Melchizedek: Difference between revisions

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'''Melchizedek''' (meaning: king of righteousness) was the King of Salem (meaning: Peace) and priest of the most high God.  The book of Genesis records that after Abraham rescued his nephew Lot from the King of Elam, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abraham, blessed him, and received [[Tithing|tithes]] (a 10th of all the spoil of war) from Abraham.
'''Melchizedek''' (mel-kizʹuh-dek; Heb., ‘king of righteousness’), the king of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of God Most High who blesses Abraham as the latter returns from battle (Gen. 14:17-20). In Ps. 110:4, the incident is recalled, as God addresses the Hebrew king as ‘priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.


To scholars believe that Melchizedek was an angel, others believe he was the son of Shem (who was the son of Noah), some believe he was a representation of God, and others dismiss any physical appearance as an abstraction. There is no general consensus within the Christian or Hebrew faiths as to the identity of Melchizedek.
In later literature, Melchizedek is regarded as an ideal priest-king and, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, as a heavenly judge.  


However, Melchizedek cannot be ignored, as the most significant authors of the Holy Scriptures (including Moses, David, and Paul) emphasize his importance and inseparable link to the Messiah.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, Melchizedek is a supernatural figure whose miraculous origin and indestructible life foreshadow the eternity of the Son of God (Heb. 5:6, 10; 6:20-7:22).<ref>Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 625.</ref>


=Bible Study=
=Bible Study=