DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE, HISTORY OF IDEAS, AND RELIGION The Melchizedek Mystery The Life of Melchizedek After Melchizedek Olivia Rizk Gustavsson Semester: Spring 2020 Course: RT2902, 15 hec Level: Masters Supervisor: Kamilla Skarström Hinojosa Abstract This essay examines the reception history of the character known as Melchizedek, in three different texts, belonging to different genres and composed in different languages. The two Old Testament passages, Genesis 14:18–20 and Psalm 110, where Melchizedek is mentioned are first examined through a brief grammatical analysis, in order to better understand the passages which, the examined three texts, in one or another way, refer to. The three texts, which include the Epistle to the Hebrews, 2 (Slavonic) Enoch and the Qumran document 11Q13, all relate to Melchizedek in varying ways. In Hebrews, the priest-king Melchizedek is used as a type of Christ, without adding to the original character as found in Gen 14:18–20. In the longer recension of 2 Enoch, two Melchizedeks are mentioned. In both cases, explanations are given to how the persons came into existence. In 11Q13, Melchizedek is said to be the redeemer of the Sons of Light, and the one to finally set captives free. Though the texts differ from each other in many ways, not least in genre, they have a common denomination: the emphasis on the priesthood of Melchizedek Key words: reception history, Melchizedek, Hebrews, Qumran, Slavonic Enoch, Genesis, Psalms, pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea scrolls. 2 CONTENTS 1. Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 2. Introduction. ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 3. Aim and purpose ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 4. Methods and theory .................................................................................................................................................. 7 5. Material ......................................................................................................................................................................12 6. Demarcations............................................................................................................................................................13 7. Structure .....................................................................................................................................................................14 8. Previous research ....................................................................................................................................................14 8.1 Old Testament texts ..........................................................................................................................................14 8.2 Texts outside the Old Testament .................................................................................................................16 9. The Hebrew Bible Texts .......................................................................................................................................22 9.1 Genesis 14 .............................................................................................................................................................22 9.2 Psalm 110 ..............................................................................................................................................................26 10. Texts outside the Hebrew Bible ....................................................................................................................29 10.1 Hebrews ...............................................................................................................................................................29 10.2 11Q13 ...................................................................................................................................................................34 10.3 2 Enoch ................................................................................................................................................................36 11. Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................43 12. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................................................48 13. Summary ...............................................................................................................................................................50 14. Material for further research ...........................................................................................................................51 15. References ............................................................................................................................................................53 16. Appendix ..............................................................................................................................................................58 3 1. ABBREVIATIONS 2EM – The Exaltation of Melchizedek BDB – The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon BHS – Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia DJD – Discoveries in the Judaean Desert ISV– International Standard Version ITC– International Theological Commentary JSJ – Journal for the Study of Judaism JSNT– Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSP– Journal for the Study of Pseudepigrapha KJV– King James Version LXX – Septuagint MT – Masoretic Text NIV – New International Version NT – New Testament OT – Old Testament WUNT – Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 4 2. INTRODUCTION. “The character Melchizedek appears in Genesis in a very episodic fashion. He crosses the sky like a meteor, nobody knowing where he comes from or where he is going.”1 The above quote illustrates the very fact that the way Melchizedek appears in the Bible, which is to say, in a very unceremonious manner, seems to spark as much interest as what he actually does in the biblical passages. Yet his meteor-like appearance, and disappearance, is certainly not the end of the story. The character known as Melchizedek is mentioned only twice in the Hebrew Bible.2 In Genesis, he appears before Abram as the king of Salem and a priest of El Elyon (Gen 14:18– 20), commonly translated as God Most High. The second mentioning is found in the Book of Psalms. In Psalm 110, the character the psalmist curiously refers to as “my lord” is said to be “a priest forever” in accordance with Melchizedek (Ps 110:4). Although mentioned only briefly in two completely different genres in the Old Testament, a character by the name of Melchizedek continues to live a life of his own outside the Hebrew Bible. In the New Testament, his priesthood, and how it relates to the priesthood of Jesus Christ is discussed at length in the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the Qumran literature, a heavenly being referred to as Melchizedek will appear at the end of time to deliver the righteous from the hand of Belial (11Q13). 1 Mathias Delcor, “Melchizedek from Genesis to the Qumran texts and the Epistle to the Hebrews”, JSJ, vol. 2, nr. 2 (1971), 116. 2 I use the terms “Hebrew Bible” and “Old Testament” interchangeably. Further, as the term “Hebrew Bible” denotes Hebrew language, such a term, though commonly used among scholars, excludes other versions, such as the Septuagint. The term “Old Testament” will therefore be used in certain cases to include ancient translations. 5 Beyond ancient texts and traditions, to this very day, Melchizedek remains an often talked about element within my own religious tradition, the Coptic church of Egypt. In spite of his brief biblical appearances, the priest and king of Salem is talked about in everyday religious life, to the same degree as other more prominent biblical characters such as Adam or even Abraham. Although the person known as Melchizedek’s sole appearance in the Old Testament is limited to a few verses in the Genesis narrative describing Abram’s military endeavors, the legend of the king and priest continues to live on outside of the Hebrew Bible, and as a part of everyday life for many Copts today. 3. AIM AND PURPOSE . The purpose of this essay is to examine how Melchizedek as a legendary figure is presented and used outside of the Hebrew Bible, in both Jewish and early Christian strands of tradition. The three texts that will be analyzed are the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Qumran document known as 11Q13, and the last part of 2 Enoch. The three texts, although differing from each other in terms of both genre and original language, all have the character Melchizedek in common. My aim for this essay is to map out and identify possible similarities and differences in how Melchizedek is presented in three different texts, chiefly stemming from classical antiquity, and how they compare to the two Old Testament passages making mention of Melchizedek. My research question is therefore the following: How is the Old Testament character known as Melchizedek received in later texts and traditions? In order to facilitate the process of identifying how the two Melchizedek