Melchisedec

MELCHISEDEC, King of Salem, and Priest of the most High. The Scripture tells us nothing, either of his Father, or of Heb. vii. 1, 2, 3.his Mother, or of his Genealogy, or of his Birth, or of his Death. And in this Sense he was a Figure of Jesus Christ, as St. Paul affirms, who is a Priest for ever, according to the Order of Melchisedec, and not according to the Order of Aaron, whose Original, Life, and Death are known. When Abraham returned from pursuing the four confederate Kings, who had defeated the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, and had taken away Lot, Abraham’s Genes. xiv. 17, 18, 19, &c.Nephew, along with them; Melchisedec comes to meet Abraham as far as the Valley of Shaveh, which was afterwards named the King’s Valley, and presents him with the Refreshments of Bread and Wine, or he offered º Bread and Wine in Sacrifice to the Lord, for he was a Priest of the most High God. And he blessed Abraham, saying, “ Blessed “ be Abraham of the most High God, possessor of Heaven and Earth; and blessed “ be the most High God, who hath delivered thine Enemies into thy Hand.” Abraham being desirous to acknowledge in him the Quality of Priest of the Lord, offered him the Tythes of all he had taken from the Enemy. After this Time there is no more Mention made of Psalm cx. 4.the Person of Melchisedec; only the Psalmist speaking of the Messiah, says, “ Thou art a Priest “ for ever after the Order of Melchisedec.

St. Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews Heb. v. 6, 10.unfolds the Mystery, which is concealed in what is said of Melchisedec in the Old Testament. First he exalts the Priesthood of Christ, who is a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec, and who in this Quality, in the Days of his Flesh offered up Prayers and Supplications, with strong Crying Heb. vi. 20. Hebr. vii. 1, 2, 3, &c.and Tears, unto him that was able to save him from Death, and was heard in that he feared, Heb. v. 7. He also says, that our Saviour as a Forerunner is entered for us within the Veil, or into Heaven, being made an High-priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec. “ For, as he adds, this “ Melchisedec King of Salem, and Priest of “ the most High God, who came to meet “ Abraham when he returned from his “ Victory over the Kings, and who blessed “ him, and to whom Abraham gave the “ Tythe of all he had taken, who is called “ according to the Interpretation of his “ Name, first King of Justice, and secondly King of Salem, or King of Peace; “ who is without Father, without Mother, “ without Genealogy, who has neither Beginning nor End of his Life; this Melchisedec, I say, became thus the Image “ of the Son of God, who remains a Priest “ for ever. Consider therefore how great “ he is, since Abraham himself gives him “ the Tythe of the best that he had. But “ without doubt he that receives the Blessing is inferior to him that gives it. And “ indeed under the Law, those that receive Tythe are mortal Men, whereas “ he that receives it here is represented as “ living always. And moreover Levi, who “ receives Tythes from others, has paid it “ himself, as one may say, in the Person of “ Abraham, since he was still in the Person “ of Abraham his Ancestor, when Melchisedec met this Patriarch.

An infinite Number of Difficulties and Scruples have been started upon the Subject of Melchisedec. St. Jerome¹ thought that Salem, of which Melchisedec was King, was not Jerusalem, but the City of Salem near Scythopolis, where they still pretended to shew the Ruines of the Palace of this Prince. The Greatness and Extent of these Ruines are a sufficient Proof of the Magnificence of this ancient Building. He thinks it was at this City of Salem or Shalem that Jacob arrived after his Passage over Jordan, at his Return from Mesopotamia, Genesis xxxiii. 18; where the Vulgate mentions, that Jacob came safe and found to Sichem; the Hebrew reads, he came to Salem near Sechem, or Shechem. Some believe that Salem, where Melchisedec reigned, is the same as Salim, spoke of in the Gospel of St. John, Chap. iii. 23. Vid Reland. Palæst.

From the Time of Epiphanius² there were Names invented for the Father and Mother of Melchisedec. To his Father was given the Name of Heraclas, or Heracles, and to his Mother that of Astaroth, or Astaria.

The Arabic Catena upon the ninth Chapter of Genesis makes him to be descended from Shem by his Father, and from Japheth by his Mother. Heraclas or Heraclim, the Father of Melchisedec was, as they say, Son or Grandson of Phaleg, and Son of Heber; and his Mother named Salathiel, was Daughter of Gomer Son of Japheth. Joseph Son of Gorion, an Hebrew Historian³, who wrote about the eleventh Century, pretends that Melchisedec was otherwise called Joram; that the Star that ruled at his Nativity had the Name of Sedec, or the Planet Jupiter; that the City in which he reigned was first named Jebus, then Sedec, and lastly Salem or Jerusalem.

Michael Glycas⁴, Georgius Cedrenus⁵, and Simon Logothetes⁶, derive Melchisedec from an Egyptian Race. They say his Father was called Sidon or Sida, and was the Founder of the City of Sidon, the Capital of Phœnicia. As for Melchisedec, he founded Salem upon Mount Sion, ruled there thirty Years, and died without Children. Suidas⁷ says he reigned there an hundred and thirty Years, and died unmarried; that he was of the cursed Race of Canaan, whence it comes to pass, that the Scripture does not mention his Genealogy. Another Greek Author⁸, who has borrowed the Name of Athanasius, says that Melchisedec was the Son of an idolatrous King, called Melchi, and of a Queen named Salem. Melchi having resolved to offer a Sacrifice to his Gods, sent his Son Melchisedec to fetch him seven Calves, that he might sacrifice them. As the young Prince was going, he was enlightened of God, and immediately returned to his Father, to remonstrate to him the Vanity of his Idols. Melchi in Wrath sent him back to fetch the Victims. While he was absent, the King offered up to his Gods his own Son, being the elder Brother of Melchisedec, with a great Number of other Children. Melchisedec returning, and conceiving a great Horror at this Butchery, retired to Mount Tabor, where he lived for seven Years, without Cloths, and without any other Food but wild Fruits, and having no other Drink but the Dew, that he sucked up from the Plants.

