Hebrews Part One Deep Dive

MELCHIZEDEK WHO? | NATHAN ROSS

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we are introduced to a new character, Melchizedek. This individual has been aptly described by some as one of the most enigmatic individuals of scripture, and soon hopefully you will understand why.

We see the name first mentioned in Hebrews 5:6, where the author says, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’. These same words, ‘in the order of Melchizedek’, are repeated again in Chapters 5:10 and 6:20. So what does this even mean? For us to even properly understand these passages, we need to understand who Melchizedek is and why he is important, right? This is the journey we’ll be taking on this Deep Dive, a journey that will take some revision of Old Testament scripture and an uncovering of Hebrews 7.

Now, I know I said before that Melchizedek is first mentioned in the New Testament by the author of Hebrews, but this is actually not his first appearance in all of scripture. We need to jump all the way back to Genesis, particularly Chapter 14. In brief, Abram (before he had made a covenant with God and became Abraham), with the fighting men of his household, had attacked, routed and defeated some enemy kings. Then, in verses 18-20, we find Melchizedek in what feels like a very brief and random appearance, stating that Melchizedek is the ‘king of Salem’ (v.18), he was a ‘priest of God most high’ (v.18), he blessed Abram (v.19), and Abram gave him a tenth of everything he had just war in his victory (v.20).

The next Old Testament reference is found in Psalm 110. Verse 4 says, ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”’. This is the exact wording the author of Hebrews uses in Chapter 5, and we generally assume him to be referencing this psalm. This psalm’s authorship is typically given to King David, but its intention has been an area of debate between scholars. A common opinion is that it is entirely prophetic, as the author of Hebrews seems to be referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The intention of the reference is to link the person of Jesus with the expectation of the Messiah, and also prepares the way for further discussion in Chapter 7.

Hebrews 7 gives us the clearest understanding of the person of Melchizedek. The chapter starts off by restating the facts from Genesis 14 – that is, he is the king of Salem and priest of God Most High. Verse 2 goes on to explore the meaning of his names; Melchizedek means ‘king of righteousness’, and king of Salem means ‘king of peace’. This makes him literally ‘king of righteousness, the king of peace’. It is his state of being, not just what he is called. Sound familiar? Let’s keep on going for now.

Verse 3 is jam-packed and provides us with four major pieces of information. The first one is that he is ‘without father or mother or genealogy’. From an examination of Greek literature from a similar time period, it could be thought Melchizedek has an untraceable lineage or is just simply of such little importance it needs not be considered. However, a deeper study of the terminology used suggests that the author is specifically setting Melchizedek apart from ordinary individuals and that the author was ‘concerned with the eternal, and therefore no doubt heavenly, origin of Melchizedek’.*

The second statement is that Melchizedek is ‘having neither beginning of days nor end of life’. Some could connect this with the idea that the Old Testament simply has no record of his birth or death, but a study in the Greek might suggest otherwise. The word ‘having’ (e[cwn) is in the present tense, which stresses continuous action. So it is suggesting that Melchizedek, in the present, has no beginning or end, therefore making him eternal. This idea is furthered by the fourth statement, that Melchizedek ‘continues a priest forever’.

But let’s jump back to the third statement – ‘resembling the Son of God’. This term ‘resembled’ is quite strong and has been translated as ‘made like’ elsewhere, and this means to produce a copy or facsimile – not just similar but an exact copy!**

Having gone through this exploration, I’m sure you will have noticed, as I did, the connections between Melchizedek and a very well known person of the Bible – Jesus! In fact, the similarities are outstanding. Without mother or father? An eternal being? Son of God? And don't even get me started on those titles. King of Peace? Go have a look at Isaiah 9:6. Or King of Righteousness? Look into Revelations 19:11 and 16. The similarities are so many that some people could suggest they’re identical twins. So we have to come to one of two conclusions. The first is that Melchizedek is a type of Christ, meaning that Melchizedek was a prophetic symbol of Christ, a foreshadowing of His ministry. The next conclusion is that Melchizedek was actually a Christophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. The Son of God in fact appeared in the Old Testament as the person Melchizedek – not a copy of the Son of God, but literally the same person. The fact that Christ continues in the order of Melchizedek correlates to when the Son of God became incarnate and His character did not change, along with His priesthood, thus continuing the previous order from Melchizedek. If Hebrews 7 is to be taken at face value, this is what is being suggested.

What we need to remain aware of is that the identity of Melchizedek has very little biblical reference and is a topic that continues to be debated by biblical scholars today. Regardless of whether Melchizedek is a type or a Christophany, the author’s intention remains unchanged. That is, Christ is greater than Aaron and the Levite Priesthood. Jesus is a guarantor of a better covenant, He has a permanent priesthood and is able to do what the Law could not – save completely!

The mystery of the ways and the methods of our God will continue to keep us all wondering and perplexed, but for this one fact, the saving power of Jesus Christ, we will be forever thankful for.

Nathan Ross has a Bachelor of Theology and works at C3 College. As one of our key New Testament writers, Nathan teaches the book of Ephesians and Romans at C3 College and is a self-confessed history nerd.

Hebrews Part One Deep Dive

MELCHIZEDEK WHO? | NATHAN ROSS

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