  The stability of matter composed of electrons and static nuclei is
investigated for a relativistic dynamics for the electrons given by a suitably
projected Dirac operator and with Coulomb interactions. In addition there is an
arbitrary classical magnetic field of finite energy. Despite the previously
known facts that ordinary nonrelativistic matter with magnetic fields, or
relativistic matter without magnetic fields is already unstable when the fine
structure constant, is too large it is noteworthy that the combination of the
two is still stable provided the projection onto the positive energy states of
the Dirac operator, which defines the electron, is chosen properly. A good
choice is to include the magnetic field in the definition. A bad choice, which
always leads to instability, is the usual one in which the positive energy
states are defined by the free Dirac operator. Both assertions are proved here.
