Hebrews 7:1-3 “Melchizedek Pointed to Christ. Do YOU?”

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 24 Feb. 2019

Introduction

1) v.1 βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ “King of Salem”

2) ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου “priest of the Highest God”

3) “the one who met up with Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him” [ὁ συναντήσας ᾿Αβραὰμ ... καὶ εὐλογήσας αὐτόν-]

4) v.2 ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων ἐμέρισε ᾿Αβραάμto whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth from all things”

5)first being translated ‘King of Righteousness,’” [πρῶτον μὲν ἑρμηνευόμενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης]

6) “and then also ‘King of Salem,’ which is ‘King of Peace.’” [ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ὅ ἐστι βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης]

7) v.3 ἀπάτωρ/fatherless
8)
ἀμήτωρ/motherless

9) ἀγενεαλόγητος/genealogy-less

10) having neither beginning of days nor end of life [μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων]

11) having been made like/resembling/likened after the Son of God [ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ]

12) remains/abides/continues a priest in perpetuity [μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές]

Conclusion

    1. Be like the apostle who wrote the book of Hebrews: when you see or read about someone with Christlike qualities, let your mind be quickly reminded of Jesus. Look for things that remind you of Him!

    2. Be like Melchizedek in that you point people to Jesus because you have become so much like Him that you make people think of Him.

    1. APPENDIX: Side-by-side Greek Text & English Versions of Heb. 7:1-11A

Greek NT

NAW

KJV

1 Οὗτος γὰρ ὁB Μελχισεδέκ, βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὁ συν­αντήσας ᾿Αβραὰμ ὑποστρέφοντι ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆςC τῶν βασιλέων καὶ εὐλογήσας αὐτόν,

1 Now, this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of The Highest God, who met up with Abraham while he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and [who] blessed him,

1 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;

2 ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντωνD ἐμέρισε ᾿Αβραάμ, πρῶτον μὲν ἑρμηνευόμενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ὅ ἐστι βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης,

2 to whom also Abraham appor­tioned a tenth from all [the] things, first being translated “King of Righteous­ness,” and then also King of Salem, which is “King of Peace.”

2 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;

3 ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητοςE, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκέςF.

3 fatherless, motherless, genealogy-less, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but having been likened after the son of God, he remains a priest in perpetuity.

3 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.



APPENDIX 2: Historic Positions on Melchizedek’s Identity

Based on Phillip E. Hughes’ Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, compiled by Valley Scharping



Who is Melchizedek?

Normal Historical Figure

Priest of Uncircumcision

Priest of the Eucharist

Shem

Perfect Man

Angel

Archangel

Holy Spirit

Son of God

Type of Christ

Elaboration

Concrete person and may-be sym-bolic, but not able to be endless-ly specu-lated about

Kept the circumcised from boasting in circum-cision (he was uncircum-cised); prefig-ured the im-permanence of Levitical order

Instituted the Catholic sacrifice of the mass

Eldest son of Noah, Ancestor of Abraham

Sinless and Perfect, like a few other Biblical figures according to Pelag­ianism

Blesser of Abraham who could only be blessed by someone more than human

Chief of the Heavenly hosts and Eschatological deliverer

Manifestation of Holy Spirit in guise of a man; Greater than Christ

Manifestation of the Logos, Pre-incarnate theophany

Holy man, Priest-King of God, Type and Prefiguration of Christ

Problems

Lacks belief in Christian canon; he is holy and able to bless Abraham; worthy of a tithe.

Lacks per­spective of Hebrews 7; Abraham was also uncircum­cised in Gen. 14.

Melchizedek did not sacrifice the bread, did not offer it to God; there is no mention of transubstantiation nor mention of any symboli-zation in Gen. 14; author of Hebrews didn't even mention it.

Shem's genealogy is well-known, but Hebrews claims he has none; Why would God obscure his identity as "Melchizedek" when Shem is the more well known?

Based on the Pelagian heresy that there is no original sin and the human will is capable of living a sinless life.

Abraham was not de facto unable to be blessed by another human; John 3:13

Based only on non-Christian traditions; John 3:13

No evidence the Spirit assumes flesh or appears in theophany; John 3:13 "No one has ascended into Heaven but he who descended from Heaven."

