MELCHIZEDEK
IN THE BIBLE, THE QUMRAN TEXTS (11Q, 1965), AND
THE URANTIA BOOK (1955)
Ángel
Francisco Sánchez-Escobar
INTRODUCTION
As I was
researching to write an article about Melchizedek from an interfaith
perspective as depicted in The Urantia Book (1955) --shortened as UB in
this paper--, I was pondering, how easy it would be for leaders of the
religions of authority to get rid of some of their unnecessarily complex
theological theories about the inspiration to justify that God was the author
of the Bible if only they read the UB. If such was the case, they would
realize, for example, that the matchless Moses had learnt the great lines of
his teachings no through divine inspiration but through his ascendant Katro,
family with whom Melchizedek lived,
The members
of the family of Katro, with whom Melchizedek lived for more than thirty years,
knew many of these higher truths and long perpetuated them in their family,
even to the days of their illustrious descendant Moses, who thus had a
compelling tradition of the days of Melchizedek handed down to him on this, his
father's side, as well as through other sources on his mother's side. (p.1016 -
7)
and we could
also see that his commandments were already delineated by Melchizedek more than
five centuries before. But how could one make these "licensed"
preachers see that the history of Melchizedek ran true when so much research
about the human sources of the Urantia papers is shedding doubts over so many
parts of the book and, at least in the Spanish world, Gardner (1995) is making
more harm than he had ever imagined.
The UB
points to some biblical texts, especially Hebrews for corroboration of this
immensely important personality from the twentieth century B.C.:
But one of
the writers of the Book of Hebrews understood the mission of Melchizedek, for
it is written: "This Melchizedek, priest of the Most High, was also king
of peace; without father, without mother, without pedigree, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life but made like a Son of God, he abides a
priest continually."
Yet, the
revelators, as they usually do, give light to issues that have puzzled
theologians and have brought many confusions:
This writer
designated Melchizedek as a type of the later bestowal of Michael, affirming
that Jesus was "a minister forever on the order of Melchizedek."
While this comparison was not altogether fortunate, it was literally true that
Christ did receive provisional title to Urantia "upon the orders of the
twelve Melchizedek receivers" on duty at the time of his world bestowal.
(p.1024 - 2)
This
enlarging and/or revision of religious data is congruent with what the UB says
about revelations:
Revelation
is evolutionary but always progressive. Down through the ages of a world's
history, the revelations of religion are ever-expanding and successively more
enlightening. It is the mission of revelation to sort and censor the successive
religions of evolution. But if revelation is to exalt and upstep the religions
of evolution, then must such divine visitations portray teachings which are not
too far removed from the thought and reactions of the age in which they are
presented. Thus must and does revelation always keep in touch with evolution.
Always must the religion of revelation be limited by man's capacity of
receptivity. [...] But regardless of apparent connection or derivation, the
religions of revelation are always characterized by a belief in some Deity of
final value and in some concept of the survival of personality identity after
death.{(p.1007 - 1-2)
Thus I
started to analyze the biblical texts in which Melchizedek appears, but then I
discovered an striking first century BC document from Qumran (1947) [1] , and especially thirteen
fragments from Cave 11 (11QMelch from now onwards), discovered in 1956 [2] , ten years after the UB
(1955). The document, as we will see, takes the form of an eschatological
midrash or interpretation on parts of Isaiah and it sees Isaiah's proclamation
of liberty to the captives at the end of days (Isa 61:1) as part of a general
"year of jubilee". I was thrilled at seeing that 11QMelch provided
new information about the figure of Melchizedek in the Old Testament by
depicting him as a heavenly deliverer, as a Son of God, when the Old Testament
featured him not more than a human and the New Testament "like" a Son
of God. This information, although not too accurate if we take the UB as a
background, not only enlarged what we knew about him from the Old Testament,
but also corroborated what the UB says about Melchizedek's being a Son of God.
But the
Qumran texts also led me to other ancients sources finding that this
priest-king of Salem has enjoyed a wide range of interpretation among Jewish,
Christian, and Gnostic writings, some that brought him up to the heights of
heaven, and others-of developing Christian and Jewish orthodoxy-that brought
him down to earth again even omitting him for hidden agendas. This usually
happens when the revelatory religion blends with evolutionary religions. The UB
says about evolutionary religion in contrast with revelatory religion:
On Urantia,
evolutionary and revelatory religion are progressing side by side while they
blend and coalesce into the diversified theologic systems found in the world in
the times of the inditement of these papers. (p.1010 - 6)
The book
also adds:
Evolutionary
religion is sentimental, not logical. It is man's reaction to belief in a
hypothetical ghost-spirit world--the human belief-reflex, excited by the
realization and fear of the unknown. Revelatory religion is propounded by the
real spiritual world; it is the response of the superintellectual cosmos to the
mortal hunger to believe in, and depend upon, the universal Deities.
Evolutionary religion pictures the circuitous gropings of humanity in quest of
truth; revelatory religion is that very truth. (p.1007 - 3)
Thus this
paper is an attempt to analyze biblical and ancient references about
Melchizedek and to see them from the perspective of the UB as their writers
"sort and censor" the data about this personality, whose importance
for our planet is seen in the fact that the word "Melchizedek" appears
313 times and "Melchizedeks" 111 times in The Urantia Book. This
surprisingly contrasts with the Bible where "Melchizedek" is quoted
twice in the Old Testament and nine times -all of them in Hebrews-in the New
Testament.
In fact,
11QMelch reveals fragmentary material about Melchizedek and his relationship
with other superhuman personalities unknown to that moment, but which we
already knew through the UB. Yet the information this first B.C. Qumran
document offers is confusing, ambiguous, and contradictory. For example,
besides being considered as a heavenly redeemer Melchizedek is portrait as
Michael himself or even the Archangel Michael. This is probably due to the fact
that the information about Melchizedek was transmitted through oral tradition
having cut off from the Old Testament until the author of Hebrews expressed it
in writing. This is what the UB says:
The teaching
of Melchizedek was full and replete, but the records of these days seemed
impossible and fantastic to the later Hebrew priests, although many had some
understanding of these transactions, at least up to the times of the en
masse editing of the Old Testament records in Babylon. (p.1023 - 3)
The national
ego of the Jews was tremendously depressed by the Babylonian captivity. In
their reaction against national inferiority they swung to the other extreme of
national and racial egotism, in which they distorted and perverted their
traditions with the view of exalting themselves above all races as the chosen
people of God; and hence they carefully edited all their records for the
purpose of raising Abraham and their other national leaders high up above all
other persons, not excepting Melchizedek himself. The Hebrew scribes therefore destroyed
every record of these momentous times which they could find, preserving
only the narrative of the meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek after the battle
of Siddim, which they deemed reflected great honor upon Abraham. (p.1023 - 6)
Thus let us
see Melchizedek in the Bible, the Qumran scrolls, as they partially echoed the
records destroyed about him, and other ancient sources, and how the UB gives
light to them all.
