Maha-deva (i. e. "the great god") is one of the names liy which the Hindu god Siva is called. In Piuddliistic history, Mahadeva, who lived 200 years after the death of the Buddha Sakyamuni, or 343, is a re- nowned teacher who caused a schism in the Buddhistic Church. His adversaries accuse him of every jiossible crime ; but, as he is ranked amongst the Arhats, his em- inence cannot be matter of doubt. The school founded by him is called Purvas, aila. See W. Wassiljew, Ikr Buddhismus, etc. (St. Petersburg, 1860). — Chambers, Cy- clop, s. V.
Mahadi or Mehdi (Arab, director, sovereign, or poiitijj') is the surname, by way of excellence, of the twelfth and last imam (q. v.) of the race of Ali. This
Mahadi, who bore the same name with the false prophet, being called Abulcassem Mohammed, was bom in the year of the Hegira 255, and, according to Persian tradi- tion, when nine years old, was shut up in a cave or cis- tern by his mother, and is there kept till he shall appear at the end of the world, and .Jesus Christ shall destroy Antichrist, and make of the two laws, the Mussulman and Christian, but one. Some among them believe that this imam was twice hidden; the first time from his birth to the age of 74 years, during which interval he secretly conversed with his disciples without being seen by others, because most of the imams who preceded him had been poisoned by the caliphs, who knew their pre- tensions, and feared a revolt in their favor. The second retreat of this imam is from the time his death was made known to the time which Providence has appoint- ed for his manifestation. The disciples of this Mahadi give him the title of Mofebattlien, the secret or conceided. There is in Chaldaia, in a little province called by the Axab\a.n& Ahvae, a castle n&vacA Hesn Mahadi, v;hex& all the waters of that country join and form a marsh, w'hich runs into the sea. It is here, according to the Shiites, that Mahadi will make his appearance. See DTIerbelot, Bihl. Orient, s. v.; '[ivouQ\iton,Bibl.Hist. Sac. vol. ii, s. v.; Malcolm, I/ist. of Persia, ii, 345, note.
Maha-Kala is another name of the Hindu divinity Siva (q. v.).
Maha-Kali. See Kali.
Maha-kasyapa is the name of one of the most renowned disciples of the Buddha Sdl-yammd (q. v.). He arranged metaphysically the portion of the sacred writings of the Buddhists called Abhidharma ; and tra- dition ascribes to him also the origin of the Sthavira division of the Vaibhdshika school of Buddhistic philos- ophy. INIany legends are connected with his life. See E. Burnouf, Introduction a Vllistoire du Buddhisme In- dien (Paris, 1844), and his posthumous work, Le Lotus de la Bonne Loi (Paris, 1852). — Chambers, Cyclop, s. v.
Ma'halah (1 Chron. vii, 18). See Maiilah.
Mahal'aleel (Heb. MahalakV, hvhht^ri.jiraise of God; Sept. and N. T. MaXtXiifK), the name of two men.
1. The son of the antediluvian patriarch Cainan, of the line of Seth, born when his father was seventy years old ; he became the father of Jared at seventy-five years of age, and lived to the age of eight hundred and nine- ty-five years (Gen. v, 12-17 ; 1 Chron. i, 2 ; Luke iii, 37, in which last passage the name is Anglicized " Male- leel"'). B.C. 3777-2822. " Ewald recognises in Mahal- aleel the sun-god, or Apollo of the antediluvian mythol- ogy, and in his son Jared the god of water, the Indian Varuna (Gesch. i, 357), but his assertions are perfectly arbitrary" (Smith).
2. A Judaite of the family of Phazez, father of She- phatiah, and ancestor of one Athaiah, who resided at Jerusalem after the exile (Neh. xi, 4). B.C. much ante 536.
Ma'halath (YLob.Machalath', P^H^, a lute, oth- erwise the title of a song), the name of two women. See below.
1. (Sept. MatX'ib, Vulg. Maheleth.') The daughter of Ishmael, and third wife of Esau (Gen. xxviii, !)) ; else- where called Bashemath (Gen. xxxvi, 3) ; but the Sa- mar. Pent, has Mahalath in both passages. See Esau.
2. (Septuag. MoXct^ v. r. MooX«3,yulg. Mahidath.) The daughter of Jerimoth, granddaughter of Davitl.and wife of Kehoboam (2 Chron. xi, 18). B.C. ".'73. '■ She was thus her husband's cousin, being the daughter of king David's son, who was probably the child of a con- cubine, and not one of his regidar family. Josephus, without naming Mahalath, speaks of her as 'a kinswom- an' (jjvyyfvi'i Tiva, Ant. viii, 10, 1\ No children are at- tributed to the marriage, nor is she again named. The ancient Hebrew text {Ket/iib) in this passage has 'son' instead of "daughter.' The latter, however, is the cor- rection of the Kcri. and is adopted bj' the Sept., Vulg., and Targum, as well as by the A. V." (Smith).
MAHALATH MASCHIL
655
MAHA-YANSA
Ma'halath Mas'chil occurs in the title erf Psa. liii, and MA'HALATH LEAN'NOTH ]\IAS'CHIL in the title of Psa. Ixxxviii. For these latter names, see each in its alphabetical order. The term IMaiialath (Hcb. Machalath', nbnp, Sept. MosXtj, Vulg. Maeleth, Maheleth) is thomght by Geseniiis {Thesaur. Ileb. p. 47G) to be for nbrro, from ri?ri, to he sweet, spoken of mu-
T -: -' T t' ' *
sical sounds ; hence signifying a stringed instrument, e. g. a lute or ijuitar, accompanied by the voice. Fiirst, however, denies {lleb. Lex. s. v.) that it denotes an in- strument at all, and maintains that it was the title of an old air to which the psalms in question were to be sung. Ludolph (p. 272) compares the equivalent ^'Ethiopic, sig- nifying a song or hymn. The use of Leannoth in the same connection would perhaps favor the reference to some kind of instrument ; but the versions render no as- sistance as to the meaning of either word, and most in- terpreters resort either to vague conjecture or mystical allusions. The uee of the particle by, " upon," before " Mahalath," in each case, seems to indicate some kind of instrument. See Psalms.