OT § 22

"When Abraham learned of this, he counted his servants born in the house" and with 318 men won a victory and liberated his nephew. This shows that the separation had taken place in friendship, since Abraham's love for his nephew was so great that he was willing to confront even the dangers of war on his behalf. What does it mean "he counted"? It means he "chose." So too what Jesus said in the Gospel refers not only to the knowledge of God but also to the grace of the just: "Even the hairs on your head are all counted." Indeed, "the Lord knows those who are his," but those who are not his he does not deign to know. Abraham, then, counted 318 men. You should understand that it is not numerical quantity that is here expressed but the value of their election. He chose, in fact, those whom he judged worthy to belong to the number of the faithful who were to believe in the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, the letter T in Greek means "three hundred," and the sum IH—ten plus eight—expresses the name of Jesus. So Abraham conquered in virtue of faith, not through the strength of a numerous army. And so it was that with no more than a few house servants he triumphed over those who had defeated the armies of five kings.

When Abram heard that his brother Lot had been captured, he numbered his trained servants, three hundred and eighteen, and so on. Indeed, it is a very great miracle of divine power that Abraham, with such a small troop, inflicted such a great slaughter on the enemies, but it contains the deeper sacrament of faith in which we must overcome the spiritual battle. There were three hundred and eighteen, a number that clearly designates the victorious sign of the cross and the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, through whom this has been consecrated for the fortification of our salvation. For among the Greeks, three hundred is marked by the letter T, which is shaped like a cross. For if it had received an apex in the middle, not the figure of the cross but the very sign of the cross would be clearly seen. However, ten and eight are marked among them by Ι and Η, which are the first letters in the name of Jesus: and therefore when three hundred and eighteen are noted in Greek, it is not far from being read as the cross of Jesus. So, fittingly, Abraham overcame the enemies and freed his brother with three hundred and eighteen comrades, to mystically prefigure that the one who would recall the world from death through the passion of the cross would be born from his seed; and he himself would also, by the name of the Savior, that is, Jesus, stand out and be honored throughout the whole world: but also, that all who would pertain to salvation would achieve salvation only through this venerable sign and through his terrible name.

(Verse 14) And he pursued them as far as Dan, to the city of the Phoenicians, which is now called Paneas. But Dan is one of the sources of the Jordan. For the other is also called Jor, which means 'stream'. Therefore, the Jordan is the name given to the two springs that, not far from each other, join to form a single stream.

Consider in this case, I ask you, dearly beloved, the greatness of heart exemplified in the just man's virtue. Trusting in the power of God, he was not cowed by the force of the enemy when he learned of the rout they had caused, first by falling upon all the tribes and prevailing against the Amalekites and all the others, and then by engaging the Sodomites, putting them to flight and seizing all their property. The reason, you see, why sacred Scripture described all this to us ahead of time, as well as all they achieved through their bravery, was that you might learn that the patriarch prevailed against them not by physical strength but through faith in God. [He] achieved all this under the protection of help from on high, not by wielding weapons and arrows and spears or by drawing bows or raising shields but with a few retainers of his own household.

"Abraham counted servants, born in his house … as far as Hobah, which is to the right of Damascus." Even the number is of vital importance. For in that number there is life, if we believe in the passion in the name of the Lord Jesus. In fact, this is the interpretation of the abovementioned name, Hobah, that is, "life." Appropriately too it is said that Hobah is located to the right of Damascus. For the sheep stand on the right, while the goats are on the left. The trained mind knows how many soldiers to choose to finish the battle, with what arms to supply them, with what banners to lead them. It does not lead its forces with images of eagles or dragons, but it marches into battle with the cross of Christ and in the name of Jesus, deriving courage from this sign, loyal to this banner. Rightly then is that mind called trained which has received the true wisdom of the just man. And justice is quick to correct, and by admonishing it calls back sinners, it stems the assaults of the passions. .

"Abraham counted 318 servants, born in his house … as far as Hobah, which is to the right of Damascus." Even the number is of vital importance. For in that number there is life, if we believe in the passion in the name of the Lord Jesus. In fact, this is the interpretation of the above-mentioned name, Hobah, that is, "life." Appropriately too it is said that Hobah is located to the right of Damascus. For the sheep stand on the right, while the goats are on the left. The trained mind knows how many soldiers to choose to finish the battle, with what arms to supply them, with what banners to lead them. It does not lead its forces with images of eagles or dragons, but it marches into battle with the cross of Christ and in the name of Jesus, deriving courage from this sign, loyal to this banner. Rightly then is that mind called trained which has received the true wisdom of the just man. And justice is quick to correct, and by admonishing it calls back sinners, it stems the assaults of the passions.

