By Wayne and Ute Ferrier, Wiliamsport, Pennsylvania
About 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, Machiventa Melchizedek lived on earth for more than 90 years. He left a profound legacy, and evidence of Melchizedek’s teachings can be traced through history and found in many strange alcoves around the world. The most significant records, though, are found in the Bible and The Urantia Book.
The Urantia Book gives the perspective from the local universe administration’s point of view. After the rebellion of the Planetary Prince and the default of Adam and Eve, the Melchizedek receivers administered progress of the planet. They knew Michael of Nebadon’s plans to incarnate on this world, but they didn’t know when. Machiventa Melchizedek volunteered to live on earth in human form to keep alive truth and prepare the way for Michael, our Creator Father.
Known on earth simply as Melchizedek, Machiventa fostered a unique heritage. He started the Hebrews on a course toward monotheism, taught about Deity as a personal God who can be known by faith and founded the Salem schools from where missionaries went forth to teach. The office of priesthood followed him, prophets came after him and finally Michael arrived as the baby Jesus.
Melchizedek is not mentioned extensively in the Bible, yet all accounts involving him are exceptional, even for scholars who lack information provided by The Urantia Book. From Salem, which later became the holy city of Jerusalem, he taught about El Elyon, the Most High God. Abraham, Melchizedek’s most promising student, adopted El Elyon as his God and spread the news amonghis people. Thus, Melchizedek’s efforts fostered monotheism, belief in one God, which was nurtured until Jesus arrived 2,000 years later.
Only if one God reigned supreme might the coming of His Son have significance. Otherwise, he would be one of many. Melchizedek’s goal was to prepare men for the day when the Son of God would walk on earth.
The most elaborate biblical account of Melchizedek is found in Genesis, chapters 14 to 17, where Machiventa Melchizedek’s relationship with Abraham is depicted. Melchizedek towers over all other personalities found in Genesis. He had both royal and priestly authority in the city that later became Israel’s holy capital. And Abraham submitted himself to Melchizedek, and him only.
Biblical scholars have been intrigued by the fact that Melchizedek was a Canaanite and Abraham an Israelite. Yet Abraham accepted the authority of a Canaanite priest-king. In this there is no parallel in biblical literature.
Genesis describes a meeting between Abraham and the priest-king Melchizedek. Abraham had just retumed from a victorious battle and attributed his success to Melchizedek, to whom he gave 10 percent of his booty. Melchizedek in turn gave Abraham bread and wine. While the biblical story makes it look like Melchizedekblessed Abraham’s battle, the Urantia Papers state that Melchizedek tried to persuade Abraham to give up his crusade of conquest.
“Melchizedek explained to Abraham the futility of contending with the Amorite confederation but made it equally clear that these backwards clans were certainly committing suicide by their foolish practices so that in a few generations they would be so weakened that the descendants of Abraham, meanwhile greatly increased, could easily overcome them.” (Urantia Book, UB 93:6.2)
Melchizedekdid not fear Abraham’s enemies and would not defend against them but allowed Abraham to do so, while still encouraging him to abandon warfare altogether. Melchizedek tolerated slow change while constantly advising better alternatives. Later in life, Abraham yielded to Melchizedek’swisdom and gave up warfare.
Abraham financed the Melchizedek schools in Salem. Not onlydid Abraham set a precedent when he paid tithes to Melchizedek; he likewise required all his allies to do the same. Thus he provided for tents and food. From this learning centerin Salem, students spread the Melchizedek teachings far and wide in the ancient world.
In his book, The Religion of Ancient Israel, Th. C. Vriezen treats the encounterbetween Abraham and Melchizedek, as told in the Bible, as evidence that Israel incorporated part of its religion and ideology from its neighbors. Israelites were not isolated from the peoples living around them. Rather they adopted much of their neighbors’ legal systems, social structures and even religions.
Genesis, in particular, has many parallels to the Babylonian creation story. The fact that Abraham was receiving instructions and giving tithes in honor of El Elyon of Melchizedek indicates that Israel not always viewed itself as supreme. The concept of Israelites as the chosen people did not occur until later in history. And it was during these times of reconstruction that many texts were destroyed or altered so that they would more easily evoke national sentiments and loyaltyin the Israelites. Many texts concerning Melchizedek were lost and the one preserved centered around Melchizedek’s supposed blessing of Abraham’s warfare.
In the years following Abraham, the Israelites’ religion far surpassed that of neighboring peoples because of their advanced concept of deity. Not only did the Israelites evolve to worship one God in the place of many, they also believed that a personal relationship between God and his people existed. This concept of contactable deity was new but remained as a unique characteristic of the Hebrew religion.
This superior relationship with God took centuries to evolve. The leap from many gods to one God did not come suddenly. But, as biblical scholars explain, El Elyon of Melchizedek had the qualities to survive the transitions. He was the Supreme God of the Canaanite people. He was also a personal god, family god and certainly still a tribal god.
