Illustration created for this project.
Melchizedek — priest of God Most High
The mysterious priest-king of Salem who blessed Abraham; the New Testament sees him as a type of Christ's priesthood.
What we know — and how we know it
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Ancient writers — non-biblical testimony · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Travels
ArchaeologySalem, the city Melchizedek is said to rule, is traditionally identified with Jerusalem (Psalm 76:2), a site whose great antiquity is attested archaeologically by the Egyptian Execration Texts (c. 19th–18th century BCE, as 'Rushalimum') and the 14th-century Amarna letters of its ruler Abdi-Heba (city 'Urusalim'). These attest the city's Bronze Age kingship, not Melchizedek himself, who is named in no such find.
Egyptian Execration Texts naming Rushalimum — Berlin group (ed. K. Sethe, 'Die Ächtung feindlicher Fürsten, Völker und Dinge', 1926) and Saqqara/Brussels group (ed. G. Posener, 'Princes et pays d'Asie et de Nubie', 1940); Amarna letters of Abdi-Ḫeba of Urusalim, EA 285–290 (ed./trans. W.L. Moran, 'The Amarna Letters', Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1992).
Life, role & deeds
Scan by NYPL — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient writersMelchizedek became a major figure in ancient interpretation: Josephus makes him the first priest and founder-king of Jerusalem, Philo allegorizes him as the Logos-priest, and the Qumran scroll 11QMelchizedek (11Q13) casts him as an exalted heavenly deliverer. These are reception traditions expanding the brief Genesis notice, not external attestation of a historical individual.
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 1.180–181 (cf. Jewish War 6.438); Philo, Legum Allegoriae 3.79–82; 11QMelchizedek (11Q13), Qumran Cave 11, editio princeps A.S. van der Woude, 'Melchisedek als himmlische Erlösergestalt', Oudtestamentische Studiën 14 (1965).
Name & titles
ScholarlyMalki-tzedek means 'my king is righteous(ness)' or 'Zedek is my king' — the ending -tzedek may be the divine element also seen in Adoni-zedek, another king of Jerusalem (Joshua 10:1). The parallel points to a recurring Jerusalemite royal naming pattern, possibly invoking a deity named Zedek, and Hebrews 7:2 renders it 'king of righteousness.'
West-Semitic onomastics; the -ṣedeq / -ṣdq element compared with Adoni-zedek and the Ugaritic/Amorite theonym Ṣidqu.
Where in scripture
GenesisPsalmsHebrews
Genesis 14:18Psalms 110:4Hebrews 5:6Hebrews 5:10Hebrews 6:20Hebrews 7:1Hebrews 7:10Hebrews 7:11Hebrews 7:15Hebrews 7:17Hebrews 7:21
In their own words — 1 recorded saying
“And blessing him, said, May the blessing of the Most High God, maker of heaven and earth, be on Abram: And let the Most High God be praised, who has given into your hands those who were against you. Then Abram gave him a tenth of all the goods he had taken.” — Genesis 14:19-20
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
In art