And he pursued them as far as Dan, and having divided his companions, he fell upon them at night and struck them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is to the left of Damascus. The entire series of sacred scripture is full of mystic figures, and not only in what is said and done, but even in the very places and times where these things take place, it agrees with that apostolic saying, "For all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition" (1 Cor. 10:11). Dan is interpreted as Judgment, Hobah as Condemnation, Damascus as the Cup of Blood. Therefore, Abraham, pursuing his enemies, found them in Dan and struck them by night when they were unsuspecting and secure, those who were rejoicing as if with captured prey, boasting that they had raged up to that point; for all sinners and those exalting themselves in the riches of this life and in the oppression of the innocent are permitted to boast up to the brink of divine judgment about their works; but with imprudent blindness, as if set in the midst of the night, when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them: hence it is well said that he struck them and pursued them to Hobah, that is, Condemnation, which is understood to mean no other condemnation than sudden and eternal destruction. It is said, he says, 'to the left of Damascus.' Damascus, as we have said, is interpreted as the Cup of Blood; by which name the delight of vices is rightly signified. For what is the delight of sin but a cup of blood, when one strives to fulfill the desires of the flesh and blood without any hesitation? And Hobah is where Abraham struck his adversaries, to the left of Damascus, because the condemnation that is going to punish the impious will thrust them into eternal punishment with the devil and his angels, which is usually designated by the left. However, Damascus is a noble city of Phoenicia and formerly the metropolis of all Syria. Dan was also a town of Phoenicia, the boundary of the province of Judea towards the north where today is Paneas, which was formerly called Caesarea Philippi; from where also the Jordan derived its name, which flows from Lebanon. For Dan is one of its sources; the other is called Jor, which is interpreted as Stream. Therefore, with the two sources not far from each other united into one stream, it is thenceforth called the Jordan.

"Abraham also recovered the goods." … This certainly does not refer to patrimony but to the vital goods of the soul, where the truly valuable riches—not straw, not hay—are to be found, where there is a reliable splendor of eloquence that contains the substance of our hope. These are indeed our true goods, that is, wisdom that abounds in riches; these are the goods that do not perish. Bodily enjoyment and the use of external goods, on the other hand, are of short, not of long, duration. This is why some people rightly regard it as improper to speak of inherited substance. In fact, inheritance is not the basis of our subsistence, since even people who lack money do not, however, lack the substance of life.

Why was it, someone may ask, that he called up retainers of his own household to the number of 318? For you to learn that he did not simply take everyone but only retainers of his own household, men raised by Lot, so that they might wreak their vengeance with much relish, like men entering this conflict for their own lord. "He fell upon them by night," the text says, "himself and his retainers, and continued to strike and pursue them." It was, you see, a hand from on high that joined in the attack and assisted in directing the battle. Hence they had no need of weapons or fighting machines. Instead, he had only to heave into sight with his retainers to smite some and cause others to take to flight, doing both in complete security without harassment from anyone. And he recovered the cavalry of the king of Sodom, his nephew Lot, all his accoutrements and the women. Do you see why it was permitted that while the others fled Lot alone should be taken captive? For two reasons: so that the patriarch's virtue should become manifest and that on his account many others also might find deliverance. Then he returns bearing a great prize of distinction, Lot, and parading as well as him the cavalry, women and accoutrements. [He] announces in a clear voice and proclaims more loudly than any trumpet that it was not by human power nor by force of numbers that he had won the prize and achieved victory but had done everything with aid from on high.

Do you see here in every event the just man being conspicuous and demonstrating to everyone on every occasion God's providence in his regard? Now you see him also zealous to prove a teacher of reverence for God to the Sodomites. "The king of Sodom," Scripture says, remember, "came out to meet him on his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him." Notice the extent of his virtue and his enjoyment of assistance from God. The king comes out to meet this stranger, advanced in years, and shows high regard for him. He had learned, you see, that the advantage of kingship is as nothing to the person who lacks assistance from on high and that nothing could be more efficacious than God's hand raised to assist.

But one who is victorious should not claim the victory for himself; rather, he should attribute it to God. This is the teaching of Abraham, who became more humble, not more proud, in victory. Indeed, he offered a sacrifice and gave tithes; for this reason too, he received the blessing of Melchizedek, which means in translation "king of justice, king of peace." He was indeed the priest of the most high God. Who is the king of justice, the priest of God, but he to whom it is said, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," that is, Son of God, priest of the Father, the one who through the sacrifice of his body propitiated the Father for our transgressions?