According to biblical scholars, the Israelites worshipped both El Elyon and their traditional god, Yahweh, for some time. Eventually God was simply referred to as Yahweh, who encompassed many of El Elyon’s characteristics. Th. C. Vriezen describes in The Religion of Ancient Israel how Israel had been exposed to the so-called wisdom literature and came to believe in a common human heritage and universal thought.
Yahweh was at last seen as the Lord of all mankind, as God from the beginning, even before Israel. Additionally, the entire universe, not just the earth, was depending on Yahweh, since He not only created the earth but the universe as well. He became the God of wisdom and providence. Indeed, the concept of God had come far since the days of sacrifice.
In Abraham’s time it had been commonplace to sacrifice animals and even firstborn sons. People sought to appease their gods with these offerings, who in turn would protect them. Melchizedektried to persuade Abraham that God does not require sacrifice. He told Abraham that through faith alone can people win favor with God.
Melchizedek knew how difficult it would be for Abraham to abandon sacrifice altogether. So he introduced bread and wine as a substitute for blood and carnage. This act was later seen as a precursor of the Eucharist and, hence, Melchizedek’s name entered into the canon of the Roman mass.
Another interesting fact about Melchizedek is that he instituted the office of priesthood. Gonzalo BaezCamargo mentions this point in his book Archaeological Commentary on the Bible. The Qumran documents discovered in caves during the 1940s are biblical supplements. Many of the writings are not included in the Bible and offer information not available any place else. According to some of the Qumran manuscripts found in cave ll (1 lQMelch), Melchizedek is viewed as the prototype of the priesthood, since the priestly office has since been called “the heritage of Melchizedek.”
A priest differs from a prophet. Priesthood is an official religious institution that mediates between sacred and profane aspects of human societies. Priests are ritual experts who have learned skills and secret knowledge as spiritual leaders of their society. In Jerusalem only the high priests were allowed in the inner chambers of the temple. Since Melchizedek was founder and priest of Jerusalem, it seems natural that the priestly office is attributed to him.
The priesthood, as we understand it, may not be the only designation that originated with Melchizedek. A host of prophets, found in historical documents, came after Melchizedek as well.
In Israel the teachings were kept alive in two ways. The priesthood institutionally upheld the covenant, which was a legal treaty relationship. with God, and passed on information from generation to generation. Periodically, the prophets would appear on the scene to interpret the current divine will.
Peake Fleure wrote in The Law and the Prophets, “The rise of the prophets is the great feature of the life of Israel, and the high artistic quality and power of thought and diction among them is an indication of what the human mind was becoming able to do … [T] The later prophetsare literally giants, leading the thought of their people from the narrow limits of the old covenant and ritual to the idea of a universal God, whom some of them as yet barely comprehended, and who must be served less through ritual than through righteousness of life.”
Biblical records also hold Melchizedek to be the precursor to Jesus, as stated in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Melchizedek was not only known as the priest of Salem; his name also means in ancient Hebrew “My King is Sedek (the God)” or My King is Righteousness.“ Salem has been translated as ”peace."
Melchizedek foreshadows Jesus as the king of righteousness and prince of peace. Melchizedek also foretold the coming of Christ; hence, Jesus is described in the New Testament (Hebrew 7:17) as being “forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
The most significant successes of Melchizedek’s bestowal are that he revived monotheism and that he changed the perception of God into a merciful, personal God, a God who only requires faith.
Abraham’s covenant with Yahweh is the centerpiece of the message in Genesis. Yahweh appears as the patriarch’s partner. God is accessible, according to Melchizedek, but grander than that, God only requires faith for his relationship to work. God promises to uphold everything. Man only needs faith and desire to do the Father’s will.
“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.” (Urantia Book, UB 93:6.4)
Abraham took the covenant even more seriously after the birth of his son Isaac and went to Salem to have the covenant put in writing. It was at this formal and public acceptance that he changed his name from Abram to Abraham. (Urantia Book, UB 93:6.5, and Genesis 17)
Jesus built upon the heritage of Melchizedek’s teachings when he instructed his apostles on the third preaching tour: “Salvation is the gift of the Father and is revealed by his Sons. Acceptance by faith on your part makes you a partaker of the divine nature, a son or a daughter of God. By faith you are eternally advanced in the way of progressive and divine perfection. By faith was Abraham justified and made aware of salvation by the teachings of Melchizedek. All down through the ages has this same faith saved the sons of men, but now has a Son come forth from the Father to make salvation more real and acceptable.” (Urantia Book, UB 150:5.3)
Biblical References to Melchizedek
In the Bible Melchizedek is mentioned in Hebrews, Genesis and Psalms, but there are also minor references scattered throughout the text. Some of these do not refer to Melchizedek by name, but rather to the “High Priest,” which scholars believe is attributed to Melchizedek. He is also called Zadokin many Davidic passages. I Kings 1:18 says Zadok belongs to David. I Chron. 5:11 says David called for Zadok.