At the End of seven Years God appeared to Abraham, and bid him go upon Mount Tabor, where he should find Melchisedec. He bid him cloath him, and ask him his Blessing; to which Abraham complied. He found Melchisedec, and having asked his Blessing, Melchisedec anointed him with Oil, blessed him, and changed his Name from Abram into that of Abraham. They came down together from the Mountain, and Abraham returned to his own Habitation. Sometime afterwards, as he returned from pursuing Chedorlaomer, and his Allies, Melchisedec met him, and presented a Cup of Wine to him, having first privately put a Piece of Bread into it, to signify that holy Oblation that is made upon our Altars. But we bring this Relation only as a Romance, and very injudiciously put together; which therefore we need not be at the Trouble to confute.

The Author of the Questions upon the Old and New Testament, printed among the Works of St. Austin⁹, had written, that Melchisedec was not a Man, but the Holy Ghost, who appeared to Abraham in a human Form. Evangelus (or Evangelius) sent this Writing to St. Jerome¹⁰, desiring him to tell him his Thoughts of it. St. Jerome having examined the ancient Doctors of the Church, found that Origen and Didymus took Melchisedec for an Angel; but that Hippolitus, Irenæus, Eusebius of Cæsarea, Eusebius of Emesus, Apollinarius, and Eustathius of Antioch, all agreed to declare, though in different Terms, and by different Ways of Reasoning, that this Prince was a Canaanite by Birth, and King of Salem, otherwise called Jebus, or Jerusalem. This holy Doctor shews, that Melchisedec was an express Figure of Jesus Christ, as King of Salem, or King of Peace, being Priest and King both together, a Priest for ever according to the Order of Melchisedec. And when it is said by St. Paul, that he was without Father, without Mother, and without Descent; this is not intended to acquaint us that he descended from Heaven, or that he was formed immediately by the Hands of God, but merely that he is introduced into the History of Abraham, without informing us who he was, or from whence he came, or at what Time he was born, or when he died.

At the Beginning of the third Century, a Heresy was formed by Theodorus the Banker, a Disciple of Theodorus the Currier, called the Heresy of the Melchisedecians¹¹. These Hereticks affirmed, that Melchisedec was not a Man, but a heavenly Power even superior to Jesus Christ, since Melchisedec was the Intercessor and Mediator of the Angels, and Jesus Christ was so only for Men. That Jesus Christ was but the Copy of Melchisedec, and his Priesthood was formed only on the Model of that of Melchisedec, according to that of the Psalmist; Thou art a Priest for ever according to the Order of Melchisedec. They answered literally what St. Paul says, that Melchisedec had neither Father, Mother, or Descent. These Hereticks to vindicate their Errors, made Use of certain Books composed by themselves, and which they imputed to Persons not mentioned in the Scripture. This Heresy was revived in Egypt by one Hierax, who maintained, that Melchisedec was the Holy Ghost. Cedrenus and Zonaras¹² speak of another Sort of Melchisedecians, otherwise called Autingani, as not daring to touch others, for Fear of being defiled. They lived chiefly in Phrygia, and neither received Circumcision, nor observed the Sabbath. They gave nothing to any one with their Hands, nor received any Thing from any one, but they set it upon the Ground when they offered any Thing, and took it from thence when they received it. They had a profound Veneration for Melchisedec, but it is not known upon what this Veneration was founded. The Jews, according to the Report of St. Jerome¹³, and the Samaritans according to Epiphanius, maintained that Melchisedec was the same with the Patriarch Shem, the Son of Noah, which Opinion has been followed by a great Number of modern Writers¹⁴. M. Jurieu¹⁵ has undertook to prove, that Melchisedec was the same as Cham, or Ham. A French Author mentioned by F. Salien¹⁶ will have Melchisedec to be Enoch. Another confuted by F. Petau¹⁷, said that the Magi who came to Bethlehem to adore Jesus Christ, were Enoch, Melchisedec, and Elias. Some Jewish Authors h have inferred, that Melchisedec was a Bastard, because the Scripture says nothing of his Parents or Descent. Damian the Heretick¹⁸, of the Number of the Melchisedecians, affirmed that Melchisedec who appeared to Abraham, was the Son of God, and that the Patriarch worshipped him, and acknowledged him for the Messiah. Peter Cunæus¹⁹ has revived this Opinion, and supported it with much Earnestness. Peter du Moulin has also asserted it, and besides in the Year 1686²⁰, one called James Gaillard undertook the Defence of it. The Reader may see our Dissertation, which we have expressly composed on the Subject of Melchisedec, which is printed in the second Tome of the Epistles of St. Paul before the Epistle to the Hebrews: And the Dissertation of Christopher Schlegel, printed at the End of the Commentary of Lewis Tena, upon the Epistle to the Hebrews.

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