Melchizedek in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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Who is Melchizedek?
MELCHIZ'EDEK or MELCHIS'EDEC
the Greek form under which the name occurs in the N.T. (kinq of righteousness), is mentioned in Gen 14:18-20 as king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, meeting Abram in the valley of Shaveh, bringing out bread and wine to him, blessing him, and receiving tithes from him; in Ps 110:4, where Messiah is described as a priest "after the order of Melchizedek ;" and finally, in Heb 5:6-7, where the typical relations between Melchizedek and Christ are elaborately defined, both being priests without belonging to the Levitical tribe, superior to Abram, of unknown beginning and end, and kings of righteousness and peace. The short but impressive apparition of Melchizedek in Genesis, and the striking though mystical applications made of this apparition in the Psalms and the Epistle to the Hebrews, have given rise to various interpretations. One Jewish tradition considers him to be a survivor of the Deluge, the patriarch Shem, and thus entitled by his very age to bless the father of the faithful, and by his position as ruler of Canaan to confer his rights to Abram. Another tradition, equally old, but not so widely accepted, considers him to be an angel, the Son of God in human form, the Messiah. Modern scholars, arguing back from the expositions given in the Epistle to the Hebrews, consider him to be a descendant of Ham, living among and ruling his own kin; but, as Balaam was a prophet, so Melchizedek was a priest, among the heathens, constituted by God himself, and given a title above that of the ordinary patriarchal priesthood, even above that of Abram.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'melchizedek' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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