ON MELCHIZEDEK. — We read about Melchizedek in the book of Genesis; about Melchizedek likewise, in a similar manner, in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Because,” it says, “Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings, and brought out bread and wine, and offered it to him, and blessed him, saying: Blessed are you, Abraham, by the Most High God, who made heaven and earth, who has delivered your enemies into your hands” (Gen. 14:18-20). And in order to indicate who is to be understood under the name of Melchizedek, the Apostle added: “For, without any doubt,” he says, “the lesser is blessed by the better” (Heb. 7:7). He certainly did not refer this to the handing on of ecclesiastical office. For who would question that the rule of the Lord’s ordinance, by which subjects are blessed by the Lord, is better than those who are blessed by it? For the mystery of the Lord operates in those words which contain and recall him. But he wished to show the proper merit and power of his person. Who then is this one, and how great, in comparison with whom Abraham is called “the lesser,” Abraham who is clearly known, in all the faithful, to bear the mark of noble testimony and faith? Therefore this Melchizedek is not to be understood as having blessed Abraham in the same way as human priests do, so as to give a blessing by commission with sincere words; but as one who, so to speak, possessed a proper blessing which he received, not by words, but by nature, substantially, so that it is his own. The priests, however, whom we call bishops, have a rule ordered and handed down to them in sincere words, and by placing this rule upon people they bless them: yet not those whom they will, but sometimes even those whom they do not will; because the giver of the rule himself knows to whom the most holy blessing ought to be given or poured in. But he who by nature possesses the blessing substantially, whom he calls priest of the Most High God, gives the blessing by his will. For the words of blessing and his nature are in agreement with his will. Nor does he go wrong so as to will it where he ought not, nor refuse where he ought; but to whomever he gives the words, he gives also the effect. Our priests, on the other hand, daily place upon many the name of the Lord and the words of blessing, but in few is there the effect. There are, again, times when those who are better bless themselves. For although one who is holy bows his head to receive a blessing, yet this is because it is not the priest’s own possession, but God’s invention. For the priest Heli blessed Anna, and the effect followed (1 Sam. 1:17, 20), not by the merit of the priest, but by that of Anna herself, whose pure heart God inspected. Therefore Melchizedek is said to be better than Abraham, not because of the office of priesthood alone; rather he is also preferred to him by nature, so that he is understood to be beyond men. For it is in no way possible that he who is set before so great a friend of God, and so faithful that, for love and fear of him, he did not hesitate to kill even his most beloved son, should be considered a mere man. By what justice, by what works, could he have merited more than Abraham merited? Nor was there anything further that he could do to enhance the honor of his importance beyond what Abraham did. First, when he did not know God, nor had he seen a sign by which he might be persuaded, when God said to him, “Go out from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house” (Gen. 12:1), he did not delay, but immediately obeyed, fulfilling the will not only of the present God, but also of the future Lord. For the Lord says: “Whoever loves house, or parents, or brothers, or relatives more than me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). What then is Abraham like, and of what kind of merit is he, who fulfilled the commands of the Saviour before they were preached? The Apostle strongly teaches that hospitality must be pursued (Heb. 13:2); Abraham practiced this so diligently and devoutly (Gen. 18:3) that the Apostle seems to have learned from him that this must be preached. Then, advanced in years, he believed that his offspring would be multiplied in such a way as seems foolish to the wise of this world, like the stars of heaven, so that, before a judgment was passed by the wise of this age, they seem to have been condemned by him. For afterward it was said: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (Isa. 29:14; 1 Cor. 1:19). At God’s command he was circumcised; which is certainly not done without pain: and he did not take it hard, so as to give his descendants a model of patience. From Sarah his wife, now an old woman, a son is promised to him, and he does not doubt (Gen. 17:17); in order to show to future generations that God’s authority must be believed in to such an extent that, even if he commands or promises things that seem irrational, there is no wavering; because his person must be considered more than his words, so that what seems weak or impossible in the words his person may confirm and make appear possible. For it is God who promises, of whom it must be believed that he can do what seems impossible to human beings. What fault, then, can be judged, when one forms a higher opinion of God than humanity does of itself? Therefore the son given to Abraham by God he does not hesitate to kill at God’s command; he does not delay the time; he is not astonished at God’s will, that he should order to be killed the very son whom he had given as a gift of great favor and wonder: he is certain that God’s will ought not to be reconsidered by a human being, nor that God’s command or deed is without providence. And so that he might fulfill this with every devotion, and swiftly, he does not tell his mother, his wife, not being ignorant that women are more fragile regarding their children and could bring an obstacle to this devotion through the tears of compassion; nor does he reveal it to the boy himself until the hour of his death, so that he might obey the command of God with the full submission of his mind (Gen. 22:3-10); considering this not as murder, but as a holocaust, which was being carried out with a just judge as its author. What greater deeds, then, could Melchizedek perform, by which he might surpass Abraham, whom, as we see, is in no respect found to have been disobedient? For Moses himself, of whom it is read that the Lord spoke to him face to face (Exod. 33:11), when he was sent to the nation and to his brothers, did not want to go (Exod. 4:1). The prophet Jonah broke the command given to him to preach to the Ninevites, and went off to another place where he had not been sent (Jonah 1:1-3). Job, truly outstanding in all things, nevertheless, moved by the loss of his children, tore his garments and shaved the hair of his head (Job 1:20); Abraham, however, is nowhere read to have been saddened by the death of his most beloved son, the very one he had been ordered to kill with his own hands, nor is he read anywhere to have shuddered when God commanded him. Therefore, through these things it becomes clear that Melchizedek is beyond man, because there was no way he could be better than Abraham except by surpassing him in nature alone. For a nature that is impassible possesses blessedness by its very substance; human birth, however, attains blessedness through deeds. Since it does not have the perfection of divinity, it advances and improves through effort and struggle, becoming better the more it conquers than it is conquered. For if it acted in such a way, which is impossible, that it never sinned, it would become better than God; which is unthinkable, because a nature that can sin as well as not sin, if it always won, would have to be preferred to that nature which does not sin precisely because it is impassible. For it would not seem a great thing not to sin if one could not sin; it is truly magnificent if, being able to sin, one does not sin. This, then, is the difference between the substance of God and that of man: the substance of God is always blessed with the security of its unconquerable eternity; man’s substance, however, becomes blessed through labor. And necessarily one kind of blessedness is that which is impassible, another that of the one who is worn down by tribulations so that he may at some point rejoice. For impassible blessedness lies in this, that it is always blessed; but passible blessedness rejoices, after great perils, to have escaped death. Therefore it is saddened so that it may be able to rejoice, nor is it perpetually secure because of the passibility of its nature. The impassible, however, is always blessed, because it neither knows sadness nor even suspects that it could be saddened. For even human nature, although it attains blessedness through labor, will not remain unharmed, nor will it lack scars. How could it be otherwise, that nature which, having often engaged in combat and at times been defeated, would not be wounded? But the impassible remains always untouched, unharmed, unbreakable. Therefore Abraham would not be said to be the lesser in comparison with Melchizedek, unless the nature of Melchizedek were superior to that of Abraham. Now what we have said may perhaps seem to belong to human reasoning. But if we look to the Law, far more and greater things will still be said. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, is first interpreted “King of Righteousness,” and then “King of Salem,” which is “king of peace,” without father, without mother, and without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but, made like to the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. And so that he might highlight, in the places where he had signified these things, what he meant, he added this about him: “You see,” he says, “how great this man is, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils” (Heb. 7:1-4). For in order to show by what power and how great Melchizedek is, he praises Abraham by saying that he is the patriarch, that is, better than all the rest; yet he is least in comparison with Melchizedek. Is it not clear that this one is not merely a man, but better than a man? What does it mean when he says of him that he is king of peace and king of righteousness? Draw nearer and see. From afar, seeing the sun, you think it a lamp; looking at silver, you suppose it to be tin. Can any human being be called king of peace and of righteousness? For peace is proclaimed to men, and likewise righteousness; but this one is called king of peace and righteousness precisely so that righteousness and peace may be known to have their origin from him. For that which is ruled by him cannot be said to be above him. Men are instructed by righteousness as their teacher and by peace, so as to gain God’s favor. This, then, which is the teacher of men, has Melchizedek as its king. How much, then, is Melchizedek better than man, since that which governs men is under him, that is, since he is king of kings? Therefore, when he is called king of righteousness and of peace, he is shown to be their author, so that just as the Lord Jesus is the author of life, so Melchizedek is the author of righteousness and peace; because those who live through Christ are governed, by the dispensation of righteousness and peace, through him. For he pours righteousness and peace into the hearts of God’s servants, in order to adorn the discipline of the Lord. We read written in Psalm 84 that “Righteousness and peace have embraced one another, and truth has sprung out of the earth;” and to show of what righteousness he was speaking, he said, “Righteousness has looked down from heaven” (Ps. 85:11-12). Scripture points here to the time of the Savior, when the righteousness of God was given to the world through