ECIJA, (Rom. Asvict; AGUSTA FIRMA), Spain, a city in the province of Se ville, on the Genii, 42 miles northeast of Se ville. It is of very ancient origin and according to tradition was visited by the apostle Paul. At a very early period it became an episcopal see, and its importance under the Romans is at tested by many ancient remains. The climate is so hot that Ecija is often called the "Oven of Andalusia?' It has hospitals, asylums, bar racks, theatres. Its principal manufactures are shoes, woolens, leather, silk, flour. Pop. about 25,000.
ECK, Ernst Wilhelm Eberhard, German jurist: b. Berlin, 1838; d. 1901. He received his education at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg; was professor at Berlin (1871), Giessen (1872), Halle (1872-77), Breslau (1878-81) and thereafter at Berlin. Of his numerous works the principal are 'Die soge nannten doppelseitigen Klagen des r6mischen rind gemeinen deutschen Rechts> (1870); 'Die Verpflichtung des Verklufers zur Gewahrung des Eigentums nach romischem und gemeinem deutschen (1874); 'Die Stellung des Erben,' etc., in Bekker and Fischer, 'Beal-age zur Beurteilung des Entwurfs eines burger lichen Gesetzbuchs> (1890).
ECK, Heinrich, German geologist: b. Gleiwitz, Silesia, 1837. He received his educa tion at the University of Breslau; took part in the geological survey in Thuringia and Silesia in 1862, from 1866 to 1871 he was lecturer at the mining school in Berlin and in the latter year was appointed professor of mineralogy and geology at the Stuttgart Polytechnic Insti tute. He made numerous investigations deal ing mostly with Triassic deposits, the results of which appeared in the publications of the Ger man Geological Society. His principal works are Weber die Formationen des bunten Sand steins und des Muschelkalks in Oberschlesien und ihre Versteinerungen> (1865); 'Ruders dOrf und Umgegend,* in zur geologischen Spezialkarte von Preussen) (Vol. I, 1872); Was Erdbeben in der Gegend zwi schen Strassburg, Forbach . . . am 11 June 1::7' (1892) ; 'Verzeichnis der mineral ogischen, geognostischen, vorgeschichtlichen und balneographischen Litteratur von Baden, Wurttemberg, Hohenzollern' . . . (1880: with additions in 1901).
ECK, Johann Maier a Catholic logian, life-long adversary of Luther: b. Eck, Suabia, 13 Nov. 1486; d. Ingolstadt, 1543. His father, a peasant named Maier, assumed the name Maier von Eck or Maier of Eck, after be coming bailiff of his village. Johann, at the age of 11 years, entered the University of Heidelberg whence he passed to the University of Tubingen and there at the age of 14 years took the degree of master of arts. Success
ively at Tubingen, Cologne and Freiburg uni versities he studied divinity, jurisprudence and mathematics and at the same time was in structor in philosophy. He was appointed pro fessor of theology in the University of Ingol stadt (1510). 'While on his travels in Italy (1515) he took part in a public disputation in the University of Bologna and won high dis tinction; in 1516 on a similar occasion at Vienna he had a like success. In 1518 he published a pamphlet, Wbelisci,) in defense of the Catholic doctrines attacked in Luther's celebrated 'Theses' of 31 Oct. 1517. Eck was now chan cellor of the University of Ingolstadt and Lu ther put forward Carlstadt as a defender of the 'Theses' ; Carlstadt not only replied to Eck in print, but challenged him to a public disputa tion. Eck accepted the challenge and the dis putation was held at Leipzig, with Eck as the champion of Catholicism against both Carl stadt and Luther. The disputation was com menced 27 June 1519 and lasted till 15 July. More than a year previously Luther in a letter to one of his friends credited Eck with eminent scholarship and great natural gifts, hut after the disputation he was for Luther *a pitiful theologian° and ea miserable sophist.* The numerous audience and the townsmen with unanimity awarded the crown of victory to Eck, and Luther, in a private letter to his in timate friend Spalatinus, confessed defeat Eck, stimulated by his success, devoted him self thereafter wholly to working for the over throw of his adversaries. He procured from the universities of Cologne and Louvain a con demnation of Luther's writings and was hon ored at Rome with the commission to publish in Germany Pope Leo's bull Exsurge Do mine against Luther. But he was received with manifestations of popular enmity almost every where; even at Leipzig the bull was solemnly committed to the flames by the students and the populace. On several notable occasions afterward— at the diet of Augsburg (1530), the conferences at Worms (1540) and those at Ratisbon (1541), he was again a principal champion of Catholicism. Some of his works are a German translation of the Old Testament, and a revision of Luther's translation of the New Testament. His pamphlets and books against the doctrines of Luther are included in 'Operum Johannis Eccii contra Lutherum.) Consult Wiedemann, (Dr. Johannes Eck) (Re gensburg 1865).