He is described as "being made like the Son of God." This seems incompatible with being the eternal Son of God.

"Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life" seems greater than any human.

Adherents

Josephus (100)
Philo (100)

Justin Martyr (165)
Tertullian (220)
Epiphanius (403)

Clement of Alexandria (215)
Cyprian (258)
Epiphanius (403)
Chrysostom (407)
Jerome (420)
Augustine (430)
Theodoret (458)
The Council of Trent,
Modern Catholics

1st Century Jews reacting to Christians,
Some Early Christians,
Samaritans,
Jerome,
Luther

The Pelagians (450)

Origen (254),
Didymus (254),
Jews less zealous than the Essenes

Essene Jews (Dead Sea Scrolls),
Medieval Jews (Extant Exegetical Texts)

Hierax (400),
Melchizedekians,
Evangelus (420),
Theodotus,
Theodotians

Latter Mel­chizedekians, Am­brose (397), Petrus Cunaeus (1638),
J.B. McCaul,
Minor theologians John Brown knew

Irenaeus
Hippolytus
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Emesa
Apollinaris
Eustathius
Cyril of Alexandria (444)
Epiphanius
Ambrose




FOOTNOTES & ENDNOTES

1Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, 11Q13, eds.García Martinez and Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar, 1209

2The sibilant phoneme in the middle of Melchizedek was originally the Hebrew letter tsade, which makes the sound “ts,” but neither Greek nor Latin nor English have a letter like that in their alphabets. So, the Greeks rendered the sound with the sigma letter from their alphabet (and the Latins did similarly), therefore, English translations from the Greek Septuagint (Brenton) and Latin Vulgate Old Testament (Wycliffe, Douay-Rheims) read with an “s” in the middle of Melchisedek. But when English reformers in the 16th Century started translating the Old Testament from Hebrew instead of from the Latin Vulgate, they chose the English letter “z” to stand for the Hebrew letter tsade, which meant a “z” in the middle of Melchizedek, and that is what we see in the modern English versions of the book of Genesis all the way back to the King James and Geneva Bibles. But, when they got to the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, which spelled the name with an “s” in the middle because it was Greek, translators had to decide whether to stick with the actual Greek spelling, or to depart from the Greek New Testament to conform the spelling to the way they had rendered it back in Genesis. The Geneva Bible and the King James, spelled Melchisedek with an “s” in the middle of it in the book of Hebrews, even though they spelled it with a “z” in the book of Genesis, but translators since then have agreed to normalize the spelling with a “z” so that the old and New Testament spellings would be the same. The final letter in Melchisedek has a similar history, whether spelled with a “k,” a “c,” or a “ch,” since there are multiple letters in the alphabets of Hebrew, Greek, and English that can make that “k” sound. Anyway, this kind of thing is par for the course with translating proper names across languages.

3Actually, it does occur in the LXX of Genesis, where the Hebrew “Shechem” appears to have been mistakenly spelled “Salem” in Greek. (Gen. 14:18, 33:18)

4Gen. 15:21, Ex. 3:8&17, 13:5, 23:23, 33:2, 34:11, Num. 13:29, Deut. 7:1, 20:17, Josh. 3:10

5Joshua 15:63And the Jebusite dwelt in Jerusalem, and the children of Juda could not destroy them; and the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem to this day.” (Brenton)

Judges 1:1-8Now after the death of Joshua... Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites... and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek... Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. And Adoni-Bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.’ Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.” (NKJV)

Judges 1:21But the children of Benjamin did not take the inheritance of the Jebusite who dwelt in Jerusalem; and the Jebusite dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this day.” (Brenton)

6Judges 3:5-6Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.”

Judges 19:10-12However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came to opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, ‘Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.’ But his master said to him, ‘We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.’" (NKJV)

71 Chron. 11:4-8And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" Nevertheless David [with the help of his nephew Joab] took the stronghold of Zion (This is the first mention of “Zion”)... therefore they called it the City of David. And he built the city around it...” ~NKJV, || 2 Sam. 5:6-9

8A definite article translated “the one who,” with two nominative participles linked with it, so I’ll treat them together.

