Maitreya, a Buddhistic divinity, according to the Buddhists was a disciple of the Buddha Sakyamuni, and a Bodhisattwa, or a man of pre-eminent virtue and sane- tit}'. He is classed among the gods called Tushitas, or "the happy," and has generally the epithet Ajita, or U7iconquered. The Buddhists believe that he ivill be- come incarnate, and succeed Gotama (q. v.) as their fu- ture Buddha. In Tibetan he is called Jamjia. A faith- ful representation of this Buddha, surrounded by the (Tibetan) goddesses Dolma, the Mantas or Buddhas of medicine, two ancient priests, and various saints, will be found in the atlas of Emil Schlagintweit's Buddhism in Tibet (London and Leipzig, 1863), where an interesting sketch is given (p. 207 sq.) of the characteristic tj-pes of Buddha images, and of the measurements of Buddha statues made by his brothers in India and Tibet. See also Hardy, Manual of Buddhism (Index, s. v. Maitri).
Majolists. See Somaskek.
Majolus. See Ciagxy.
Major, Georg, a German theologian, was born at Nuremberg, April 25, 1502. He studied theology under Luther and Jlelancthon, and was successively rector at Magdeburg (1529), superintendent at Eisleben (1536), and professor of theology and court-preacher at Witten- berg (1539). In 1544 he was made doctor of divinitj', and two years later he was one of the representatives (with Bucer and Brenz) of the Protestants at the collo- quy at Regenshurg. On the breaking out of the Smal- cald war. Major left Wittenberg, and received (1547) the appointment of superintendent and court-preacher at Merseburg; but on the close of the war, next year, he returned to AVittenberg. After rejecting the offer of prominent positions, made by the king of Denmark and the duke of Holstein, he became, in 1552, superintend- ent of the Mausfeld churches. In the mean time he
MAJOR
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had been active m supporting the Leipzic Interim, which assertcci tliat good works are necessarj^ to salvation, and had thus excited the suspicion of the strict Lutherans, who denied that proposition. Towards the close of 1551 Amsdorf assailed Major on these grounds, and the clergy of the district soon joined him in opposing the new superintendent, as having corrupted the doctrine of justification by faith. Major replied to the charge of Amsdorf in 1552, denying its truth, and asserting his acceptance of the doctrine of the Church ; but, as he still insisted on the necessity of good works, the controversy continued to rage, and, as the count of Mansfeld held with the orthodox party, Major tinallj' removed to Wittenberg. He then sought to give an unobjectiona- ble form to his views by teaching that while faith alone is essential to salvation, good works are necessary as a consequent on saving faith. But, despite every effort at reconciUation, his opponents persisted, and even went to the length of asserting that good works are detrimen- tal to salvation. The doctrines advocated by Major were finally branded as heretical in the Coiyus doctiinm Pruteniaim, and were rejected by the compilers of the Formula Concordia, Towards the close of his life he became involved in the Ci-ypto-calvinistic conti-oversy (q. v.), and, together with the Wittenberg and Leipzic theologians, was compelled to subscribe to the Torgau articles (q. v.). He died at Wittenberg, Nov. 28, 1574, before the Majoristic controversy was concluded. A portion of his works, comprising homilies and commen- taries on the Gospels and on the Pauline epistles was published at Wittenberg in 1569, in three folio volumes. .See Schrockh, Kirchen(jeschichte seit der Reformation, iv, 547 sq. ; Planck, Gesch. des Prot. Lehrhegriffs, iv, 4G8 sq. ; Aschbach, Kirchen-Lexikon, vol. iv, s. v. ; Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen-Lexikon, vol. vi, s. v. ; Krauth, Conser- vatire lief. p. 147 et passim ; Kurtz, Manual Ch. Hist. ii, 135 ; Smith's Gieseler, Eccles. History, vol. iv, § 37 ; Thoniasius, Confess, der Evang. Luth, Kirche (Nuremb. 1848), p. lUO sq. (G.M.)
Major, Johann, a humanistic poet at Wittenberg during the latter half of the IGth centurj^, deserves a place here as the greatest satirist among the PkUippists, as tlie followers of Melancthon were called. He was born in 1533 at Joachimsthal, where Johann Mathesius (q. V.) became his tutor and friend. At the age of six- teen he went to Wittenberg, and formed a most inti- mate connection with Melancthon. To the influence of this association may doubtless be attributed his fu- ture course. After attaining to the degree of M.A. he removed to Wiirzburg, with a view to succor the uni- versity at that place. Towards the close of 1557 the degree of D.D. was conferred on him, and in the follow- ing year he was honored with the title of crown poet. Returning to Wittenberg, he was, in 1560, admitted to the philosophical faculty of that university, and, besides lecturing on poetry and the interpretation of Latin po- ets, he wrote occasional poems. In 1574 the Phllippist party was overthrown in Electoral Saxony, and its heads imprisoned. It is certain that Major suffered in this reverse, and he is said to have been three times impris- oned— at one time (from 1579 to 1581) was under sentence of death, although his opponents charge this, not to his connection with the Philippists, but to his conviction for criminal offences.
Tlic ]irominence with which Andrcii at this time ad- vocated the Formula Coiicordic opened a new and wide field to the vexation and sarcastic power of Major. He had not subscribed to the Formula, and made it and its originators the subject of his spleen. When he ven- tured to do tliis in an official address, he was, at the be- ginning of 1587, ex|)elled from the university ; but when the elector Christian I ascended the throne, the Philippist party was restopod to favor, and IMajor was soon recalled. He did not refrain from venting his sa- tirical humor on his opponents, but when, in 1591, the elector died, and a new policy was initiated, our poet, with many others, was again imprisoned. So bitter was