Melania, St., called thk Younger, a Roman lady of a noble family, who was born about A.D. 388, became a convert to ChrisCianity and founded a convent in Palestine, and subsequently a monastery near Mount Calvary. She was the daughter of a Koman consul, and one of the many noble ladies of the Eternal City who joined the cause of the Christians. She died in 439, and her death is commemorated by the Church of Rome Dec. 31. See Mace, Bist.de Sainte-Melanie (Paris, 1729, 12mo).
Melati'ah (Heb. MeJatyah', tl^ipbp, deliverance of Jehovah; Sept. MaXriaq, but most copies omit), a Gib- eonite who repaired part of the walls of Jerusalem on the northern side, after the return from Babylon (Neb. iii, 7). B.C. 44(3.
Mel'chi (MsXxi, for Heb. "^S^p, my kinr/), the name of two of Christ's maternal ancestors. See Genealogy OF Jesus Christ.
1. The son of Addi and father (maternal grandfather) of Neri or Neriah (Luke iii, 28) ; probably identical with the Maaseiah of 2 Chron. xxxiv, 8).
2. The son of Janna and father of Levi, fourth in as- cent from the Virgin jMary (Luke iii, 24). B.C. much ante 22.
Melchi'ah (Heb. MalUyah, n^3^-a, Jehovah's liny ; Sept. INIfX^int'), a priest, the father of Pashur (Jer. xxi, 1); elsewhere called Malciiiah (Jer. xxxviii, 1 ; Neh. xi, 12) and Malciiijah (1 Chron. ix, 12).
Melchi'as (Mf Xx'«c), the Greek form (in the Apoc- rypha) of the Heb. Malchiah ; namel.y, [a) 1 Esdr. ix, 2{}; [h) 1 Esdr. ix, 32; (c) 1 Esdr. ix, 44.
Mel'diiel (MfXxa/jX)), a person whose son Char- mis was one of the three governors of Bethulia (Judith vi, 15). The Vidgate has a different reading, making Charmis the same as Gothoniel; and the Peshito gives the name Manshajel.
Melchior, the name attributed in Romish legends to one of the wise men who visited the infant Saviour. See Magi.
Melchior, Albrecht Wilhelm, a German theo- logian, was born at Herborn March 12, lG8o. His fa- ther, who died in 1G90, was superintendent and professor of theology. Albrecht commenced his academic course at Duisburg, but continued his studies at the university at Franecker. He paid special attention to Oriental languages and literature. He finished his studies at Utrecht, and returned to Duisburg. He was in 1709 installed as minister at Mlihlheim, and made professor of theology at Hanau in 1718. Upon taking this position he delivered an essay, De religione et verce reliyionis cri- teriis. In 1723 he was called to a professorship of the- ology and Church history at Franecker, where he died, Aug. 11, 1738. Melchior made quite a name for himself in theological literature. He published several dog- matic and exegetical dissertations to prove the authen- ticity of the miracles of Christ. A list of all his pro- ductions, of minor value at present, is giv^en by Doring, Gelehrte TheoL Deutschl. s. v.
Melchis'edec (Heb. v-vii). See Melchizedek.
Melchi-shu'a (I Sam. xiv, 49; xxxi, 2). See Malciiisiiua.
Melchites or IMelekitks (from "^'?3, a Mug), i. e. Royalist's, is the name given to those Syriac, Egyptian,
and other Christians of the Levant, wh6 acknowledge the authority of the pope and the doctrines of the Church of Rome. Excepting some few points of little or no importance, which relate only to ceremonies and ecclesiastical discipline, the ]\Ielchites are in every re- spect professed Greeks ; but they are governed by a par- ticular patriarch, who assumes the title of Patriarch of Antioch. Their origin is referred to the labors of the Jesuits in the 17th century, and the name of Melchites was given to them because they agreed with the Greeks who submitted to the Council of Chalcedon, and was designed by their enemies to brand them with the re- proach of having done so merely in conformity to the religion of the emperor. They celebrate mass in the Arabic language, use unleavened bread in the Eucha- rist, and their priests (not their bishops) are allowed to marry. They have also some monastic establishments, whose inmates follow the rule of St. Basil, the common rule of all the Greek monks. See Farrar, Eccles. Diet. ; Eadie, Eccles. Cyclop. ; Neale, Hist. East. Church, ch. ii, 7 ; Neander, Church Hist, iii, 176.
Melchiz'edek {B.eb.Malki'-Tse'del', p'n^-^sbs, king of righteousness, i. e. righteous king, comp. Heb. vii, 2 ; Sept. and N. T. MiXxKriCtK, and so Anglicized in the N. T. " Melchisedec ;" Josephus, MfX^'fTf ciekjjc, ^ nt. i, 10, 2), the "priest of the most high God," and king of Sa- lem, who went forth to meet Abraham on his return from the pursuit of Chedorlaomer and his allies, who had carried Lot away captive. The interview is de- scribed as having occurred in the " valley of Shaveh (or the level valley), which is the king's valley." He brought refreshment, described in the general terras of "bread and wine," for the fatigued warriors, and be- stowed his blessing upon their leader, who, in return, gave to the royal priest a tenth of all the spoil which had been acquired in his expedition (Gen. xiv, 18, 20). B.C. cir. 2080. See Abrahaji. In one of the Jlessianic Psalms (ex, 4) it is foretold that the Messiah should be "a priest after the order of Melchizedek;" which the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (vi, 20) cites as showing that Melchizedek was a type of Christ, and the Jews themselves, certainly, on the authority of this pas- sage of the Psalms, regarded Melchizedek as a type of the regal-priesthood, higher than that of Aaron, to which the jMessiah should belong. The bread and wine which were set forth on the table of show-bread, was also sup- posed to be represented by the bread and wine which the king of Salem brought forth to Abraham (Schott- gen. Ho?: Heb. ii, 615). In the following discussions re- specting his person, office, and locality, we chiefly follow the articles in Kitto's and Smith's Dictionaries.