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they were released from the works of this life, and they did not farm, nor pursue crafts, nor did they engage in any other such thing, but they attended only to the priesthood, and they received tithes from all the people, both of wine and of wheat and of barley, and of all other things, all gave the tithes to them, and this was their income; and it was not permitted for a priest ever to come from any other tribe. For from this tribe came Aaron, that of Levi I mean, and by succession his descendants received the priesthood, and no one ever became a priest from another tribe. These Levites, therefore, received tithes from them, and so they were supported. But even before Jacob and Isaac, in the time of Abraham, when Moses had not yet appeared, nor had the law been written, nor was the Levitical priesthood manifest, nor had the tabernacle or the temple been built, nor had the tribes been distinguished, nor had Jerusalem appeared, when none of the Jewish affairs at all had yet begun, there was a certain Melchizedek, priest of the most high God. This Melchizedek was both king and priest at the same time; for he was to be a type of Christ, and Scripture clearly mentions him. For when Abraham fell upon the Persians, and snatched his nephew Lot from their hands, and took all the spoils, he returned having mightily conquered them, thus Scripture says something like this about Melchizedek: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was priest of the most high God, and he blessed Abraham, and said: Blessed be Abraham by the most high God, who created the heaven and the earth, and blessed be the most high God, who delivered your enemies into your hands. And Abraham gave him a tenth of all things. If, therefore, one of the prophets should appear, saying that after Aaron and that priesthood and these sacrifices and offerings another priest will arise, not from that tribe, but from another from which a priest has never come, not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek, it is clear that the old priesthood has ceased, and another new one has been introduced in its place. For if the old one were to prevail, it would have to be said, not according to the order of Melchizedek, but according to the order of Aaron. Who then says this? The very one who spoke about the sacrifices, speaking about Christ; and somewhere he says this: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand. 48.923 e. Then, lest anyone should suspect this to be said about one of the many men, neither Isaiah says it, nor Jeremiah, nor any other prophet who was a private person, but the king himself, so that you may learn that the king can call no one his Lord, but God alone. For if he were a private person, perhaps one of the shameless would have said that he speaks about a man; but now, being a king, he would not have called a man his Lord. For how, if David were saying these things about one of the many men, would he have said that he sat at the right hand of that ineffable and great glory? For this is impossible. But concerning this one he says: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Then, lest you should think him to be weak and powerless, he added, With you is dominion in the day of your power. And declaring more clearly he said, From the womb before the morning star I have begotten you. But no man has been begotten before the morning star. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. He did not say, according to the order of Aaron. Ask the Jew, therefore, if the old priesthood was not going to be abolished, for what reason did he introduce another priest according to the order of Melchizedek. At any rate, when Paul came to this very passage, see how he made it clearer. For having said concerning Christ, that as he says in another place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, he added: About whom we have much to say, and hard to explain. Then, after rebuking the disciples, for it is necessary to be brief, he says who Melchizedek is, and he adds the history, saying thus: This is the

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τῶν μὲν βιωτικῶν ἔργων ἀπήλλακτο, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐγεώργουν, οὐδὲ τέχνας μετῄεσαν, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἐπραγματεύοντο, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἱερωσύνῃ προσεῖχον μόνῃ, καὶ δεκάτας ἐλάμβανον παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ οἴνου καὶ πυροῦ καὶ κριθῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, τὰς δεκάτας αὐτοῖς ἐδίδοσαν πάντες, καὶ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτοῖς πρόσοδος· καὶ οὐκ ἐξῆν ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς ἄλλης φυλῆς ἱερέα γενέσθαι ποτέ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ταύτης ἐγένετο τῆς φυλῆς