Christ in the revelation of the mystery of the one God that had been previously promised. For it is just that the creature should know the truth of its Creator; this righteousness, revealed on earth, removed the disharmony that had arisen from the unrighteousness born of an unknown God, and made those who were at odds into people of peace, when it established men long divided into one faith. Therefore righteousness and peace and truth of the One have embraced each other. From the earth has arisen the teacher of righteousness. For the incarnation of Christ has shown what truth about God himself was to be known. Therefore, this is certainly the righteousness of God. Likewise peace also, as the Apostle says: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan” (Rom. 16:20). I do not see how this can be distinguished: since the God of peace is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Christ himself as well; for he says, “My peace I give to you” (Jn. 14:27); how then can it be said of Melchizedek that he is king of righteousness and peace, and by what reasoning can he be set apart, I do not understand. I think that, as far as the matter at hand is concerned, there is no difference between “king of peace” and “God of peace.” Because no one in the world ought to have been called God, so that this name alone might be reserved to the One from whom are all things, he appointed a king who would bear his image, who, except for the name of God, would have all his authority; but since he is earthly, he is king of men, yet not of peace and righteousness. For he too has righteousness as his leader, which he is not permitted to despise. For God is his righteousness. Righteousness is God’s own attribute, and whoever transgresses it becomes guilty before God’s judgment. But Melchizedek, as we are given to understand, is not called king in the way humans are; because he has righteousness under him, which rules over kings. For no one can have righteousness under himself unless his nature is such that he cannot sin. Yet he is said to be above it because he discovered the manner of law by which those who can sin are governed. Therefore the king of righteousness is the ruler of the words discovered by himself, by which a person can both live well and happily and also believe. We labor long and much, and still we say too little about Melchizedek, unless we return to Scripture, which itself also for a long time knocks and cries out, so as to awaken those weighed down by heavy sleep to understanding, not of night but of day. It says therefore that Melchizedek is without father, without mother, without genealogy. And lest this should be understood otherwise than is worthy, it added: Having neither beginning of days nor end of life. By this it shows that Melchizedek was neither born nor died. What has human refinement to argue against things so clear? What cunning craftiness of intellect is so deceptive that it dares to resist what is revealed, so as not to receive meaning from the text, but to impose meaning on the text? Violence is done to the Scriptures of the Lord, so that they even feel these as enemies who appear to bow themselves to their authority. For some say that one ought not to believe about Melchizedek as it is reported in the Scriptures, and by this they twist the Scriptures to their own understanding. It would be better for such people openly not to accept the Scriptures than to act deceitfully against them, so that under the name of peace war is prepared, and under the cloak of friendship the enemy lies hidden. They say therefore that Melchizedek’s “without father and mother” does not refer to nobility, but to the lowliness of his family, because he is read to have been without father and mother. They claim this was written therefore in order to show that he was of foreigners, not of the tribe from which Abraham sprang, because his lineage is not found in the Law. Therefore, they say, it also added, And without genealogy, so that it might be understood that his origin is in no way described in the Law, so that he may be believed to have become a good man by himself from parents of whatever sort. But now Scripture is so abundant that it sets out everything necessary to the case in orderly fashion. First it says, Without father, without mother. Let us see whether the mothers of others are mentioned in the Law: it is not written who was the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s grandmother, the mother of Terah; nor is it written who was the mother of Abraham, not to speak of the rest. Are these to be said to have been without mothers? If it had said, Without father, there might have been some appearance of a distinguishing feature, because in the Law the fathers of all who existed are recorded. It adds, And without genealogy. If he said this in order to show that his lineage is not in the Law, it would have been enough to say “without father,” since no one knows his father. Yet further, and much more clearly, he says for the sake of clarity, Having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Say, whoever you are that use violence, how do you interpret this? What is it not to have the beginning of days nor the end of life? It would certainly have been enough to say that his lineage is not written in the Law, and that therefore his origin must be believed to be from foreigners. It can be said that he was translated like Enoch, and therefore did not die. Granted. What is it not to have the beginning of the days of life? Perhaps you will say that his birthday is not written. Whose is written in the Law? And is this the reasoning, that for anyone whose birthday is not written, it is denied that he has a beginning of days of life? The same could therefore have been said of the others. And even if he had been translated as a man, he still would not have been without an end of life; because whatever is under the prospect of death has an end. Stop, whoever you are who strive for dispute. It is better to be overcome by the truth than to overcome the truth by falsehoods. For that is destruction, not victory; because even if truth might seem to be defeated in man, yet with God it triumphs, because its reason is invincible. Therefore the mind ought to be overcome by the Law, so that it may think what is signified by the Law, not that it should give the Law its meaning by its own judgment, so as to present itself as violently reading the Law. And listen to Zerubbabel, for, he says, above all things truth prevails (3 Esdras 3:12). Already Melchizedek has shown the future mystery of the incarnation and passion of the Lord, when he first delivered to Abraham, as to the father of believers, the Eucharist of the body and blood of the Lord, so that in the father the truth might be prefigured which was to come in the sons. If he is thought to be a man and a priest in the manner in which Aaron was, or as priests now are, let the place of his dwelling be shown or read; or if there was some temple or synagogue in which he gathered the people and offered their sacrifices, or what people it was that assembled to him. For if he was a priest upon earth, he undoubtedly had a people, and before Abraham, or at least in his time, there was certainly a people who served God. And how then was Abraham made as it were the head of faith, so that from him the people might have the knowledge of God? For similarly, if Melchizedek existed as one who taught the fear of the one God on earth, Abraham was chosen in vain so that from him the people of God should be named. For there could have been among those who gathered to Melchizedek some who would be called the people of God. And where is that which is read in the canticle of Deuteronomy: For when the Most High divided the nations, as he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God. And the portion of the Lord became his people Jacob (Deut. 32:8–9). Therefore, if there was in the world no people of God except the children of Abraham, on what ground is another people thought to have existed which came forth from the teaching of Melchizedek, when the Prophet denies it? For when he names all the nations that are in the world, and does not say that any people are God’s except the children of Abraham, what remains but that, apart from these, it should be denied that the rest had the knowledge of God, because God is known in Judah (Ps. 75:1). But Melchizedek, priest of the most high God, appeared to bless Abraham as a foreshadowing of the future saints: because in time to come a blessing was to be given to the people of God through the chief minister of God, whom we call a priest. Therefore this Melchizedek appeared as the forerunner of the future consecrated Son of God, because he who follows in order goes before in service. Nor, then, are the things we have said about Melchizedek to be wondered at, when Scripture, to the confusion of those who murmur, adds more and says. For after all the things worthy of praise, in order to confuse the spiteful it says: “But made like unto the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” Now consider of whom you are striving to think ill; and if you do not fear him, at least fear Christ, to whom he is reported, by the authority of Scripture, to be similar. For by degrees he comes, in due order, to his natural merit, so that if any were moved by the preceding statements, by which he is signified as king of righteousness and of peace, and because, having been seen in the flesh, he had neither father nor mother, that is, he appeared as unbegotten, having neither beginning nor end; from the things set forth last he might show the former statements to be believable. For who would dare to say, unless he is mad, that all these things which have been spoken in such exalted terms are unfitting to him who is designated as like unto the Son of God, remaining a priest forever? But one who is like unto the Son of God cannot be so unless he is of the same nature. And what seems incredible, if Melchizedek appeared as a man, when he is understood to be the third person? For if Christ, who is the second person, was frequently seen in the form of a man, why should there be any doubt about the things that have been said? For we read in the Psalm: “You are,” he says, “a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). None of us doubts that this refers to the person of Christ, because Christ is a priest forever in the same manner as Melchizedek. But Christ is the high priest, Melchizedek the second. For if Melchizedek is a man, how does it fit that Christ should be a priest forever according to his order? Already both are read as being similar and as belonging to a single dispensation, because they are also of a single nature. But since in every respect the authority of the one God must be preserved, therefore the third person is also subordinated to the paternal name. Christ, however, is the vicar and high priest of the Father, and therefore he is also called a priest. Likewise, the Holy Spirit, as it were a high priest, has been called priest of the most high God, not the supreme one, as our people presume in the offering. For although Christ and the Holy Spirit are of one substance, yet the order of each must be observed. Therefore priests or messengers are so called because they show in themselves him of whom they are the messengers: for they are his image. And therefore Christ and the Holy Spirit, naturally possessing the image of God, are called his priests. In them God is seen, as the Lord says, “He who sees me, sees the Father also” (Jn. 14:9). And if in the deeds of God the Lord has been seen, but the deeds of the Holy Spirit are works, with the Lord signifying, “For I cast out demons by the Spirit of God” (Matt. 12:28); then in the Holy Spirit God has been seen.

