Who was Melchizedek?

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My boys and I were reviewing the daily readings for today and wanted to get more information about Melchizedek. Who exactly was he? Thanks in advance for any details you can provide.
 
Melchizedek was a high priest at the time of Abraham. His name only appears in Genesis and Psalms
 
Melchizedek was a high priest at the time of Abraham. His name only appears in Genesis and Psalms
Agreed - also, some see him as a prefigurement of Christ - his priesthood was higher than Abrahams (Abraham paid him tithes) and he offerred “bread and wine” (forshadowing the eucharist). There is also no record of his death in scripture and he is referenced in the NT with Jesus becoming a priest forever, “in the order of Melchizedek”.

blessings,

Brian
 
The truth is that we really don’t know. There have been a number of theories, but they are only speculations (although some are better than others).

What we do know:
  • He is called the king of “Salem.” Most likely, “Salem” is Jerusalem.
  • He is also a priest.
  • His sacrifice is bread and wine.
Scott Hahn has a theory in which he believes that Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah. Noah gave his blessing to Shem, and then Melchizedek gives it to Abram, thus passing on the blessing.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author speaks of Christ being a priest like Melchizedek. His purpose is to tell his readers that Jesus is a legitimate priest even though he was not a Levite (a necessary requirement to be a priest under the Old Covenant). But Christ’s priesthood is like Melchizedek’s, which was not dependent upon that lineage.Obviously, Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine thus have Eucharistic overtones.
 
EWTN library has a very detailed, long explanation here

The theory that Melchizedek = Shem is not Scott Hahn’s … Jewish Torah scholars & Rabbi’s have been writing that for centuries.
 
The theory that Melchizedek = Shem is not Scott Hahn’s … Jewish Torah scholars & Rabbi’s have been writing that for centuries.
I know it’s not Hahn’s original theory, but he is the modern popularizer of it.
 
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