misbrauch christlicher Freiheit (1522) and from later writings in which he recalled not a few of his former demands. In 1523 he visited the South and preached at Basel, Rheinfelden, Rottenburgon-the-Neckar and Ulm, returning before the close of the year to Wittenberg. In the spring of 1524 he went to Erfurt where he received a position as preacher, but lost it in the following year in the disturbances caused by the Peasants' War. Afterward he found a permanent position as first preacher of Count George II. of Wertheim, which he held until his death. Besides the works mentioned Eberlin wrote a famous tract entitled Mich wundert, dass kein Geld irn Lande ist in which he tried to show the causes of impoverishment and advocated honest and dignified labor, and Wie sich ein Diener Gottes Worts in all seinem Thun halten soil (1525), a kind of pastoral theology highly esteemed by August Hermann Francke. (T. Kolde.)
Bibliography: Selected writings of Eberlin, ed. L. Enders, are in Neudrucke deutacher Literaturwerke, nos. 139-141, Halle, 1896. Consult: B. Riggenbach, J. Eberlin und
sein Reformprogramm, Tubingen, 1874 (cf. W. Schum,jin GGA, 1875, pp. 801-802); M. Radlkofer, J. Eberlin und Hans Jacob Wehe, Nordlingen, 1887.
EBERSDORF BIBLE. See Bibles, Annotated, and Bible Summaries, I., § 3.
EBIONITES: The name applied first to Christians in general, then to Jewish Christians, and finally to heretical Jewish Christians. To Jewish Christians this name was given because they were generally poor (Hebr. ebyon, ebyonim); and this poverty, especially characteristic of the Christians of Jerusalem evoked from the pagan world for the whole sect the contemptuous appellation "the poor" (cf. Minucius Felix, Octavius, xxxvi.). Subsequently its application was limited to Jewish
Early Christians (Origen, Contra Celsum, ii. 1 ) . Use of the When a portion of the Jewish Church
Name. became separate and heretical, the designation marked this division exclusively. In the ' fourth century Epiphanius, Jerome and Theodoret used it of a separate party within the Jewish Church distinct from the Nazarenes. Many of the fathers derived the term from a supposed founder of the sect called Ebion (Hippolytus, Philosophoumena, vii. 34; Tertullian, Hcer., xxxiii.; De came Christi, xiv.; Epiphanius, Hwr., xxx. 1), said to have lived at Pella after the destruction of Jerusalem.
The sources for the history of Ebionism, or of Jewish Christianity, are very meager. Neither the New Testament nor the extracanonical literature know of any writings coming directly from them. The notices in the early fathers are confused; those in later fathers like Epiphanius and Jerome belong to too late a time to justify inferences as to an earlier existence. Several of the fathers give a picture of the Jewish Christians of their times as it was presented to them and according to their subjective interests.
The doctrinal position in Jewish Christianity was
not such as to produce different sects. A stronger contrast existed only between ordinary Jewish Christianity and syncretistic Gnostic Christianity, while the former divides into a milder and a stricter party. In the New Testament three groups Three are apparent. The heretics of the Groups Epistle to the Colossians prefigure Mentioned Gnostic Jewish Christians; the Chrisor Implied, tians called Ebionites by Epiphanius appear in the New Testament as those who observed the Mosaic law, but did not make it binding upon Gentile Christians. Besides these there were the Pharisaic Jewish Christians, who insisted upon the observance of the Mosaic law and of circumcision by all, and rejected Paul as a false apostle. Both the latter parties were known to Justin (Trypho, xlvii.). Between the time of Justin and Irenseus the complete separation of Jewish Christianity must have been consummated. Irenseus described the Ebionites as Jewish Christians who insisted upon the observance of the whole Jewish law, rejected Paul as a heretic and used only the Gospel of Matthew. Their teaching agreed with that of Cerinthus and Carpocrates, denying the virgin-birth, and regarding Jesus as a mere man.
While the importance of observance of the Jewish law was diminishing, the Christological question became crucial. To regard Christ as mere man was considered specifically Ebionitic. Origen (Contra Celsum, v. 61) distinguished between Christol- two branches of Ebionites, those who ogy the denied and those who accepted the Distin- miraculous birth, but says of both guishing that they rejected the epistles of Paul Doctrine. (Contra Celsum, i. 65). Those two groups of Ebionites dwelling in the neighborhood of the Dead Sea had little influence upon the nascent Catholic Church. The case was different with the third group, the syncretistic Gnostic Jewish Christians, whom alone Epiphanius calls Ebionites, though he knew other parties related to them. Those Ebionites represented a syncretistic Judaism which combined theosophic speculation with ascetic tendencies. Heathenish elements derived from Asiatic religions were combined with Jewish monotheism; the Old Testament became an object of criticism and parts were eliminated, angelic powers played a great part. That type of Judaism, in absorbing Christian elements, became a syncretistic Jewish Christianity. Jesus was only a man upon whom descended the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at his baptism, whereby he became a prophet. Circumcision and daily ablutions were regarded important; sacrifices were rejected; and the Old Testament was acknowledged only in part. Christianity was a purified Mosaism ; Paul was opposed and rejected. See Elkesaites.
(G. UHLHORNf.) Bibliography: The sources are indicated in the text in the writings of Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Epiphanius, Hegesippus, and Origen. Collections of sources more or less complete and of later literature are made in A. Schliemann, Die Clementinen, pp. 362-522, Hamburg, 1844; A. Ritschl, Die Entstehung der alt-katholischen Kirche, pp. 152 sqq., Bonn, 1857; A. Hilgenfeld, Novum Testamentum extra canonem, Leipsic, 1866. Consult: J. B. Lightfoot, Galatians, Dissertation iii., London, 1890; G. Uhlhorn, Die Homilien und Recognitionen des
Ebner Ebrard