I
MELCHIZEDEK IN THE BIBLE
Melchizedek
appears in the Bible as a mysterious personality, nobody knowing where he comes
from or where he is going to. Melchizedek is first mentioned in the Old
Testament at Genesis 14:18-20, composed around tenth century B.C.:
18 And
Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest
of the most high God.
19 And he
blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram [3] of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And
blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.
And he gave him tithes of all.
Genesis
14:17-24 narrates that Abraham upon his victorious return from a battle, was
met by the king of Sodom, who was eager to reward Abraham for coming to his and
his allies' aid. The narrative is interrupted by an enigmatic insertion (14:18-20)
featuring "Melchizedek king of Salem," "priest of God Most
High". Melchizedek "brought out bread and wine" and, in the
exercise of his priesthood, blessed Abraham in the name of God Most High or the
Most High God (Hebrew 'el "elyn), a synonym for the God of Israel, whose
personal name is YHVH (Ps 7:17; 21:7; 46:4). Abraham then gave Melchizedek a
tithe of his booty, a custom practiced in early times, as an act of devotion or
recognition of Melchizedek's authority as Melchizedek, who presided over the
city of Salem, believed in and served the God of Abraham, prior to the
patriarch's arrival in the promised land. We know that Salem (peace) is a
reference to Jerusalem (habitation of peace), the city David chose as his
capital when Hebron was too far south for his united kingdom. It should be kept
in mind that Jerusalem in the time of Abraham was inhabited by the Jebusites [4] , a tribe of Canaanites, which
probably descended from the Hittites and Amorites. Also two distinct deities
--Elyon and Zedek-- are found in the Canaanite/Phoenecian pantheon. Thus, the
name Melchizedek (qdc_iklm) can be translated as "righteous king" or
"my king is justice", as corroborated by Heb:2, and, paying attention
to the suffix "dk", as "My King is (the god) Zedek" (Tau
Apiryon and Helena, 1995; Delcor, 1971: 116-117).
Serving the
true Creator God, Melchizedek became a type of the Davidic kings. In Psalm
110:4, the only other Old Testament occurrence of the name Melchizedek, we
read:
4 The LORD
has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek." [5]
In this
Psalm we understand that Melchizedek is a priest, not from the tribe of Levi
(the tribe of priests), but from a more ancient order of reality, a special
category, under divine appointment.
But there is
nothing in these Old Testament texts to suggest that Melchizedek is more than
human, yet we find suggestions of this Melchizedek's condition in the New
Testament, in the Epistle to the Hebrews (5:6-10; 6:20; 7:1-17):
Hebrews 5:
6-10:
6 As he
saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek.
7 Who in the
days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard
in that he feared;
8 Though he
were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being
made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
him;
10 Called of
God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
In Hebrews
6: 20,
20 Whither
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:
1-17:
1 For this
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham
returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
2 To whom
also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3 Without
father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor
end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
4 Now
consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoils.
5 And verily
they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood,
have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is,
of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
6 But he
whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed
him that had the promises.
7 And
without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
8 And here
men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is
witnessed that he liveth.
9 And as I
may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
10 For he
was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.
11 If
therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people
received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise
after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
12 For the
priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
13 For he of
whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave
attendance at the altar.
14 For it is
evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing
concerning priesthood.
15 And it is
yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedec there
ariseth another priest,
16 Who is
made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an
endless life.
17 For he
testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec.
In these
quotes, Melchizedek is being described as more than human. He is interpreted as
a type of the "high priest" "for ever" (Heb 5:6,10) of the
New Covenant, Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 7:3, which has become the basis for most
Christian interpretation of the figure of Melchizedek, we read that Melchizedek
was "made like unto the Son of God" or "like the Son of
God" "forever" or "continually" as other versions of
this same passage state:
3 We are not
told that he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is
like the Son of God and will be a priest forever. (NIV)
3 without
father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life, but made like unto the Son of God), abideth a priest continually.
(ASV)
3 We are not
told that he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is
like the Son of God and will be a priest forever. (CEV)
Nevertheless
the way I read this verse is that Melchizedek "resembles" the Son of
God. It does not clearly say he is a Son of God, like the Qumran texts declares
and the UB corroborates. Yet, we also see that Melchizedek's priesthood is
superior to that of the "descendants of Levi" (Heb. 7:5), thus
foreshadowing the priesthood of the Son of God.
It is also
puzzling that in more than five centuries, from Psalm 110:4 to Hebrews, we
didn't have any mention of Melchizedek, and then in the Epistle we discover
Melchizedek to be almost a supernatural being, which caused to be seen as such
by the time of Jesus: he has no known genealogy, so he has no beginning; the
psalm declares him to be a priest forever, so he must be immortal; Abraham
submitted to him, so he must be greater than a man. In Hebrews, Jesus is
featured as the fulfiller of the prophesy of Psalm 110. Through his death on
the cross Jesus becomes the inheritor of Melchizedek's ministry and becomes the
perfect and eternal high priest of God. These things combined surely gave rise
to the notion of a heavenly Melchizedek in perpetual service to Yahweh but
also, as we will seen, as Christ to be a reincarnation of Christ.
But surely,
as already mentioned, there must have been an oral tradition, collected by
Essenes before Hebrews, which was the source for all this speculation about
Melchizedek.
II
MELCHIZEDEK IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS 11QMELCHIZEDEK (11Q13): SOME INTERPRETATIONS
The Dead Sea
Scroll 11QMelch has become such an important witness to pre-Christian Jewish
speculation on Melchizedek [6] that it has had many
interpretations. Let us see some of them to have a better picture of what this
fragmentary Hebrew text says. Thus, according to Kobelski (1981: pp. 5-23),
Melchizedek is featured as a heavenly end-time redeemer, with attributes of the
archangel Michael. He appears in the tenth and final jubilee of world history
to rescue the elect, the "men of the lot of Melchizedek", doing
battle with Belial and his fellow evil spirits. Melchizedek's triumph is
described as a high-priestly act of "expiation".
