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vats tutor and subsequently established himself in the philosophical faculty at Erlangen, lecturing in 1842 on the relation of philosophy to theology. In the same year he went over to the theological faculty and lectured on the Old and the New Testament and on the Reformation in Switzerland. At the same time he wrote a comprehensive work on the criticism of the history of the Gospels (Frankfort, 1842; Eng. travel. from the 2d ed., The Gospel History, Edinburgh, 1863) which made his name famous and put him in the front rank of opponents of D. F. Strauss. In 1844 he accepted a call to the University of z. Professor Zurich where he defended positive at Zurich and Biblical Christianity against the
and radicalism of Strauss, and founded a Erlangen. weekly paper for that purpose, Die Zukunft der Kirche, which, however, was discontinued in 1847. His lectures were suc cessful, but his relations with his radical colleagues and the educational authorities became so strained that he returned to Erlangen in 1847 after an inde pendent chair for Reformed theology had been established. His native soil seemed to develop his many-sided powers into full maturity. He de voted himself to his lectures, attracting large cir cles of students, and treating chiefly 3. Council- of dogmatics, but also of the Old and or of the the New Testament and practical the Consistory. ology. He founded the Reformierte KirchenzPitung and took an active part in all movements of the ecclesiastical and political life, in home missions and charitable work. From this stimulating work he was suddenly called away by an appointment as councilor of the con aistory and chief preacher in Speyer (1853).Ebrard considered it now his task to restore for the Church of the Palatinate the old Presbyterian government, which had been overthrown in 1848 " by a democratic subversion and by an ecclesiastical ochlocracy," and to give this Church a catechism and hymn-book in accordance with its faith. The question of the catechism was brought up at the general synod of 1853, and Ebrard succeeded in replacing the old catechism of 1818 q. The New by a compilation of the Heidelberg Catechism catechism and the smaller catechism and Hymn- of Luther and in establishing the
book. Augustana variaaa of 1540 as the con fession of the Church in the Palat inate. The constitution of the Church was also discussed at the synod. The aristocratic consti tution of 1818 was restored, but it was conceded to the liberals that the number of the secular mem bers of the diocesan synods should be made nearly equal to the number of pastors. The introduction of a new hymn-book, however, was much more difficult to effect. The opposition in the Church proceeded chiefly from the old rationalists. The people, who were filled with the liberal ideas of 1848, connected the introduction of the new or thodox hymn-book with hierarchiam, but the gen eral synod of 1857 took the part of the consistory and decided that the book should be accepted. The presbyteries, however, were not forced to ac cept it until another synod, to be held in 1861,should fix a definite time at which the introduction should be obligatory. Moat of the congregations accepted the new hymn-book and peace might have ensued if the conaiatory had not committed the serious mistake of ordering the introduction of the book into all schools.
In this the liberal opposition found opportunity to incite the people against the supposed violence to conscience. Meetings were held and petitions were sent to the government, the ministry and the king, but the king did not think as yet of a
retreat, considering the resolutions of g. Victory the general synods and consistoriea as of Ebrard's binding. The final victory of the Opponent. opposition was achieved by the legal
expositions of Umbacheiden, a democratic jurist, in his treatise Kirchengesetz and Kirchengevxelt in der bayerischen Pfalz (Munich, 1860). He showed that the mode of election instituted at the general synod of 1857 was illegal, that the government of the State had no power to sanction a changed constitution, and that therefore the democratic order of 1848 was still in force. Thereupon the ministry retreated and King Max issued a rescript in 1861 ordering the conaistory to reestablish at the coming general synod the democratic order of election with an equal representation of the ecclesiastical and secular elements and the presbyteries and to permit the introduction of the new hymn-book only where the majority of the congregation gave consent.
Ebrard remained true to his convictions, and thus had to resign his position in 1861. He was
forty-three years old and had spent 6. His Re- the beat part of his life in a vain
turn to cause. He returned to Erlangen and Erlangen. resumed his lectures, in 1862 in thepresbyterial hall of the French Reformed congregation and after 1863 at the university, in his activity manifesting the spirit of his former years and retaining his vivacity, sociability, and many-aidedness until the end of his life. In theology he devoted himself to historical studies and somewhat later gathered material for an extensive work on Apologetics (2 parts, Guteraloh, 1874-75; Eng. travel., 3 vols., Edinburgh, 18861887). In 1875 he undertook the French Reformed pastorate. From 1876 :p 1886 he was also president of the moderamen of the Reformed synod, continuing all the while his lectures and literary work. Ebrard's scientific labor was de-
voted first to the defense of the funq. Estimate damental facts of history and next
of his to the eternal truths of Christianity. Work. The mastery of almost all sciences revealed in his Apologelik is aston ishing. His convictions centered in the Reformed Church, but he was not so narrow-minded as to deny the importance of Evangelical Christianity in general. His theology and devotional life may be characterized as a happy mean between ortho doxy sad Pietism. His study of history saved him from a superficial radicalism and made him emphasize the peculiarities of the Reformed Church, especially in its organization and wor ship. In spite of his marked industry and the