The Character of Melchizedek

Main general message of the lecture

The lecture carefully interprets the episode of Melchizedek mentioned in Genesis (14) and explains the related passages in Hebrews (chapter 7). The main purpose is to clarify the identity of Melchizedek: is he an appearance of God? Is he the Lord Christ? Or is he a historical figure and a symbol that is likened to Christ? The spiritual conclusion is that Melchizedek is understood in the Coptic Orthodox tradition as a real person and a symbol or type of Christ’s priesthood, not as being himself the Lord or Christ.

The basic idea

The lecture explains that Melchizedek is mentioned as king and priest (king of Salem and priest of the Most High God) in his meeting with our father Abraham, that he offered him bread and wine and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tithe of the spoils. Then the interpretations of Hebrews 7 are discussed where Melchizedek is cited to demonstrate the greatness of Christ’s priesthood.

Distinction between person and symbol

The speaker affirms that the text does not say Melchizedek is the Son of God or that he is Christ. The phrase “likened to the Son of God” in Hebrews points to a resemblance in the character of the priesthood, not in personal nature. Also, the way the blessing is phrased “Blessed be Abram by God Most High” shows that he was not identified as a direct divine revelation but as a person who blessed in God’s name.

The priesthood of Melchizedek versus the priesthood of Aaron

The lecturer discusses that the pivotal difference is that Aaronic priesthood is hereditary (from the tribe of Levi) while Melchizedek’s priesthood appears as a priesthood without father, mother, or genealogy in the priesthood — meaning it is not based on hereditary lineage. This aspect is used in the Epistle to the Hebrews to support Christ’s priesthood as eternal and greater.

The bread, wine, and the tithe

The lecturer rejects the idea that Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine constitutes the establishment of the Eucharist since Abraham’s times: this is unacceptable, for Scripture did not say that the bread and wine at that meeting were a sacerdotal table or that Christ’s body and blood were instituted there. Also, Abraham’s giving of tithes indicates that Abraham knew his status as a priest, or at least respected him as a real priest, which means Melchizedek was an already known historical figure.

The Fathers and the Coptic Orthodox Church stance

The lecturer points to the positions of the Church Fathers like John Chrysostom and balances readings from the Talmud and historical writings (Josephus) that understand Melchizedek as a real person and a symbol at once. The Church does not declare Melchizedek to be Christ or God; rather she reads him as an example or type that gives an image of Christ’s priesthood.

Spiritual and educational dimension

From the perspective of our Coptic Orthodox faith, the story teaches reliance on the mysterious work of God in history and how types and patterns in the Old Covenant prepare for the incarnation of grace in Christ. The lecture also warns against the tendency to turn a personal interpretation into an official doctrine; it calls for adherence to the text of Scripture and the measured interpretation of the Church Fathers.

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