Hebrew
Streams abstracting
from different sources (Geza Vermes, 1997: 500; Michael Wise, Martin Abegg,
Edward Cook, 1996: 455; and Carol Newsom, 1985: 37), complementing with other
Qumran texts, sees the author of the 11QMelch featuring Melchizedek as having
heavenly origins and being the chief angelic priest, yet we remain without
knowing how divine he is or how close he is to God [7] :
The author
of 11 QMelch says that the agent of the future jubilee salvation will be a
heavenly deliverer: Melchizedek. In this text, he is an exalted divine being,
to whom are applied biblical titles generally reserved for God alone: the
Hebrew nouns El and Elohim (though they are also applied to angelic or divine
beings a few times.) The mysterious king-priest of Shalem stands in the place
of God in the final judgment.
In the
author's citation of Isaiah 61:2 (which speaks of "the year of the LORD's
favor") the name Melchizedek is substituted for YHVH, the name of Israel's
God. Also, Melchizedek is said to atone for the sins of the righteous and to
execute judgment upon the wicked's actions usually associated with God himself.
The author also quotes Psalm 82:1 ("Elohim stands in the council of
El") but inserts "Melchizedek" in place of "Elohim"
(God). [...]
Melchizedek
[...] also presides over the final judgment and condemnation of his demonic
counterpart: Belial, Satan, the Prince of Darkness. In other documents from
Qumran this being is called "Melchiresha." His name Melchi-resha
("king of wickedness/wicked king") darkly mirrors that Melchi-zedek
(4Q280 "Curses of Melchiresha"; 4Q544 "Testament of
Amram"). (The spelling "Melchi-" versus the Hebrew
"Malchi-" is due to the influence of the Septuagint Greek Bible on
English spellings.)
In the
mystical Qumran documents known as "Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice"
(originally called "The Angelic Liturgy"), Melchizedek appears to be
a superior angel. The texts are broken up too badly to be sure of this
identification (4Q401 11:3; 22:3). But what is certain is that the
"Songs" depict a hierarchy of angelic priests who serve in the
heavenly temple. They are surrounded by other divine beings known as elim or
elohim (gods, divine beings) or holy ones, spirits, princes, and ministers.
In the
so-called "War Scroll" (1QM 13:10; 16:6-8; 17:7), Melchizedek appears
to be the archangel Michael, who is "the prince of light" (1QM
13:10-11; cf. 1QS 2:20-22; CD 5:17-19) and "the angel of [God's]
truth" (1QS 3:24).
Delcor
(1971: 124-125) states that in 11QMelch:
Melchizedek
appears as an eschatological saviour who has a heritage. His mission is to
bring back at the end of days the exiles to announce to them their liberation
and the expiation of their sins. The fragment here takes up in part Is. 61,1
which Luke applies to Jesus (cf. Luke 4,18), Melchizedek appears as a celestial
being who stand in the assembly of God and on this occasion will judge among
the heavenly ones. He participates in the vengeance of the judgment of God.
Here we find (though with some modifications) taken up Ps, 82,1 and Is.,61,2.
Melchizedek is helped by the celestial armies in his struggle against Belial
and his angels.
There are
other references by scholars on the Melchizedek priesthood in the Dead Sea
Scrolls [8] :
Florentino
Garcia Martinez (1966) states that "Elohim will stand up in the assembly
of God, in the midst of the gods he judges... all the sons of God, and he will
preside over this assembly..." [called "the sons of justice"],
and Melchizedek himself will free them [the deniers, or the
"rebels"], from Belial. So Melchizedek takes the lead in helping the
rebellious ones repent and come back to the "Zion" of God in the Dead
Sea Scroll texts (p. 139f).
John J.
Collins (1995) says that the "sons of El", are, to be sure,
"most often heavenly beings in the Hebrew Bible, examples include Genesis 6,
Psalms 82, Deut. 32:8-9..." (p. 161). Collins also notes that Melchizedek
in 11QMelch is called "Michael, Melchizedek, and the Prince of Light were
three names for the same figure." (p. 176).
S. Van Der
Woude (1965) discusses the heavenly Melchizedek and his prominent place, as
well as the close ties with The Archangel Michael. He also deals with the
assembly of the Gods and their discussion among themselves.
In short,
among other attributes, Melchizedek is called a "heavenly deliverer, a
"divine or celestial being" who "execute(s) judgment upon the
wicked's actions", who "presides over the final judgement of his
demonic counterpart", who is the Archangel Michael or even Michael
himself. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is described as the eschatological judge of
the last days (Acts 17:31; 10:42 and John 5:27 [9] ).
III
MELCHIZEDEK: OTHER ANCIENT SOURCES
Pearson,
also drawing from different references (Charlesworth, 1983; Delcor, 1971:
15-35; Gianotto, 1984; Gruenewald, 1970: 88-98; Horton, 1976; Kobelski 1981;
Pearson, 1990) lists several ancient sources speculating about Melchizedek:
Philo, a
first-century Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, in three writings (Legum
Allegoriae 3.79-82; De Congressu 89; De Abrahamo 235) interprets the text of
Genesis in a Platonic-allegorical fashion, seeing in Melchizedek a reference to
the divine Logos, the thought of God in which the pattern of all existing
things is conceived and the "image" of God according to which man was
created.
In 2 Enoch
(Alexandria, around first century A.D.) a child is born miraculously to Noah's
recently deceased sister-in-law, and the child, marked on his chest with a
priestly seal, speaks and praises God. The boy is named Melchizedek by Noah and
his brother Nir, whose wife had been posthumously delivered. In a night vision
Nir is told of the impending flood; he is also informed that the archangel
Michael will bring Melchizedek to paradise, thus enabling him to escape the
flood waters. Melchizedek will eventually become the chief of priests among the
people, and in the end of days he will be revealed yet another time as the
chief priest. In this text, Melchizedek has three different earthly
manifestations: born before the Flood, serving in the postdiluvian age as a
great priest, and functioning in the end-time as a messianic priest.
A
fragmentary text from Nag Hammadi [10] contains an apocalypse given
by angels to Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High." It is revealed
to Melchizedek that he will ultimately reappear as Jesus Christ, Son of God, to
do battle with the cosmic forces of darkness. Here we can see influence not only
from the Epistle to the Hebrew but also from non-Christian lore.
In the
Second Book of Jeu, "Zorokothora Melchizedek" is a heavenly priest
who presides over a heavenly baptism. No trace of Hebrew is found in this text.