Having received this oracle of promise, Abraham migrated and remained in another place of the same land, that is, beside the oak of Mamre, which was Hebron. Then, on the invasion of Sodom, when five kings carried on war against four and Lot was taken captive with the conquered Sodomites, Abraham delivered him from the enemy, leading with him to battle 318 of his homeborn servants. [He] won the victory for the kings of Sodom but would take nothing of the spoils when offered by the king for whom he had won them. He was then openly blessed by Melchizedek, who was priest of God most high, about whom many and great things are written in the epistle that is inscribed to the Hebrews, which most say is by the apostle Paul, though some deny this. For then first appeared the sacrifice which is now offered to God by Christians in the whole wide world. Long after the event this sacrifice was said by the prophet to be fulfilled in Christ, who was yet to come in the flesh: "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." That is to say, not after the order of Aaron, for that order was to be taken away when the things shone forth that were intimated beforehand by these shadows.

Therefore, Melchisedech signifies the Lord Savior: first indeed, as the Apostle says, who is interpreted as king of righteousness, and then king of Salem, which is king of peace (Hebrews 7:2): with these words, the blessed apostle demonstrates how the figure of Melchisedech should be understood, teaching us very clearly that in the letters of the Old Testament we should seek not only the significations of things but also of names. Just as Melchisedech by his name and person figuratively announces Christ the King of righteousness, he also by the name of his city denotes figuratively the Church of the saints, that is, the city of the great King; about which it is written: "And His place was made in Salem, that is, in peace" (Psalm 76:3). However, Salem is the same that was later called Jerusalem by King David, becoming the metropolis of the entire province of Judea, because he bought the place of the temple there, and left the expenses of the construction to his son Solomon, all of which and many others that are read about this city pertain to the Church as is clear to all readers. Also with the nature of his sacrifice, of which he made Abraham a participant while blessing him, he prefigured the offering of the New Testament, which our Lord Himself first offered in the sacrament of His body and blood, and which He left to the Church to always be offered for the remission of sins: in whose unique participation He taught that all the children of the promise would be blessed: to such an extent that no one can be a part of eternal life without participation in this: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you: whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life" (John 6:54). Thus, in the great significance of the sacrament, Melchisedech the priest blessed Abraham, offering him part of the sacrifice which he had offered to the Lord in bread and wine: clearly insinuating that not only we who came in the flesh after the Lord's passion but also Abraham himself who had received the promises, and all his chosen seed were to be granted eternal blessing through the offering of the Lord's passion. And indeed, Abraham had heard from the Lord: "And I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you shall be blessed." He had heard: "And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed;" but before any son who would be the co-heir of this blessing was born to him; before he offered any sacrifice to God to give thanks for the granted blessing, Melchisedech king of Salem met him bringing bread and wine which he had offered to God, and blessed him, so that he might clearly understand that the blessing promised to him was to be received through the King of righteousness and the author of supreme peace, through the excellent high priest, through the mystical sacrifice of bread and wine, with all his seed. Therefore, let not the Jews boast of the Levitical priesthood against the Christians, since they offer the sacrifices of flesh, and we offer bread and wine to the Lord. For our sacrifice excels in both time and dignity: in time, indeed, because Melchisedech offered this first, before that Abraham or the priests from the stock of Levi came: and in dignity, because it was said to the Lord Christ by the Father concerning this and not that: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech" (Psalm 110:4). Which is also completed by the work itself, and now made manifest throughout the world, only a fool and an impious person denies. Thus it is clear that Melchisedech was greater than Abraham the patriarch. For without any contradiction, as the Apostle says, the lesser is blessed by the better (Hebrews 7:7). The sacrifice of Melchisedech is greater than the sacrifices which Abraham is read to have offered subsequently: because this the Lord Christ, that Aaron: this the priests of the New Testament, that of the Old were to offer. Wherefore it is well added: "And he gave him tithes of all." Which the Apostle understood and explained very sublimely; so that Abraham gave tithes to him not only for himself but also for all those who were to be born from him, among whom were the priests themselves who were to accept tithes from the people: "Through Abraham, even Levi, who accepts tithes, was tithed: for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchisedech met him" (Hebrews 7:9). Just as the Levitical tribe excelled, that is, the priestly people, from whom they received tithes; so Melchisedech excelled even those priests and Levites when he received from them in their father Abraham: for they were still in his loins. Abraham indeed in this place designates the people of Israel with their priesthood, while Melchisedech singularly expresses the Mediator between God and men with the priesthood which He left to the heirs of the New Testament: "And Abraham is blessed and tithed by Melchisedech," because even those who were most outstanding in the law and Levitical priesthood could only be blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and all that they could have of virtues had to be referred to Him, and they could only be saved by confessing that these were of His grace: hence Peter, when the grace of the Gospel was becoming clear, as if to the priesthood which was to come according to the order of Melchisedech, said to the zealots of legal observance: "Why do you test God by putting a yoke of servitude on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we believe to be saved in the same manner as they" (Acts 15:10). Therefore, Abraham gave tithes of all to Melchisedech the priest, from whom he had received the blessing: because indeed he understood that the type and image of the better priesthood were prefigured in him; this is, that he bore the figure of the legal priesthood, Melchisedech of the evangelical priesthood. For he was going to generate temporal priesthood from himself, which was to be maintained through the successions of priests; Melchisedech is read to have neither beginning of priesthood nor end nor predecessor nor successor: wherefore he fittingly bears the image of Him to whom it is said: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech." Let these few things be said about Melchisedech as they seemed sufficient for our work. Moreover, whoever desires to know fully about him and the mysteries he prefigured, let him diligently read the entire Epistle to the Hebrews.

