And Malki-tzedeq king of Salem hath brought out bread and wine, and he was priest of El-'Elyon. And he blessed him, and said, “
Blessed is Abram to El-'Elyon, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed is El-'Elyon, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave to him a tenth of all.
-Genesis 14:18-20
It would seem that because there is no explicit indication within the text itself as to
why Melchizedek brought out bread and wine or to
whom he gave it to (and because Abram is mentioned in the next sentence), the interpretation that these were brought out for Abram and his men, returning from their military campaign, as a (congratulatory) feast/meal/gift - some sort of victory party, you might say, began to rise.
Here are the quotes:
Abram camped in the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king, the valley of Beth-ha-Kerem;
and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out food and drink to Abram and to all the men who were with him. He was the Priest of the Most High God. And he blessed Abram and said, “
Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Lord of heaven and earth! And blessed be the Most High God who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him the tithe of all the possessions of the king of Elam and his companions.
-
Genesis Apocryphon 22.14ff
And Abram, having rescued those of the Sodomites who were prisoners (including his kinsman Lot), who had previously been captured by the Assyrians, returned in peace. And the king of the Sodomites went out to meet him at a certain place that they call the royal plain. There the king of Solyma, Melchisedek, received him. And this signifies “righteous king.” And he was such indisputably, since for this reason he was also made priest of God. As to Solyma, they later called it
Hierosolyma.
And this Melchisedek granted hospitality to Abram’s army and furnished a great abundance of their needs, and in the feast he began both to praise him and to bless God who had subjugated the enemy to him. And when Abram gave him the tithe of the spoil, he accepted the gift.
-Josephus,
Antiquities 1.10.2 (179-181)
And Malka Zadika, who was Shem bar-Noah, the king of Yerushalem, came forth to meet Abram,
and brought forth to him bread and wine; and in that time he ministered before Eloha Ilaha. And he blessed him, and said, “
Blessed be Abram of the Lord God Most High, who for the righteous possesseth the heavens and the earth. And blessed be Eloha Ilaha, who hath made thine enemies as a shield which receiveth a blow.” And he gave to him one of ten, of all which he brought back.
- Targum pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 14:18-20
On the Christian side, Tertullian himself seems to lean toward this interpretation:
But Abraham, (you say,) was circumcised. Yes, but he pleased God before his circumcision; nor yet did he observe the Sabbath. For he had accepted circumcision; but such as was to be for a sign of that time, not for a prerogative title to salvation.
In fact, subsequent patriarchs were uncircumcised, like Melchizedek, who, uncircumcised, offered to Abraham himself, already circumcised, on his return from battle, bread and wine.
-Tertullian,
Adversus Judaeos 2
It would seem to me that the other idea more well-known in Christian (or at least, Catholic - and perhaps Eastern/Oriental as well) circles that it was to El-'Elyon that Melchizedek offered the bread and wine as a sacrificial offering is because, as I mentioned, the ‘bread and wine’ was seen as a type of the Eucharist - and the priest-king Melchizedek is seen as a type of Christ. The Roman Canon expresses this well:
Vouchsafe to look upon them with a gracious and tranquil contenance, and to accept them, even as Thou wast pleased to accept the offerings of Thy just servant Abel, and the sacrifice of Abraham, our patriarch,
and that which Melchisedech, Thy high priest, offered up to Thee, a holy sacrifice, a victim without blemish.