The most
developed levels of speculation on Melchizedek, also lacking any influence from
Hebrews, are found in Pistis Sophia, Book 4, in which Melchizedek plays a key
role in the process of purifying human souls for entry into the "Treasury
of Light" and transferring them from the domain of the archons, or earthly
rulers, to that heavenly region. The younger material in books 1-3 of Pistis
Sophia develops these ideas further: Melchizedek is a heavenly being who seals
the saved souls upon their entry into the realm of light.
The church
fathers attest to several heterodox ideas associated with Melchizedek.
Hippolytus of Rome (Refutatio 7.35-36) and Epiphanius of Salamis (Panarion 55)
are the most important witnesses to a group of heretics called Melchizedekians.
They had a low Christology and exalted Melchizedek as a heavenly power superior
to Christ. Others equated Melchizedek with the Holy Spirit (Panarion 67), and
some "even in the true church" (i.e., not "heretics")
naively regarded Melchizedek as the Son of God (Panarion 55.7.3). The later
view seems also to have been present among the monasteries of Egypt
(Apophthegmata Patrum, in Patrologia Graeca 65.160) and was even defended in a
treatise on Melchizedek by a fifth-century resident of the Judean desert, Mark
the Hermit (PG 65.1117-40). Such views were eventually overcome by
teacher-bishops such as Cyril of Alexandria (PG 65.160).
On the
Jewish side, while early rabbis continued to speculate on Melchizedek's role in
scripture (e.g., equating him with Shem, son of Noah; cf. b. Nedarim 32b; Midrash
Gen. R. 44.7; Targum Ps.-J. Gen. 14:18), a major stream of rabbinic tradition
viewed Melchizedek negatively, a fact that indicates some Jewish sensitivity to
the use of Melchizedek traditions by Christians (Gianotto, pp. 172-85).
Furthermore,
Dionysius calls Him "the hierarchy most beloved of God"; Tertullian
says that Melchizedek is a "celestial virtue of great grace who does for
heavenly angels and virtues what Christ does for man"; once in the
Babylonian Talmud, he is pictured as the judge of the last days (Sukkah 52b).
As we see, again, Melchizedek is described as a heavenly being, the Divine
Logos, and as messianic judge-priest of the end of the day who will reappear as
Jesus Christ to fight against the forces of darkness.
IV
MELCHIZEDEK: A PREVIOUS REINCARNATION OF JESUS?
There has
been a lot of speculation about Melchizedek's being a previous reincarnation of
Jesus based on the Book of Hebrews' not treating him as an ordinary man and on
strong parallels between Melchizedek and Jesus. Besides this Biblical evidence,
supporters of this theory base themselves on other data resulting from the
discoveries of early Christian texts in 1945 and the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.
As we will see the UB teaches that the Melchizedek's Thought Adjuster inhabited
Jesus -or Michael--.
Regarding
the identical characteristics of Melchizedek and Jesus, they say that both are
Sons of God (Luke 3:38, Heb. 7:3, Mark 1:1); they have the same order of
priesthood --priest of the God Most High of the Order of Melchizedek-- (Gen
14:18; Psalm 110:4; Heb. 5:6); identical symbol of rule --the scepter-- (Gen.
49:10; Heb. 1:8); identical right to rule -they were appointed by God, did not
depend upon genealogy as the Aaronic priesthood did; identical title
--"King of Peace-- (Heb. 7:2; Isaiah 9:6); identical term of priesthood
-eternal-- (Heb. 7:3; 5:6); identical age --pre-existent-- (Heb. 7:3; Micah
5:2); identical association with Abraham (Gen. 14:18-19; John 8:56-59); they
are also one spirit who incarnated many times and who transcended death (Heb.
7:23); they have an identical use of ritualistic symbols of bread and wine
(Gen. 14:18; Matt. 26:26-29); identical title -the Annointed One-- (Heb. 1:9;
Acts 4:25-26).
Yet the NT
says Melchizedek was like the Son of God; it does not say he was the Son of
God. Also the author of Hebrews adamantly distinguishes the two priests: Yeshua
--not Melchizedek-- is the one and only High Priest who "abides
forever" and "holds his priesthood permanently" (Heb 7:24).
Though the author sees parallels between them, he nowhere suggests they are one
in the same person. Melchizedek was "made like the Son of God" (7:3).
He does not say he was the Son of God.
Reincarnationists
also base themselves on Christian Gnostic scriptures discovered in 1945 which
affirm that Melchizedek and Jesus to be different incarnations of the same
soul; on above mentioned ancient texts, discovered also in 1945 in Upper Egypt,
which reveal that the early Christians and Jews believed that Melchizedek was a
previous reincarnation of Jesus the Messiah; on the Dead Sea Scrolls,
discovered two years later which revealed the Messiah to be a reincarnation of
Melchizedek: the Essenes believed in the doctrine of pre-existence and
reincarnation and appeared to have been influenced by Gnosticism; and on
evidences provided by the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus who
stated that the Pharisees were believers in reincarnation.
The belief
that Melchizedek was, as we have seen, the Messiah was a strongly held
conviction among the Qumran community, as well as among some other Jewish and
Gnostic sects in the first century A.D. This seemingly becomes apparent in
11QMelch about the coming of Melchizedek as the Messiah. Also, some disciples
of Jesus apparently believed he was even Melchizedek reincarnated, or in later
Christian terms, Melchizedek was "the preincarnate manifestation" of
the Messiah. [11]
From what we
have in the Qumran documents we can easily conclude, as UB confirms, that
Melchizedek's was far more prominent than we had supposed, and the reason why
we haven't known this is because, as the Bible scholars tell us, it had been
expunged from the Bible. In light of this, an interesting analysis was
published by, of all people, Frank Moore Cross (1985: 4), who noted that when
the Bible was put together by the later councils of the church, "the
rabbi's selected preferred texts" [...] while excluding "wholly other
works with claims of sacred status [...] books attributed to prophets or
patriarchs before Moses were excluded: the Enoch literature and works written
in the name of Abraham and other Patriarchs."
V THE
URANTIA BOOK AND MELCHIZEDEK
Paraphrasing
the beginning quote about revelation, we can say that the mission of revelation
is to sort and censor and to exalt and upstep the successive religions of
evolution. Let us see the way the UB does this regarding what we have just seen
in the Bible, the Qumran documents, and other ancient sources.
