Johann Gottfried Eichhorn
Dörrenzimmern (Baden-Württemberg) 1752 - Göttingen 1827
German theologian, philologist and Orientalist. After studying in Göttingen, in 1775 he was made professor of Oriental languages at the Faculty of Theology of Jena and conducted fundamental research on the Pentateuch. Back in Göttingen in 1788 he lectured on political history as well. The contributions he made to the field of biblical exegesis were extremely important. He regarded many books of the Old Testament as spurious, of historical importance alone, with no religious value for modern times.
Main works: Geschichte des Ostindischen Handels vor Mohammed (Gotha 1775); Einleitung in das Alte Testament (Leipzig 1780-1783); Einleitung in die apokryphischen Bücher des Alten Testaments (Göttingen 1795); Übersicht der Französischer Revolution (2 vol., Göttingen 1797); Einleitung in das Neue Testament (Leipzig 1804-1812).
Bibliography: E. Sehmsdorf, Die Prophetenauslegung bei J.G. Eichhorn, Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1971; G. D’Alessandro, L’illuminismo dimenticato: Johann Gottfried Eichhorn (1752 - 1827) e il suo tempo, Napoli, Liguori 2000.