Michaelis, Sebastien, a French Dominican, was born in 1543, at Saiut-Zacliarie, Provence. He intro- duced reforms into many houses of his order, for which, with the consent of the court of Rome, he raised a par- ticular congregation. jNIichaelis was the first vicar-gen- eral of this body, and, after having refused in 1579 the bishopric of Frejus, became ])rior of the new convent of the Friar Preachers at I'aris in 1613. He may be re- garded as the restorer of the Order of St. Dominic in France, a work Avith which in our days Lacordaire's name has figured prominently. Besides some religious works, he wrote L'//istoire veritable de ce qui s'est passe sous rexorcisme de trots files pessedees au pays de Flan- dre, avec un Traite des Sorciers et dcs ^faf/iciens (Paris, 1623, 2 vols. 8vo) ; and edited Lo Fevre, Calendrier histoi-ique et chronolof/ique de VEylise de Paris, See Hoefcr, Xouv. Diog. Generale, s. v.
Michaelius, Jonas, a Reformed (Dutch) minister,
the frst minister of the Hcformed Church in America,
was born in 1577; was educated at Leyden University;
settled in Holland in 1612-16, in St. Salvador in 1624-
! 2.5, in Guinea in 1626-27, and then migrated to this
j country, and arrived at ^Manhattan (now New York) in
1628. He organized a consistory, administered the sac-
I rameuts, and performed all the functions of a miuister
MICHAELMAS
227
MICHAL
of the Gospel. In 1633 he was succeeded by the Tlev. Everardus Bogardus, who was accompanied by Adam Koelandsen, the tirst schoolmaster. After a few years of service he returned to Holland, and " the Classis of Amsterdam wished to send him back to New York in 1G37, but he did not return. At his first communion here he had fifty communicants. He paints a sad pict- ure of the low condition of the natives, and proposes to let the parents go and try to educate the children. His letter breathes a spirit of deep piety, and of submission to the divine will in all his bereavements." His wife died in 1628, only seven weeks after their arrival in this country, leaving him with three small children. This letter, and other particulars respecting this pioneer of the Dutch churches in this country, are found in Culo- nial Hist, of New York, ii, 759-770. See also Corwin's Manual Ref. Church, p. 164. (W. J. R. T.)
Michaelmas, a daj- which, according to the Church of Rome, was set apart to express her thankfulness to God for the many benefits she had received by the min- istry of holy angels ; and called Michaelmas because St. jNIichael is alluded to in Scripture as an angel of great power and dignity, and as presiding and v/atching over the Church of God with particular vigilance and appli- cation, and as triumphant over the devil. It origi- nated in some provincial festivities which were intro- duced between tlie 3d and 9th centuries, and which were then combined into one common celebration on the 29th of September, the day on which St. Michael's Church on Mount Garganus was dedicated, as mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle in 1011, and in Ethelred's laws in 1014. There is a tradition that this feast was instituted by Alexander, bishop of Alexandria. It was generally ob- served in the 8th century ; in the 12th century by the Council of Mayence, and indeed by the whole Greek Church, in accordance with an injunction of the emperor Manuel Comnenus. The apparition of St. Michael, " the prince seraphim, leader of the angelic hosts, prefect of Paradise, and conductor of souls to the place of repose," to whom cemetery chapels and churches on hills were in consequence dedicated, was observed on the 8th of Jlay. In the 10th century there was a curious super- stition that on every Monday morning St. Michael held high mass in the churches.
The Greek and other Eastern churches, the Church of England, as well as several other evangelical churches, continue to observe the Feast of St. Michael, according to Wheatly, in order " that the people may know what benefits Christians receive by the ministry of angels" (On the Common Prayer, p. 190).
The Romish Church, besides observing St. Michael- mas, also celebrates three appearances of St. Michael, which have happened (we are told) in these later years. The first is the appearance of this archangel at Colossus, in Phrygia; but at what time the Romanists do not know themselves. They observe Sept. 6 as the daj'. The second is that of Mount Garganus, in the kingdom of Naples, about the end of the oth century. JMay 8 is set apart as the day to commemorate the event. The third is his reputed appearance to Aubert, bishop of Avranches, upon a rock called the Tomb, where now stands the abbey of St. Michael. This was about 706. October 16 is observed in memory of this event. See Broughton, Biblioth. Hist. Sacra, ii, 93 ; Procter, On the Booh of Common Prayer, p. 301 ; Wheatlj-, On the Com- mon Prayer, p. 253; Butler, Lires of Fathers, Martyrs, and Saints, ii, 94; iii, 177; ^licha.z\\.s, Denkiciii-digkeiten a. d. christl. Archdol. iii, 28 sq.
Mi'chah (Heb. as in Micaiah), a son of Uzziel and priest of the Kohathite branch; elsewhere (1 Chron. xxii,20) more correctly Anglicized Micah (q.v.).
Micha'i'ah (for the Heb., etc., see Micaiah), the name of several men and one woman.