But Melchizedek, king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine (for he was priest of the most high God), blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be the most high God, by whose protection your enemies are in your hands, and he gave him tithes of all. Notable first in this reading is that the patriarchs foreshadowed what the apostles proclaimed: And if one member suffers, says Paul, all the members suffer together; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice together (1 Cor. 12:25). For when Lot suffered adversities, Abraham empathized; when they rejoiced over their deliverance and victory, Melchizedek also rejoiced and, blessing the victorious one who had exposed himself to danger for the sake of his brethren's troubles, with heavenly benediction. He magnificently praised not only the human victor but also the Lord who granted the victory, according to that evangelical saying: Let your good works be seen, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16). Next, it should be noted that after the struggle and victory, Abraham was blessed; and this was done by the king and priest of the most high God: because we all, too, who belong to the promise of the heavenly homeland, await the blessing of the eternal kingdom after the labors of good works, which is prepared for us from the foundation of the world by the great king and priest, namely the Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ; about whose kingdom, which he has coequal and coeternal with the Father, it is said in the psalm: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (Psalm 110:1), etc.: concerning whose priesthood, in which he offered himself as a sacrifice to the Father for us, it is added in the same psalm saying: The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Ibid. 4). Regarding the explanation of the verse and the priesthood and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was prefigured in Melchizedek, it is appropriate for our humble self to speak and treat briefly in this place, since the Apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews discussed and explained these topics most sublimely and comprehensively, following his lead we have considered it appropriate to insert a few points from the many he made here.

