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that the Jews have said that he was born of a prostitute and for this reason was not given a genealogy by the scripture. To whom we will say that you have spoken wickedly. For we find also others born of a prostitute and given a genealogy; for instance Solomon from the wife of Uriah, then also Abimelech the son of Gideon. For what reason then is he not given a genealogy? Since he was a type of Christ and bore his image, for this reason the scripture omitted his father and mother, so that in him, as in an image, we might behold as in a mirror the truly fatherless and motherless and ungenealogied Christ. For Christ is without a father on earth according to the flesh, without a mother in the heavens according to the spirit, according to the divinity; of such a kind is also this: having neither beginning of days nor end of life. For the scripture did not give a genealogy for Melchizedek, but omitted his birth and his death, so that, as we said before, we might behold this one in him. For Melchizedek is interpreted as king of righteousness, who is Christ, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; for neither was God the Word born in the beginning of days, nor did he ever cease or die, for Christ remains forever. Thus then Melchizedek became a righteous man, truly bearing the image of God in himself; moved therefore by a prophetic spirit, having perceived the offering about to be brought to God by Christ, he honored God with bread and wine, imitating the Christ to come. Since, then, in the synagogue of the Jews the order of Aaron offered sacrifice to God, not bread and wine, but calves and lambs, glorifying God with bloody sacrifices, God cried out to Jesus, who was about to be born from the virgin Mary, saying: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, not according to Aaron who serves with bloody sacrifices, but according to the order of Melchizedek, bringing the offering of the gentiles in bread and wine in perpetuity.

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ὅτι Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν αὐτὸν εἰρήκασιν ἐκ πόρνης γεννηθῆναι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γενεαλογηθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς. Πρὸς οὓς ἐροῦμεν ὅτι κακῶς εἴπατε. Εὑρίσκομεν γὰρ καὶ ἄλλους ἐκ πόρνης γεννηθέντας καὶ γενεαλογηθέντας· εὐθὺς ὁ Σολομῶν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου, εἶτα καὶ ὁ Ἀβιμέλεχ υἱὸς Γεδεών. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ γενεαλογεῖται; Ἐπειδὴ τύπος ἦν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τούτου εἰκόνα ἔφερε, διὰ τοῦτο παρέλιπεν αὐτοῦ ἡ γραφὴ τὸν πατέρα καὶ μητέρα, ἵνα ἐν ἐκείνῳ καθάπερ εἰκόνι τὸν ἀληθῶς ἀπάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα καὶ ἀγενεαλόγητον Χριστὸν ἐνοπτρισώμεθα. Ἀπάτωρ γὰρ ἐπὶ γῆς Χριστὸς κατὰ σάρκα, ἀμήτωρ ἐν οὐρανοῖς κατὰ πνεῦμα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα· τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγενεαλόγησεν ἡ γραφὴ τὸν Μελχισεδέκ, ἀλλὰ παρέλιπεν αὐτοῦ τὴν γέννησιν καὶ τὴν τελευτήν, ἵνα, καθὰ προείπαμεν, ἐν ἐκείνῳ τοῦτον θεωρήσωμεν. Βασιλεὺς γὰρ δικαιοσύνης ἑρμηνεύεται Μελχισεδέκ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἕχων μήτε ζωῆς τέλος· οὔτε γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἡμερῶν ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος ἐγεννήθη, οὔτε ἔληξέ ποτε ἢ ἐτελεύτησεν, εἰς ἀεὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς διαμένει. Οὕτως οὖν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ ἀνὴρ δίκαιος γέγονε καὶ ἀληθῶς εἰκόνα Θεοῦ φέρων ἐν ἑαυτῷ· προφητικῷ τοίνυν πνεύματι κινούμενος τὴν μέλλουσαν ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ προσφορὰν τῷ Θεῷ προσκομίζεσθαι νοήσας, ἄρτῳ καὶ οἴνῳ τὸν Θεὸν ἐγέραιρεν μιμούμενος τὸν μέλλοντα Χριστόν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ ἡ τάξις τοῦ Ἀαρὼν θυσίαν προσέφερε τῷ Θεῷ, οὐκ ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον, ἀλλὰ μόσχους καὶ ἀμνούς, ἐναίμοις θυσίαις δοξάζουσα τὸν Θεόν, ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα γεννᾶσθαι ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας Ἰησοῦν ἐβόα λέγων· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, οὐ κατὰ τὸν Ἀαρὼν τὸν ἐναίμοις θυσίαις λατρεύοντα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἐν ἄρτῳ καὶ οἴνῳ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν προσκομίζων προσφορὰν εἰς τὸ διηνεκές.