Melchizedek

I'd like to know that too!

 

Genesis 14:18-20
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Hebrews 7:1-3
7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

There are some that believe that Melchizedec was simply a historical figure that lived during the time of Abraham, as a city-king, the king of Salem, one of the many kings in that area.

But the New Testament teaches much more. Melchizedec was not simply a historical figure of the Old Testament. This was a Christophany. He himself was Christ. See how Abraham offered tithes to him and worships before him. He knew that he was more than just a man.

His description in the New Testament leaves no doubt in the readers mind. He is the King of righteousness, the King of Salem, meaning the King of Peace.
He is without mother and without father, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. This description right here alone describes his immortality, his eternality. He is an eternal being.
He is made like unto the Son of God—an expression in the Old Testament often used to indicate the second person of the triune Godhead. This is what Nebuchadnezzar said when He saw Christ with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace.
He abides a priest continually. Christ is our great high priest—continually.
Melchizedec was a historical figure, a Christophany. How long he lived in history we don’t know.
DHK

 

That was interesting.

Anyone care to explain the other school of thought's perspective?

 

He was not Christ in the OT. RAther he was literally the king of Salem. Real king, real people. Abraham really fought with pagan armies to return those people to their city.

However - the Bible "character" is a "type" of Christ as Hebrews 7 notes because "the character" has no mention of beginning or end or mother or father.

In Christ,

Bob

 

There is also a strong Rabbinic tradition that holds him to be Shem; several of the Church Fathers recognized this as well. I might post more on this later.