Likewise, in the priest Melchizedek, we see the sacrament of the sacrifice of the Lord prefigured according to what the divine Scripture testifies and says: "And Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, for he was a priest of the most high God, and he blessed Abraham." But that Melchizedek portrayed a type of Christ, the Holy Spirit declares in the Psalms, saying in the person of the Father to the Son: "Before the day star … I have begotten you.… You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." The order proceeds first from the sacrifice and then descends to Melchizedek, a priest of the most high God, because he offered bread, because he blessed Abraham. For who is more a priest of the most high God than our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered sacrifice to God the Father and offered the very same thing that Melchizedek had offered, bread and wine, that is, actually, his body and blood?

Daniel told a story of another hermit who used to live in the lower parts of Egypt, and who said in his simplicity that Melchizedek was the Son of God. Now when the blessed man Theophilus, the archbishop of Alexandria, heard of it, he sent a message asking the monks to bring the hermit to him. When he saw him, he realized that he was a man of vision and that every thing that he had asked for God had given him, and that he had only said this out of simplicity. The archbishop dealt with him wisely in the following manner, saying, 'Abba, pray to God for me, because I have begun to think that Melchizedek was the Son of God,' and he added, 'It cannot be true, for the high priest of God was a man. But because I had doubts in my mind about this, I sent for you to pray to God for me that He may reveal the truth of the matter to you.' Then, because the hermit had confidence in the power of prayer, he said to him firmly, 'Wait three days, and I will ask God about this and then I shall be able to tell you who Melchizedek was.' So the hermit went away, and returned after three days, and said to the blessed Archbishop Theophilus, 'Melchizedek was a man.' The Archbishop said unto him, 'How do you know that, abba?' The hermit said, 'God showed me all the Patriarchs, one by one, and they passed before me one after the other, from Adam to Melchizedek, and an angel said to me, "This is Melchizedek." That is indeed how the truth of this matter appeared tome.' The hermit went away, and he himself proclaimed that Melchizedek was a man, and the blessed Theophilus rejoiced greatly.

This Melchizedek is Shem, who became a king due to his greatness; he was the head of fourteen nations. In addition, "he was a priest." He received this from Noah, his father, through the rights of succession. Shem lived not only to the time of Abraham, as Scripture says, but even to [the time of] Jacob and Esau, the grandsons of Abraham. It was to him that Rebekah went to ask and was told, "Two nations are in your womb, and the older shall be a servant to the younger." Rebekah would not have bypassed her husband, who had been delivered at the high place, or her father-in-law, to whom revelations of the divinity came continually, and gone straight to ask Melchizedek unless she had learned of his greatness from Abraham or Abraham's son.

