EICHHORN, JOHANN GOTTFRIED German theologian, was born at Dorrenzimmern on Oct. 16, 1752. Eichhorn has been called "the founder of modern Old Testament criticism." He first properly recognized its scope and problems. It was Eichhorn's conclusion that "most of the writings of the Hebrews have passed through several hands," and took for granted that all the so-called supernatural facts relating to the Old and New Testaments were explicable on natural principles. He estimated them from the standpoint of the ancient world, and by the superstitious beliefs which were then generally in vogue, and did not perceive in them any religious ideas of much importance for modern times. He regarded many books of the Old Testament as spurious, questioned the genuineness of 2 Peter and Jude, denied the Pauline authorship of Timothy and Titus, and suggested that the canonical gospels were based upon various translations and editions of a primary Aramaic gospel.
His principal works were—Geschichte des Ostindischen Handels vor Mohammed (Gotha, 1775) ; Allgemeine Bibliothek der biblischen Literatur (lo vols., Leipzig, 1787-1801) ; Einleitung in das Alte Testa ment (3 vols., Leipzig, 1780-83) ; Einleitung in das Neue Testament (1804-12) ; Einleitung in die apokryphischen Biicher des Alten Testa ments (Gott., 1795) ; Commentarius in apocalypsin Joannis (2 vols., Gott., 1791) ; Die Hebr. Propheten (3 vols., Gott., 1816-19) ; Allge meine Geschichte der Guitar and Literatur des neuern Europa (2 vols., Gott., 1796-99) ; Literargeschichte (2 vols., Gott., 1799-1814) ; Ge schichte der Literatur von ihrem Anfange bis auf die neuesten Zeiten (5 vols., Gott., 1805-12) ; (Jbersicht der Franzosischen Revolution (2 vols., Gott., 1797) ; Weltgeschichte (3rd ed., 5 vols., Gott., 1819-2o) ; Geschichte der drei letzten Jahrhunderte (3rd ed., 6 vols., Hanover, 1817-18) ; Urgeschichte des erlauchten Hauses der Welfen (Hanover, 1817).
See R. W. Mackay, The Tubingen School and its Antecedents (1863) ; O. Pfleiderer, Development of Theology (1890), T. K. Cheyne, Founders of Old Testament Criticism