1. Machiventa Melchizedek: A
divine being, a Son of God
In the UB we
read that the order of Melchizedeks are Local Universe Sons of God (p. 223-15);
they are divine Sons:
The
Melchizedeks are the first order of divine Sons to approach sufficiently
near the lower creature life to be able to function directly in the ministry of
mortal uplift, to serve the evolutionary races without the necessity of
incarnation. These Sons are naturally at the mid-point of the great personality
descent, by origin being just about midway between the highest Divinity and the
lowest creature life of will endowment. They thus become the natural
intermediaries between the higher and divine levels of living existence and the
lower, even the material, forms of life on the evolutionary worlds. The
seraphic orders, the angels, delight to work with the Melchizedeks; in fact,
all forms of intelligent life find in these Sons understanding friends,
sympathetic teachers, and wise counselors. (p. 385 - 4)
But with the
Adamic default this regime, extending over a period of more than four hundred
and fifty thousand years, came to an end. In the spiritual spheres, angelic
helpers continued to struggle in conjunction with the Thought Adjusters, both
working heroically for the salvage of the individual; but no comprehensive plan
for far-reaching world welfare was promulgated to the mortals of earth until
the arrival of Machiventa Melchizedek, in the times of Abraham, who, with the
power, patience, and authority of a Son of God, did lay the foundations
for the further uplift and spiritual rehabilitation of unfortunate Urantia.
(p.852 - 5)
2. The Most High
Melchizedek
arrived in Urantia as a priest of El Elyon, the Most High, the Father of the
Constellation of Edentia -a Vorondadek--,
Every
quarantined or isolated world has a Vorondadek Son acting as an observer. He
does not participate in planetary administration except when ordered by the
Constellation Father to intervene in the affairs of the nations. Actually it is
this Most High observer who "rules in the kingdoms of men." Urantia
is one of the isolated worlds of Norlatiadek, and a Vorondadek observer has
been stationed on the planet ever since the Caligastia betrayal. When
Machiventa Melchizedek ministered in semimaterial form on Urantia, he paid
respectful homage to the Most High observer then on duty, as it is written,
"And Melchizedek, king of Salem, was the priest of the Most High."
Melchizedek revealed the relations of this Most High observer to Abraham when
he said, "And blessed be the Most High, who has delivered your enemies
into your hand." (p. 491 - 13)
Nevertheless,
Mechizedek allowed the rank of the followers to associate the Most High to God,
Melchizedek
taught the concept of one God, a universal Deity, but he allowed the people
to associate this teaching with the Constellation Father of Norlatiadek,
whom he termed El Elyon--the Most High. Melchizedek remained all but silent as
to the status of Lucifer and the state of affairs on Jerusem. Lanaforge, the
System Sovereign, had little to do with Urantia until after the completion of
Michael's bestowal. To a majority of the Salem students Edentia was heaven and
the Most High was God. (p.1016 - 4)
The UB talks
about this generalized confusion existing on Urantia about celestial beings,
Down through
the ages there has been great confusion on Urantia regarding the various
universe rulers. Many later teachers confused their vague and indefinite
tribal deities with the Most High Fathers. Still later, the Hebrews merged all
of these celestial rulers into a composite Deity. One teacher understood that
the Most Highs were not the Supreme Rulers, for he said, "He who dwells in
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty." In the Urantia records it is very difficult at times to know
exactly who is referred to by the term "Most High." But Daniel fully
understood. (p.488 - 6)
One of the greatest
sources of confusion on Urantia concerning the nature of God grows out of
the failure of your sacred books clearly to distinguish between the
personalities of the Paradise Trinity and between Paradise Deity and the local
universe creators and administrators. During the past dispensations of partial
understanding, your priests and prophets failed clearly to differentiate
between Planetary Princes, System Sovereigns, Constellation Fathers, Creator
Sons, Superuniverse Rulers, the Supreme Being, and the Universal Father. Many
of the messages of subordinate personalities, such as Life Carriers and various
orders of angels, have been, in your records, presented as coming from God
himself. Urantian religious thought still confuses the associate personalities
of Deity with the Universal Father himself, so that all are included under one
appellation. (p.60 - 1)
3. The UB
and the Bible
The UB
explains the circumstances why a Melchizedek, an emergency Son (p.389 - 1),
came to Urantia in the time of Abraham,
The
Melchizedek who lived on Urantia during the time of Abraham was locally known
as Prince of Salem because he presided over a small colony of truth seekers
residing at a place called Salem. He volunteered to incarnate in the likeness
of mortal flesh and did so with the approval of the Melchizedek receivers of
the planet, who feared that the light of life would become extinguished during
that period of increasing spiritual darkness. And he did foster the truth of
his day and safely pass it on to Abraham and his associates. (p.389 - 4)
and chose
Palestine:
The choice
of Palestine as the site for Machiventa's activities was in part predicated
upon the desire to establish contact with some human family embodying the
potentials of leadership. At the time of the incarnation of Melchizedek there
were many families on earth just as well prepared to receive the doctrine of
Salem as was that of Abraham. There were equally endowed families among
the red men, the yellow men, and the descendants of the Andites to the west and
north. But, again, none of these localities were so favorably situated for
Michael's subsequent appearance on earth as was the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean Sea. The Melchizedek mission in Palestine and the subsequent
appearance of Michael among the Hebrew people were in no small measure determined
by geography, by the fact that Palestine was centrally located with reference
to the then existent trade, travel, and civilization of the world. (p.1018
- 7)
The papers
also fill in the missing gaps we find in Genesis 14, about the relationship
between Abraham and Melchizedek:
When
Melchizedek heard of Abraham's declaration of war, he went forth to dissuade
him but only caught up with his former disciple as he returned victorious from
the battle. Abraham insisted that the God of Salem had given him victory over
his enemies and persisted in giving a tenth of his spoils to the Salem
treasury. The other ninety per cent he removed to his capital at Hebron. P.1020
- 2
Melchizedek,
the visible Son of God, finally persuaded Abraham "to abandon his scheme
of material conquest and temporal rule in favor of the spiritual concept of the
kingdom of heaven. (P.1020 - 4)" and made with him a covenant which
represented "This covenant of Melchizedek with Abraham represents the
great Urantian agreement between divinity and humanity whereby God agrees to do
everything; man only agrees to believe God's promises and follow his
instructions. Heretofore it had been believed that salvation could be secured
only by works--sacrifices and offerings; now, Melchizedek again brought to
Urantia the good news that salvation, favor with God, is to be had by faith.