You sent me the volume anonymous and authorless... When I read it, I realized that the most famous question about High Priest Melchizedek had been discussed there with many arguments, in an attempt to teach that he who blessed the great Patriarch was of a more divine nature and should not be considered among men... When I read the letter and found myself adjured with remarkable entreaties in the last little page not to spurn the petitioner, I searched through the books of the Ancients to see what each one said, and I answered you, as it were, with the counsel of many. And immediately on the first page of Genesis I found an exegesis by Origen concerning Melchizedek, in which he discusses the matter in many words and comes to the conclusion that he was an angel. With almost the same arguments your author has employed on the Holy Spirit, he speaks on the heavenly powers. I went on to his follower Didymus, and came to a like result. I turned to Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Emisenus, Apollinaris also, and our Eustathius, who first sang the war trumpet against Arius as the Bishop of Antioch's Church: and I found that all of their opinions, with different arguments and byways, had arrived at one intersection, to say that Melchizedek was a Canaanite man, the king of the city of Jerusalem, which was first called Salem, then Jebus, and finally Jerusalem... I will also give the opinion of the Hebrews... they say that this was Shem, the first son of Noah, and at the time when Abram was born, he was 390 years old, reckoning them thus. After the flood, in the second year, Shem, having lived for 100 years, begot Arphaxad; And after Arphaxad was born, he lived for 500 years, that is, a total of 600 years. And when Arphaxad was thirty-five years old, he begot Salah, who also thirty years old, begot Eber, and we read that Eber begot Peleg at the age of 34. Again, Phaleg, having completed thirty years, begot Rehu: who himself, after his thirty-second year from his birth, begot Serug: of whom, when he had arrived at his thirtieth year, was born Nachor: who, when he was twenty-nine years old, begot Thare: whom we read, at the age of seventy, to have begotten Abram, and Nachor, and Aran. Calculate the number of years through each age, and you will find from the birth of Shem to the generation of Abram, three hundred and ninety years. Now Abraham died in the hundred and seventy-fifth year of his age. By calculation, it is found that Shem, his tenth-degree grandson, survived Abraham by thirty-five years.

(Verse 18.) And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him. Because our work, either the Hebrew Questions or the Collection of Traditions, is once for all, therefore let us infer what the Hebrews think of this. They say that he is the son of Shem, Noah's son; and by calculating the years of his life, they show that he lived until Isaac, and that all the firstborn of Noah, until Aaron assumed the priesthood, were priests. Furthermore, Jerusalem is called the king of Salem, which was previously called Salem. However, blessed Apostle to the Hebrews (VII, 3), mentioning one without a father or mother, refers to Christ, and through Christ to the Church of the Gentiles. For all the glory of the head is referred to the members, because he, having a foreskin, blessed the circumcised Abraham, and in Abraham the Levites, and through the Levites Aaron: from whom later the priesthood. From this he wants to gather that the priesthood of the Church, having a foreskin, blessed the synagogue with the circumcised priesthood. But as he says: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps. CIX, 4): our mystery is signified in the word of the order: not by offering irrational victims through Aaron, but by offering bread and wine: that is, the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

What is conveyed to us by this comment, "the king of Salem and priest of God the most high"? He was, for one thing, king of Salem, the text says. Blessed Paul, after all, said the same in drawing attention to him when writing to the believers among the Hebrews, calling to mind his name and his city of origin. At the same time he plumbed the significance of his name and employed some degree of etymology in saying, "Melchizedek, king of righteousness." You see, in the Hebrew language the word Melchi means "kingdom" and Sedek "righteousness." Then, moving on to the name of the city, he says, "king of peace," Salem after all meaning "peace." On the other hand, he was a priest, possibly self-appointed, this being the way with the priests of the time, you see. So in fact his peers had either accorded him the honor on account of his preeminence in age, or he had made it his business to act as a priest, like Noah, like Abel, like Abraham when they used to offer sacrifices. In a particular manner he was to prove a type of Christ. Hence Paul too understands him in this role in the words "With no father, with no mother, with no family history, lacking beginning of days and end of life, he yet resembles the Son of God and remains a priest forever." How, you ask, is it possible for a person to have no father or mother and to lack beginning of days and end of life? You heard that he was a type; well, neither marvel at this nor expect everything to be found in the type. You see, he would not be a type if he were likely to contain every feature that occurs in reality. So what does the saying mean? It means this: Just as Melchizedek is said to have no father or mother on account of there being no mention of his parents and to have no family history on account of there being no history for him, so too Christ, on account of his having no mother in heaven or father on earth, is said to have no family history and in fact has none.

He not only blessed him but also praised God. In the words "blessed be Abraham by God the most high, who created heaven and earth," he also highlighted to us God's power as distinguished from his creatures. If he in fact is God, Creator of heaven and earth, those worshiped by human beings would not be gods; Scripture says, remember, "Let those gods perish who did not make heaven and earth." The text reads, "Blessed be God, who delivered your enemies into your hands." Notice, I ask you, how he not only celebrates the just man but also acknowledges God's assistance. After all, without grace from above he could not have prevailed over the might of those besetting him. "Who delivered your enemies," the text says, namely, he it is who caused everything, he it is who rendered the strong powerless, he it is who brought down the armed hordes through those unarmed. From that source is the grace coming forth that provides you with such power.