MOSHEIM, JOHANN LORENZ VON, the famous ecclesiastical historian, was born at Lubeck, 9th October 1694. He began to teach philosophy in the university of Kiel when yet a young man, and with great success. In 1725 he removed to Helm stiidt, where he occupied the chair of theology for twenty-two years. In 1747, on the invitation of George II. of England, he became chancellor and professor of divinity in the university of Gottingen, occupying that high position for eight years, or till his death, 9th September 1755. The best known of his very numerous works are his De rebus Chris tianorum ante Constantin:4n: Magnum, translated into English by Vidal ; and his more popular In stitutionum Historic Ecclesiastics antiguthris et rt censioris, libri iv., translated into German by Von Einem and by Schlegel ; and into English, first and very imperfectly by Maclaine, and more recently, and in a far better version, by Murdock of New haven, U.S. The Institutes are a clear, skilful,
impartial, though somewhat mechanical compend, after the centurial style and arrangements of Flacius. Mosheim's interpretations of Scripture are found in his Observations Sacra, Amsterdam 1721 ; his Cogitationes in N. T. bet, select., Hannov. 1726 ; his Erkliirung des I. Br. an d. Corinther, 1741, new ed. by Windheim, 1762 ; his Erkl. d. beyden Br. an d. Tinzoth., 1755 ; and in his volumes of sermons—' Heilige Reden.' His exegesis is usually broad and learned, and betokens good sense and sound erudition. Mosheim was a libe• ral Lutheran, distant alike from pietism and ratio nalism. It may be added, in a word, that while in his Institutes his neutrality and apparent cold ness have sometimes been construed into indif ference, his other writings manifest glowing piety and ardent emotion.—J. E.
MOTH. [AsH.]