But this gospel of simple faith in God was too advanced; the Semitic tribesmen
subsequently preferred to go back to the older sacrifices and atonement for sin
by the shedding of blood. (p.1020 - 7
and give
light to the above mentioned offer of bread and wine by Melchizedek, later also
used by Jesus --as a substitution of sacrifices on animals--:
While no
sacrifices were permitted within the colony, Melchizedek well knew how
difficult it is to suddenly uproot long-established customs and accordingly had
wisely offered these people the substitute of a sacrament of bread and wine
for the older sacrifice of flesh and blood. It is of record,
"Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine." But even
this cautious innovation was not altogether successful; the various tribes all
maintained auxiliary centers on the outskirts of Salem where they offered
sacrifices and burnt offerings. Even Abraham resorted to this barbarous
practice after his victory over Chedorlaomer; he simply did not feel quite at
ease until he had offered a conventional sacrifice. And Melchizedek never did
succeed in fully eradicating this proclivity to sacrifice from the religious
practices of his followers, even of Abraham. (p.1018 - 3
The UB also
explains the reason for the confusion about "forever after the order of
Melchizedek",
Melchizedek
taught that at some future time another Son of God would come in the flesh as
he had come, but that he would be born of a woman; and that is why numerous
later teachers held that Jesus was a priest, or minister, "forever after
the order of Melchizedek." (p.1017 - 1)
and why he
ended of his bestowal on Urantia:
It was
shortly after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that Machiventa decided to
end his emergency bestowal on Urantia. Melchizedek's decision to terminate his
sojourn in the flesh was influenced by numerous conditions, chief of which was
the growing tendency of the surrounding tribes, and even of his immediate
associates, to regard him as a demigod, to look upon him as a supernatural
being, which indeed he was; but they were beginning to reverence him unduly and
with a highly superstitious fear. In addition to these reasons, Melchizedek
wanted to leave the scene of his earthly activities a sufficient length of time
before Abraham's death to insure that the truth of the one and only God would
become strongly established in the minds of his followers. Accordingly
Machiventa retired one night to his tent at Salem, having said good night to
his human companions, and when they went to call him in the morning, he was not
there, for his fellows had taken him. (P.1022 - 3)
Notice that this confirms all
the speculation about him in the Qumran documents. As I have stated, its author
must have collected through the existing oral tradition since Melchizedek's
bestowal on Urantia nineteen centuries earlier.
4.
Melchizedek as a eschatological saviors/judge of the last days
The UB does
not say anything about this redeeming role of Melchizedek to judge the wicked
and Belial o Satan - "He remained all but silent as to the status of
Lucifer" (p.1016 - 4)--, yet it says about his present and future
condition, which, along with what it states about the source of confusion
Urantians usually have, can give an explanation of why he was mistaken with
Michael, our Creator Son. On the one side, the UB records that Machiventa had
told his followers about Michael,
And thus, in
losing sight of Melchizedek, they also lost sight of the teaching of this
emergency Son regarding the spiritual mission of the promised bestowal Son;
lost sight of the nature of this mission so fully and completely that very few
of their progeny were able or willing to recognize and receive Michael when
he appeared on earth and in the flesh as Machiventa had foretold. (p.1024 -
1)
probably
mentioned his present and future status to a few of his followers and his
future possibility to act in behalf of Michael or represent Michael,
Machiventa
Melchizedek, the only Son of this order to bestow himself upon the Urantia
races. While still numbered as a Melchizedek, he has become "forever a
minister of the Most Highs," eternally assuming the assignment of service
as a mortal ascender, having sojourned on Urantia in the likeness of mortal
flesh at Salem in the days of Abraham. This Melchizedek has latterly been
proclaimed vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia with headquarters on Jerusem
and authority to act in behalf of Michael, who is actually the Planetary
Prince of the world whereon he experienced his terminal bestowal in human form.
(p.514 - 6 14).
The Thought
Adjuster.... Vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia ... and thus " It is
our belief that, as long as Urantia remains an inhabited planet, Machiventa
Melchizedek will not be fully returned to the duties of his order of sonship
but will remain, speaking in the terms of time, forever a planetary minister representing
Christ Michael. (p.1025 - 1
as well as
his future role in the final days:
When such an
era is attained on your world [when settled in light and life], no doubt
Machiventa Melchizedek, now the vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia, will
occupy the seat of the Planetary Sovereign.( p.632 - 2)
But it is
Michael who has the power to end a dispensation:
Gabriel and
the archangel hosts moved to the place of the spiritual polarity of the planet;
and when Gabriel gave the signal, there flashed to the first of the system
mansion worlds the voice of Gabriel, saying: "By the mandate of Michael,
let the dead of a Urantia dispensation rise!" Then all the survivors
of the human races of Urantia who had fallen asleep since the days of Adam, and
who had not already gone on to judgment, appeared in the resurrection halls of
mansonia in readiness for morontia investiture. (p.2024 - 4)
However, we
are that told that "as acting Planetary Prince he would undoubtedly
continue in charge of the planet until the final adjudication of the Lucifer
rebellion and probably on into the distant future of planetary settlement in
light and life. (p.1251 - 2
Yet, what
the Qumran scrolls say is not too far from reality since the Melchizedeks
accompany the Avonal or magisterial Sons,
The Avonals
are known as Magisterial Sons because they are the high magistrates of the
realms, the adjudicators of the successive dispensations of the worlds of
time. They preside over the awakening of the sleeping survivors, sit in
judgment on the realm, bring to an end a dispensation of suspended justice,
execute the mandates of an age of probationary mercy, reassign the space
creatures of planetary ministry to the tasks of the new dispensation, and
return to the headquarters of their local universe upon the completion of their
mission. (p.226 - 1)
In all their
work for and on the inhabited worlds, the Magisterial Sons are assisted by
two orders of local universe creatures, the Melchizedeks and the archangels,
while on bestowal missions they are also accompanied by the Brilliant Evening
Stars, likewise of origin in the local creations. In every planetary effort the
secondary Paradise Sons, the Avonals, are supported by the full power and
authority of a primary Paradise Son, the Creator Son of their local universe of
service. To all intents and purposes their work on the inhabited spheres is
just as effective and acceptable as would have been the service of a Creator
Son upon such worlds of mortal habitation. (p.225 - 8)
And then be
confused by the Archangel Michael, who is not other than the archangel of
Michael or the archangel of the resurrection:
Two senior
archangels are always assigned as the personal aids of a Paradise Avonal on all
planetary missions, whether involving judicial actions, magisterial missions,
or bestowal incarnations. When this Paradise Son has finished the judgment of a
realm and the dead are called to record (the so-called resurrection), it is
literally true that the seraphic guardians of the slumbering personalities
respond to "the voice of the archangel." The roll call of a
dispensation termination is promulgated by an attendant archangel. This is
the archangel of the resurrection, sometimes referred to as the "archangel
of Michael." (p.409 - 3)
5.
