Melchisedec

WE have received several requests to give our opinion as to the identity of Melchisedec. Once we referred the questioner to our work on the "Age to Come," for an answer. As the queries still come we now copy our remarks in that work. Years have passed since it was written, but we cannot give a better answer.—

Paul to the Hebrews says the earthly priests "serve unto the shadow and example of heavenly things." But there are certain things which were not typified by the priests of the order of Aaron, and there were also certain things in their ministration to which there is nothing corresponding in the anti type. Therefore it is evident that Aaron and the priests of his order were not complete types of the minister of the new covenant in the heavenly sanctuary. They offered a multitude of offerings "year by year;" he offered but one. Heb. 7:27; 9:25, 26; 10:1, 11, 12. Some have followed the types so strictly as to lose sight of this, and imbibe opinions subversive of the most important truths on this great subject. The points of difference are distinctly pointed out in the letter to the Hebrews.

They could not continue by reason of death; but he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Heb. 7: 23, 25.

With them the priesthood descended from father to son; but his is unchangeable. Num. 3:10; Heb. 7:24.

And the reckoning of their genealogy was essential to their being admitted to a discharge of the duties of the office; but no priests traced their genealogy to the tribe from which he sprang. Heb. 7:13, 14.

They did not unite royalty with their priesthood; but he is both king and priest.

Now as Aaron could not typify the priesthood of Christ in these respects, Melchisedec is presented in the Scriptures to make up this deficiency. Said Paul, "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; 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; 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." Heb. 7:1-3. The record in Genesis gives us to understand that he was a real personage; as much so as Abraham, who gave tithes to him. And he can only be said to have been without parents, etc., because there is no genealogy of him given in the records, in contrast with Aaron and his sons, whose genealogy had to be carefully preserved. That this method of expression was common among the Hebrews, we have the best authority to show. Says Dr. Clarke. "He who could not support his pretensions by just genealogical evidence, was said by the Jews to be without father. . . .This sort of phraseology was not uncommon when the genealogy of a person was unknown or obscure."

The translation of the text from the Syriac is as follows: "Of whom neither his father nor his mother are written in the genealogies; nor the commencement of his days, nor the end of his life; but, after the likeness of the Son of God, his priesthood remaineth forever."

Wakefield renders it, "Of whose father, mother, pedigree, birth, and death, there is no account."

The Rheimish N. T. has the following note: "Without father, etc. Not that he had no father, etc., but that neither his father nor his pedigree, nor his birth, nor his death, are set down in the Scriptures."

Comprehensive Com. "The commentators generally agree that what is meant is, that his name is not preserved, or the names of his parents, in the sacred genealogies."

The record in Genesis gives us no information in regard to Melchisedec further than that he was king of Salem and priest of God. Many conjectures have been put forth relative to him; some have argued that he was Shem. But all such conjectures must be vain, as it was evidently the design of the Scriptures that it should not be known who he was. If it were possible to ascertain this, he would no longer stand as a type of Christ in his priesthood, according to Heb. 7:1-3, etc. All the declarations of that scripture in regard to Melchisedec are fulfilled in the priesthood of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, and nowhere else. He has neither father nor son; that is, he has neither predecessor nor successor, in that office. He has neither beginning of days nor end of life; that is, his office did not come to him because he was born of a certain line—it was not of descent; nor does death cause a cessation of his ministry, as was the case with all of Aaron's order.