Paul Davidson has turned the spotlight on the hoary head of Melchizedek, the guy to who Abraham gave tithes of all (or perhaps it was the other way around!), king of Salem, and had no beginning or end of days. The post is over at the Is That In The Bible blog.As usual Paul, as he does in all his articles, covers the topic in some depth, but in a very approachable way, with neither apologetics nor obscurantism. I seem to remember being introduced to "the mystery of Melchizedek" through a predictably shallow reprint article from the Plain Truth way back when. Be reassured that this is nothing at all like that!
Thanks for bringing this excellent post to my attention.
ReplyDeleteThe depth is fascinating and thought provoking. Armstrong extrapolations were frequently uninformed, were bent to lend authority to Armstrongist doctrines, and as we are learning more and more, led to embarrassingly simplistic conclusions. I laugh every time an ACOG minister authoritatively proclaims that such and such practice came from Nimrod and Semiramis, Simon Magus, or another one or two verse Biblical character.
ReplyDeleteBB
This was a very interesting article. Theologically, Melchizedek would be logically identified with the God class. Hebrews mentions that he is without beginning of days which is to say that he has always existed. Traditionally, only God falls into this class. Everyone else was created and had a beginning.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting implication is that the Garden of Eden event did not lead to a precipitate separation from God as usually understood. Adam and Eve are expelled and God withdrew is the thinking. But here we have Melchizedek living in a town called Salem and is accessible to Abraham. This would mean that God was available in person in that region for some time. Maybe this is why Abraham did not display any amazement when he encountered and talked to beings that were not of the human class.
-- Neo
Melchizedek was Shem, the grandfather of Abraham...and outlived him too, according to the genealogies. Shem became a priest-king in Canaan (see Gen. 9:26-27).
ReplyDeleteI believe that was a rabbinical tradition, that Melchizedek and Shem were the same person. It's certainly not required by the biblical text, but since the genealogies show that Shem was still alive in Abraham's day, I guess they had to explain what he was up to.
Delete