Melchizedek as a reincarnation of Michael or Jesus
The UB,
which does not accept the theory of reincarnation, gives a different
explanation: Melchizedek's Thought Adjuster, because of the experience he has
accumulated, indwelt Michael (Jesus) when he was in mortal flesh:
This
incarnated Melchizedek received a Thought Adjuster, who indwelt his
superhuman personality as the monitor of time and the mentor of the flesh, thus
gaining that experience and practical introduction to Urantian problems and to
the technique of indwelling an incarnated Son which enabled this spirit of the
Father to function so valiantly in the human mind of the later Son of God,
Michael, when he appeared on earth in the likeness of mortal flesh. And
this is the only Thought Adjuster who ever functioned in two minds on Urantia,
but both minds were divine as well as human. (p. 1016 - 1)
The
activities of Adjusters in your local universe are directed by the Personalized
Adjuster of Michael of Nebadon, that very Monitor who guided him step by step
when he lived his human life in the flesh of Joshua ben Joseph. Faithful to his
trust was this extraordinary Adjuster, and wisely did this valiant Monitor
direct the human nature, ever guiding the mortal mind of the Paradise Son in
the choosing of the path of the Father's perfect will. This Adjuster had
previously served with Machiventa Melchizedek in the days of Abraham and
had engaged in tremendous exploits both previous to this indwelling and between
these bestowal experiences. (p.1200 - 4)
SOME CONCLUSIONS
I believe
that our analysis of the 11QMech fragment (1956/1965), helped by the
examination of other biblical and extra biblical texts, against The Urantia
Book (1955) has shown that, even though Melchizedek was practically purged
from the Bible for whatever reason, that Melchizedek's personality and
consideration as a God, was alive in oral tradition until it was collected by
the writer of this fragment Qumran text with many confusions and by Hebrew in a
much limited manner. Yet, all this information, enrichingly and enlightening
organized was presented by The Urantia Book before the document was found.
But why
would a divine Son of God come to our planet? It is logical to think that he
came to upstep the religion of revelation by bringing the human of those ages
news from God and his plan of salvation. The UB says that he "came to
achieve two tasks: to keep alive on earth the truth of the one God and to
prepare the way for the subsequent mortal bestowal of a Paradise Son of that
Universal Father. (p.1018 - 4).
In the midst
of polytheism, Melchizedek came to teach the doctrine of one God,
Melchizedek
taught his followers all they had capacity to receive and assimilate. Even many
modern religious ideas about heaven and earth, of man, God, and angels, are not
far removed from these teachings of Melchizedek. But this great teacher
subordinated everything to the doctrine of one God, a universe Deity, a
heavenly Creator, a divine Father. (p.1016 - 8)
and set the
way for a Michael, a Paradise Son:
And thus did
Melchizedek prepare the way and set the monotheistic stage of world tendency
for the bestowal of an actual Paradise Son of the one God, whom he so vividly
portrayed as the Father of all, and whom he represented to Abraham as a God who
would accept man on the simple terms of personal faith. And Michael, when he
appeared on earth, confirmed all that Melchizedek had taught concerning the
Paradise Father. (p.1017 - 2)
But also, to
return to the initial consideration about Melchizedek and interfaith which
propelled this paper, and knowing, according The Urantia Book, that all
main religions in the Orient (India, China, Tibet), the Levant (Mesopotamia,
Egypt, Iran., Arabia), and the Occident (Greek, Rome) originated in the
teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek, it is not difficult to understand why
nowadays all religions have the concept of oneness at their core and why
theologians have to redefine their complex framework about the concept of
revelation.
APPENDIX:
DEAD SEA SCROLLS TEXT: THE COMING OF MELCHIZEDEK [11Q13][12]
Col.2
(...) And
concerning what Scripture says, "In this year of Jubilee you shall return,
everyone f you, to your property" (Lev. 25;13) And what is also written;
"And this is the manner of the remission; every creditor shall remit the
claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a
member of the community, because God's remission has been proclaimed"
(Deut.15;2) the interpretation is that it applies to the Last Days and concerns
the captives, just as Isaiah said: "To proclaim the Jubilee to the
captives" (Isa. 61;1) (...) just as (...) and from the inheritance of
Melchizedek, for (... Melchizedek) , who will return them to what is rightfully
theirs. He will proclaim to them the Jubilee, thereby releasing them from the
debt of all their sins. He shall proclaim this decree in the first week of the
jubilee period that follows nine jubilee periods.
Then the
"Day of Atonement" shall follow after the tenth jubilee period, when
he shall atone for all the Sons of Light, and the people who are predestined to
Melchizedek. (...) upon them (...) For this is the time decreed for the
"Year of Melchizedek`s favor", and by his might he will judge God's
holy ones and so establish a righteous kingdom, as it is written about him in
the Songs of David ; "A godlike being has taken his place in the council
of God; in the midst of divine beings he holds judgement"
Ps. 82;1).
Scripture also says about him ; "Over it take your seat in the highest
heaven; A divine being will judge the peoples" (Ps. 7;7-8) Concerning what
scripture says; "How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality
with the wicked? Selah" (Ps. 82;2) ,the interpretation applies to Belial
and the spirits predestined to him, because all of them have rebelled, turning
from God's precepts and so becoming utterly wicked. Therefore Melchizedek will
thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required by God's statutes. Also, he will
deliver all the captives from the power of Belial, and from the power of all
the spirits destined to him. Allied with him will be all the "righteous
divine beings"(Isa. 61;3).
(The ...) is
that whi(ch ...all) the divine beings. The visitation is the Day of Salvation
that He has decreed through Isaiah the prophet concerning all the captives,
inasmuch as Scripture says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet
of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces
salvation, who says to Zion "Your divine being reigns"." (Isa.
52;7) This scriptures interpretation : "the mountains" are the
prophets, they who were sent to proclaim God's truth and to prophesy to all
Israel. "The messengers" is the Anointed of the spirit, of whom
Daniel spoke; "After the sixty-two weeks, an Anointed shall be cut
off" (Dan. 9;26) The "messenger who brings good news, who announces
Salvation" is the one of whom it is written; "to proclaim the year of
the LORD`s favor, the day of the vengeance of our God; to comfort all who
mourn" (Isa. 61;2)
This
scripture's interpretation: he is to instruct them about all the periods of
history for eternity (... and in the statutes) of the truth. (...) (....
dominion) that passes from Belial and returns to the Sons of Light (....) (...)
by the judgment of God, just as t is written concerning him; "who says to
Zion "Your divine being reigns" (Isa. 52;7) "Zion" is the
congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who uphold the covenant and turn
from walking in the way of the people. "Your divine being" is
Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial. Concerning what
scripture says, "Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; in the
seventh month . . . " (Lev. 25;9)
REFERENCES
Charlesworth,
James H., Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Garden City, N.Y., 1983.