Ἀαρὼν, τῆς τοῦ Λευῒ λέγω, καὶ κατὰ διαδοχὴν οἱ ἔγκονοι ἐκείνου τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἐδέχοντο, καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε ἐξ ἑτέρας ἐγένετο φυλῆς ἱερεύς. Οὗτοι τοίνυν οἱ Λευῗται δεκάτας παρ' αὐτῶν ἐλάμβανον, καὶ οὕτως ἐτρέφοντο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, οὔπω γενομένου Μωϋσέως, οὐδὲ νόμου γραφέντος, οὐδὲ τῆς ἱερωσύνης τῆς Λευϊτικῆς δήλης οὔσης, οὐ σκηνῆς, οὐ ναοῦ γενομένου, οὐ τῶν φυλῶν διακεκριμένων, οὐ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ φαινομένης, οὐδενὸς ὅλως οὐδέπω τῶν κατὰ Ἰουδαίους πραγμάτων ἀρχὴν λαβόντος, ἐγένετό τις Μελχισεδὲκ ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου. Οὗτος ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ ὁμοῦ καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἱερεὺς ἦν· τύπος γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ μέμνηται αὐτοῦ σαφῶς ἡ Γραφή. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐπιπεσὼν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Λὼτ ἐξαρπάσας τῶν ἐκείνων χειρῶν, καὶ τὰ λάφυρα λαβὼν πάντα, ἐπανῄει νικήσας κατὰ κράτος ἐκείνους, οὕτω πως περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ ἡ Γραφή φησι· Καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ ἐξήνεγκεν ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον· ἦν δὲ ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, καὶ ηὐλόγησε τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ εἶπεν· Εὐλογημένος Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ, ὃς ἔκτισε τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος, ὃς παρέδωκε τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποχειρίους σοι. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων Ἀβραάμ. Ἂν τοίνυν φανῇ τις τῶν προφητῶν, λέγων, ὅτι μετὰ τὸν Ἀαρὼν καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἐκείνην καὶ τὰς θυσίας ταύτας καὶ τὰς προσφορὰς ἀναστήσεται ἱερεὺς ἕτερος, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς φυλῆς ἐκείνης, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀφ' ἧς οὐδέποτε γέγονεν ἱερεὺς, οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρὼν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ, εὔδηλον ὅτι ἡ μὲν παλαιὰ πέπαυται ἱερωσύνη, ἑτέρα δὲ νέα ἀντεισενήνεκται. Εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἡ παλαιὰ κρατεῖν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρὼν, ἔδει λέγεσθαι. Τίς οὖν τοῦτό φησιν; Αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ περὶ τῶν θυσιῶν εἰπὼν, περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διαλεγόμενος· καί που τοῦτό φησιν· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου. 48.923 εʹ. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ περί τινος τῶν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο ὑποπτεύῃ τις λέγεσθαι, οὔ φησιν αὐτὸ ὁ Ἡσαΐας, οὔτε Ἱερεμίας, οὔτε ἄλλος τις προφήτης ἰδιώτης γενόμενος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Κύριον ἑαυτοῦ οὐδένα καλέσαι δύναται, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸν Θεὸν μόνον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἰδιώτης ἦν, ἴσως ἄν τις εἶπε τῶν ἀναισχυντούντων, ὅτι περὶ ἀνθρώπου λέγει· νυνὶ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὢν ἄνθρωπον ἑαυτοῦ Κύριον οὐκ ἂν ἐκάλεσεν. Πῶς δ' ἂν, εἰ περί τινος τῶν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔλεγε ταῦτα ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εἶπεν ἂν, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν ἐκάθισε τῆς ἀποῤῥήτου καὶ μεγάλης δόξης ἐκείνης; τοῦτο γὰρ ἀμήχανον. Περὶ δὲ τούτου φησίν· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς, αὐτὸν ἀσθενῆ εἶναι καὶ ἀδυνατοῦντα, ἐπήγαγε, Μετὰ σοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου. Καὶ σαφέστερον δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, Ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε. Πρὸ ἑωσφόρου δὲ οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων γεγέννηται. Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Οὐκ εἶπε, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρών. Ἐρώτησον τοίνυν τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, εἰ μὴ ἔμελλεν ἡ ἱερωσύνη καταλύεσθαι ἡ παλαιὰ, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἕτερον εἰσήγαγεν ἱερέα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Εἰς τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ τὸ χωρίον ἐλθὼν ὁ Παῦλος, ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ σαφέστερον ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι καθὼς ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει, Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ, ἐπήγαγε· Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος. Εἶτα, ἐπιτιμήσας τοῖς μαθηταῖς, δεῖ γὰρ ἐπιτεμεῖν, λέγει, τίς ἐστιν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, καὶ ἐπάγει τὴν ἱστορίαν, οὕτω λέγων· Οὗτος ὁ