9Another nearby king mentioned shortly after the time of Joshua was called Adonai-bezek, which might suggest that the title Adonai (“Lord/Master”) had replaced the title Melech for kings in that part of Canaan by the time of Joshua, although this was by no means a universal pattern for Canaanite royal titles.

10 Matt. 5:10&20, 6:33, 13:43, Rom. 5:17&21, 14:17, 2 Thess. 1:5, Rev. 15:3

11 Psalm 69:12Those who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am the song of the drunkards.” (NKJV)

12 It also shows up frequently as a title in the mouths of spiritual beings who know of Jesus’ relationship with God (Mark 3:11-demons, Matt. 4-Satan, Luke 1:35 -Gabriel, and Matt. 3:17 – God the Father.)

13...it was necessary to be made like His brothers concerning all things, in order that He might be a merciful and faithful high-priest concerning these things in front of God for the purpose of the propitiation of the sins of the people” (NAW)

14 Consider the many times this Greek word without the apo- prefix occurred in the introductions to Jesus’ parables: “Then the kingdom of the heavens will be similar to ten virgins which went out to meet the bridegroom, having brought their own lamps. (Matt. 25:1) "The kingdom of the heavens is like a man – a king – who put on wedding festivities for his son (Matt. 22:2), "The kingdom of the heavens is like a man sowing good seed in his field. (Matt. 13:24), "But, to whom am I going to compare this generation? It is similar to children sitting at the malls, calling to the others...” (Matt. 11:16), “Everyone therefore who is hearing these words of mine and doing them will be likened to a smart man who built his house upon the rock...” (Matt. 7:24, NAW)

AThe Greek is the Majority text, edited by myself to follow the majority of the earliest-known manuscripts only when the early manuscript evidence is practically unanimous. My original document includes notes on the NKJV, NASB, NIV, & ESV English translations, but since they are all copyrighted, I cannot include them in my online document. Underlined words in English versions indicate a standalone difference from all other English translations of a certain word. Strikeout usually indicates that the English translation is, in my opinion, too far outside the range of meaning of the original Greek word. The addition of an X indicates a Greek word left untranslated – or a plural Greek word translated as an English singular. [Brackets] indicate words added in English not in the Greek. Key words are colored consistently across the chart to show correlations.

BFour of the six oldest known mss read oV (i.e. “this one ‘which’ [is] Melchisedek...” instead of “This [is] the Melchizedek….”). It makes no difference in meaning.

CThis word literally means “chop up” and is a pretty intense word used only to describe the massacre of Caananites, and only in two other places in the Greek Bible Gen. 14:17 (the original account referred to in Hebrews) & Josh. 10:20.

DCompare with the LXX of Genesis 14:17-20 Ἐξῆλθεν δὲ βασιλεὺς Σοδομων εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ--μετὰ τὸ ἀναστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς τοῦ Χοδολλογομορ καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ--εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα τὴν Σαυη (τοῦτο ἦν τὸ πεδίον βασιλέωσ). καὶ Μελχισεδεκ βασιλεὺς Σαλημ ἐξήνεγκεν ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον· ἦν δὲ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου. καὶ ηὐλόγησεν τὸν Αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν Εὐλογημένος Αβραμ τῷ θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ, ὃς ἔκτισεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος, ὃς παρέδωκεν τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποχειρίους σοι. καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων. I bolded the words which correspond exactly between the two accounts.

ENone of these three alpha-privatives are found anywhere else in the Greek Bible. Non-privative forms of “Father” and “Mother” are, of course common, but the root word for geneaology only occurs in 4 other places: 1 Tim. 1:4 & Tit. 3:9 (which are warnings against undue attention paid to geneaologies – noun form), and 1 Chr. 5:1, & Heb. 7:6 (verb forms denoting the writing of a genealogy).

FThis root, based on the perfect form of ferw (enegka), is not used in the Greek Bible outside of Hebrews. It occurs 3 other times in ch. 10 to indicate offering of animal sacrifices (10:1), the efficacy of Christ’s single sacrifice (10:12), and the perfection of those He sanctifies (10:14).