Collins,
John J., "The Scepter and the Star", Doubleday, 1995.
Cross,
Moore, "New Directions in the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls", in
BYU Studies 25 (Summer 1985).
Delcor, M.
"Melchizedek from Genesis to the Qumran Texts and the Epistle to the
Hebrews," Journal of Jewish Studies 2 (1971).
Garca
Martnez, Florentino, The Dead Sea Scrolls translated, tr. Wilfred G.E.
Watson, 2nd Ed., William B. Eerdmans, 1996.
Gardner,
Martin, Urantia, the Great Cult Mystery, Prometheus Books, New York,
1995
Gianotto,
Claudio, "Melchisedek e la sua tipologia. Supplementi alla," Rivista
Biblica 12, Brescia, 1984.
Gonzlez
Lamadrid, A, Los descubrimientos del Mar Muerto, Biblioteca de Autores
Cristianos de la Editorial Catlica, Madrid 1985.
Gruenewald,
Ithamar, "The Messianic Image of Melchizedek", Mahanayim 124
(1970).
Horton, Fred
L., Jr., The Melchizedek Tradition, Society for New Testament Studies
Monograph Series 30, Cambridge, 1976.
Kobelski,
Paul J. "Melchizedek and Melchiresva", Catholic Biblical Quarterly
Monograph Series 10. Washington, D.C., 1981.
Newsom,
Carol, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition, Atlanta,
Scholars Press, 1985.
Pearson,
Birger A., "The Figure of Melchizedek in Gnostic Literature," in
Pearson, Gnosticism, Judaism, and Egyptian Christianity, Studies in
Antiquity and Christianity 5, Minneapolis, 1990.
Pearson,
Birger A., (ed.) Nag Hammadi Codices IX and X, Leiden, 1981.
Robinson, James
M. (ed.), The Nag Hammadi Library, Harper & Rowe, San Francisco, 1978.
Shirt, Kerry
A. "Melchizedek Priesthood of LDS and Dead Sea Scrolls Perspectives",
Internet.
Sumner,
Paul, "Visions of the Heavenly Council in the Hebrew Bible," Hebrew
Streams (www.hebrew-streams.org).
Tau Apiryon
and Helena, "Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical
Gnosticism", Red Flame 2 (1995).
Thomas
Nelson (ed.), The Rice Reference Bible, King James Version, 1981.
Urantia
Foundation, The Urantia Book, Chicago, Illinois, 1955.
Van Der
Woude, A.S., "Melchisedek als Himmlische Erlosergestalt in den
Neugefundenen Eschatalogischen Midraschim aus Qumran Hohle XI"
(Melchizedek as Heavenly Savior Figure in the Newly Found Eschatalogical
Midrash From Qumran Cave 11), Oudtestamentische Studien, Deel XIV, E.J.
Brill, 1965.
Vermes,
Geza, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Harmondsworth, UK:
Penguin Books, 1997.
Wise,
Michael, Martin Abegg, Edward Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation,
San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1996.
[1] These important ancient scrolls were discovered by three Bedouin
shepherds in 1947 around the Dead Sea in Israel. They entered an undiscovered
cave and found jars filled with ancient scrolls. Later more caves were
discovered. Cave 11 (11Q) were fragments of a eschatological misdrah about
Melchizedek was found in February 1956. The Dead Sea Scrolls were authored by a
monastic group known as the Essenes. The Essenes were an apocalyptic Jewish
sect who withdrew from society and established a monastery on the shores of the
Dead Sea. It is believed that sometime during the Roman-Jewish war of 66-70
A.D. the Essenes hid their sacred writings. See A. Gonzlez Lamadrid, Los descubrimientos del
Mar Muerto, Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos de la Editorial Catlica, Madrid
1985. [2]
First published by A. S. Van Der Woude in "Melchisedek als
himmlische Erlsergestalt in den neugefundenen eschatologischen Midraschim aus
Qumran Hble XI, Oudtestamentische Studin XIV (1965), pp. 354-373.
[3] According to the UB (p.1021 -
1), Abram, upon the public and formal acceptance of his covenant with Melchizedek
changed his name to Abraham
[4] The UB also mentions Jebus and gives other names Melchizedek was known
for: "Within a few years Melchizedek had gathered around himself a group
of pupils, disciples, and believers who formed the nucleus of the later
community of Salem. He was soon known throughout Palestine as the priest of El
Elyon, the Most High, and as the sage of Salem. Among some of the surrounding
tribes he was often referred to as the sheik, or king, of Salem. Salem was the
site which after the disappearance of Melchizedek became the city of Jebus,
subsequently being called Jerusalem. (p.1015 - 4) [5] We are not sure of the exact
date of composition of the psalms, but experts conjecture that there were
probably written between VIII and II's century B.C., yet the main part of them
was given their final shape after the Jews returned from their Babilonia to
their promised land and built the Jerusalem temple again (year 515 B.C).
[6] See Appendix for an English
translation of this Qumran document.
[7] Other Jewish works of this era
reflect a common belief that Someone operated in close proximity to God and
shared his authority and even name, yet he was not God. See Sunner Paul,
"Visions of the Heavenly Council in the Hebrew Bible." Cited by Kerry
A. Shirt.
[8] Adapted from Kerry A. Shirt.
[9] In John we find a reference to the Son of Man, which has an echoed in
Daniel 7:13-14. There, a "Son of Man" is given authority by the
Ancient of Days to rule "all peoples, nations, and languages". It
does not explicitly say he will judge the earth. But in biblical thought, a
king embodies all of government, including the judicial functions. A king is
also judge. [10] The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient codices
containing over fifty texts, was discovered in upper Egypt in 1945. This
immensely important discovery includes a large number of primary Gnostic
scriptures -- texts once thought to have been entirely destroyed during the
early Christian struggle to define "orthodoxy" -- such as the Gospel
of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth. The discovery and
translation of the Nag Hammadi library, completed in the 1970's, has provided
impetus to a major re-evaluation of early Christian history and the nature of
Gnosticism
[12] From The Dead Sea Scroll Collection at The Gnostic Society Library.
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