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MELCHIZEDEK

(Heb. malkî-ṣeḏeq;
Gk. Melchisédek)

A figure of disputed historicity, described as king of Salem and a priest of El Elyon who blesses Abram (Gen. 14:18-20) and mentioned in conjunction with priesthood and with respect to the Israelite king (Ps. 110:4). Several scholars have attempted to demonstrate the literary influence of one passage on the other. It is frequently suggested that Gen. 14 is a later midrash elucidating Ps. 110, , but the brevity of the references and the difficulty in dating Genesis and the Psalms preclude consensus.

Genesis 14

In the present form of the narrative, Gen. 14 describes an alliance of four eastern kings subjugating five cities of the Jordan Valley and the subsequent liberation of the cities by Abram. Following Abram’s victory, Melchizedek approaches him with bread and wine and pronounces a blessing upon him and upon the deity El Elyon. A number of inconsistencies in the narrative have led many scholars to conclude that this is a composite text. As such, it is generally agreed that the appearance of Melchizedek in Gen. 14:18-20 reflects a later editorial addition.

The passage has been assigned to various periods in Israelite history. Some scholars assign it to the Davidic monarchy, its purpose being to establish the legitimacy of Jerusalem (the name Salem was associated with Jerusalem from antiquity) and to support a program of religious syncretism (which fused Yahweh with the Canaanite deity El). Others suggest that Gen. 14:18-20 originated in the period of the Divided Monarchy as a polemic against the claims of Bethel, Jerusalem’s rival sanctuary to the north. Still others believe the verses were inserted during the postexilic period to strengthen the authority of the postexilic priesthood at Jerusalem and to legitimate their receipt of tithes.

Psalm 110

Ps. 110 is generally classified as a royal psalm that lauds the position and attributes of the king. Textual problems, particularly in Ps. 110:3, 6-7, make it exceedingly difficult to reach positive conclusions. In Ps. 110:4 the king is called “a priest according to the order of Melchizedek,” but the precise comparison is unclear. It is far from certain that Heb. ʿal-diḇrāṯî (commonly rendered “in the order of”) refers to an official religious order per se, for elsewhere the phrase simply means “on account of.” To be sure, the oracle considers the king to be “like” Melchizedek, but again, the absence of data on Melchizedek as a historical figure precludes certainty about the precise meaning of the phrase.

Uncertainty about the relationship between the two passages and Melchizedek’s historicity should not obsure the fact that the name is invoked in similar literary contexts. In both Gen. 14 and Ps. 110, , the primary actor (Abram and the king) is understood to be a victorious leader in warfare. Consequently, one of the primary motifs associated with Melchizedek at the time of the creation of these texts was that of deliverance. This is certainly consistent with images of Melchizedek in the NT (cf. Heb. 5:6, 10; 6:10–7:19) and other writings from the same era (e.g., 11QMelch).

Bibliography. M. C. Astour, “Political and Cosmic Symbolism in Genesis 14 and in Its Babylonian Sources,” in Biblical Motifs, ed. A. Altmann (Cambridge, Mass., 1966), 65-112; J. A. Emerton, “The Riddle of Genesis XIV,” VT 21 (1971): 403-39; “Some False Clues in the Study of Genesis XIV,” VT 21 (1971): 24-47; F. L. Horton, The Melchizedek Tradition. SNTSMS 30 (Cambridge, 1976); J. Van Seters, Abraham in History and Tradition (New Haven, 1975).

Dexter E. Callender, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

MELCHIZEDEK

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)