EICHHORN, JOHANN GOTTFRIED, an eminent professor of oriental and biblical literature in the University of Gi3ttingen, and one of the most learned and distinguished scholars of Germany, was born in October 1752 at Dorrenzimmern, in the principality of Hohenlohe Oeringen, and at first was rector of the school at Ohrdruf, in the principality of Gotha. Having applied with great success to the study of the oriental languages, he obtained in 1775 a professor's chair in the University of Jena, where he continued thirteen years, giving instruction in Hebrew, Arabic, &c., and was made in 1783 a court councillor by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. In 1788 ho was appointed to the professor ship previously held by Michaelis in the University of Gottingen, of which institution be continued a very distinguished ornament during the remainder of hie life, as professor of oriental and biblical literature.
His reputation was equally high as a proficient iu oriental, classical, and scriptural antiquities ; in philosophical criticism ; in the history of nations, and of ancient and modern literature and science ; and in universal bibliology. He was made iu 1811 a doctor of divinity ; in 1813 the directorship of the Royal Scientific Society of Gottingen was conferred on him, and be received the appointment of pro-rector of the University of Gottingen ; in 1819 he was appointed privy councillor of justice for the kingdom of llanover (GeheimerJustizmth). He died on the 25th of June 1827, at the age of seventy-five. In completing the present notice it is only necessary to enumerate the, principal works of Eichhorn, and to give a brief and general account of his doctrines as a divine and a critic.
While at Jena, Eichhorn first displayed his knowledge of oriental literature in a history of East Indian commerce prior to the time of Mohammed (' Geachichte des Ostindiechen bandels vor Mohammed '), Gotha, 1775. This was followed by a survey of tho most ancient monu ments of the Arabs (' Monuments antiquissimas Historian Arabum, post Schultensium collects atque edits, cum animadveraionibus '), Gotha, 1775; and a treatise on the ancient numismatical history of Arabia, Gotha, 1775. He next published a large collection of learned and valuable treatises, entitled a repertory of biblical and oriental literature Repertorium fur biblisehe und morgenlindische Litteratur '), 18 vole., Leipzig, 1777.86. After removing to Gottingen he devoted his
attention almost exclusively to the archaeology of biblical literature, and the results of his studies appeared in a general repository of biblical literature (' Allgemeine Bibliothek der bibliechen Litteratur'), 10 vols., 1788-1801 ; and in a disquisition on primitive history (' Urgeschichte", 2 vole., Altdorf and Niirnberg, 1790-93, with an introduction and notes by the learned Gabler. This work contains a searching and bold criticism of the Mosaic Pentateuch. The two next are among the most important of the author's prodoctions, namely, the introduction to the Old Testament (' Einleitung in das Alte Test.'), of which he published a fourth and improved edition in 5 vols. at Gotha, in 1824 • and the introduction to the New Testament (' Einleitung in dos Neuc Teat.'), new edition, in 2 vole., 1827. These were accompanied with an introduction to the apocryphal writings of the Old Testament (' Einleitung in die apokryphischen Schriften des Alien Test.'), Leipzig, 1795, Gottingen, 1798 ; and a revised and uniform edition of the three, with the title of critical writings Kritische Schriften '), was published at Leipzig in 7 vole., 1804-14.
The other works of Eichborn on biblical criticism and philology are a commentary on Revelations (' Comrnentarius in Apocalypsin Jeannie '), 2 vole., Gottingen, 1791 ; a revised and enlarged edition of Professor Simon's Hebrew and Chaldaic Lexicon, Halle, 1793 ; a critical translation and exposition of the writings of the Hebrew prophets (' Die Ilebraischen Propheten '), 3 vole., Gottingen, 1816-20; commen taries on the prophetic poetry of the Hebrews (' Commentationes de Prophetica Poesi Hcbrzcorum '), 4to, Gottingen, 1823; preface to the 'Nova Bibliotheca Hebraica ' by Koecherus; and numerous critical treatises in a learned periodical work entitled ' Mines of the East' (' Fundgruben des Orients '), and in the Commentaries of the Gittingen Royal Society of Sciences (' Commentaril Societat. Reg. Scientarium Gottingensis ').