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Melchizedek: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Melchizedek? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

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Melchizedek
Kippelboy via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

In the Hebrew Bible, Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of El Elyon (often translated as "God Most High"). He is mentioned in Genesis 14:18–20, where he brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram (Abraham), following the Battle of the Vale of Siddim and Abram's subsequent rescue of the captives and plunder taken in the battle, and in Psalm 110:4. In Christianity, according to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus Christ is identified as "High priest forever in the order of Melchizedek", and so Jesus assumes the role of High Priest once and for all. Chazalic literature – specifically Targum Jonathan, Targum Yerushalmi, and the Babylonian Talmud – presents his name (מלכי־צדק‎) as a nickname for Shem. Joseph Blenkinsopp has suggested that the story of Melchizedek is an informal insertion into the Genesis narration, possibly inserted in order to give validity to the priesthood and titles connected with the Second Temple. It has also been conjectured that the suffix "-zedek" may have been or become a reference to a Canaanite deity worshipped in Jebusite Jerusalem.

== Name == In the majority of Masoretic Hebrew texts the name is written as two words, Malki-ṣedeq מלכי־צדק‎, rendered...

Quick facts about Melchizedek

  • Full name: Melchizedek
  • Born: -1800-01-0
  • Nationality: Salem
  • Known as: Royal
  • Wikidata ID: Q219395

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Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Melchizedek?

In the Hebrew Bible, Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of El Elyon (often translated as "God Most High").

What nationality is Melchizedek?

Melchizedek is Salem.

When was Melchizedek born?

Melchizedek was born on -1800-01-0.

Sources

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