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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, 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); 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. 1. Paul, wishing to show the difference between the New and the Old Covenants, scatters it in many places, and 63.96 skirmishes, and rings the ears of his hearers and prepares them. For straightway and from the very beginning he laid this down, saying, that to them He spoke in prophets, but to us in His Son; and to them in various parts and in various ways, but to us through His Son. Then, having discoursed on who the Son is and what He has wrought, and having exhorted them to obey Him, that we might not suffer the same things as the Jews, and having said that He is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, and having often wished to enter upon this difference, and having arranged many things beforehand, and having rebuked them as weak, and again healed and restored them so that they might have courage; then at last he introduces the discourse on the difference to ears now vigorous; for one who is faint-hearted would not 63.97 easily listen. And that you may learn this, hear the Scripture saying: And they did not listen to Moses for their faintheartedness. Therefore, having first emptied their despondency through many things, both fearful and kinder, he then at last descends to the discourse on the difference; and what does he say? For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God. And the wonderful thing is, in the type he shows that the difference is great. For as I said, he always confirms the truth from the type, from things past, the present things, on account of the weakness of the hearers. For this Melchizedek, he says, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all. Having set down the whole narrative in brief, he contemplated it mystically; and first from the name. First, he says, being by interpretation King of righteousness. Rightly so; for Sedech is called righteousness. And Melchi is king; therefore Melchizedek is King of righteousness. Do you see the accuracy even in the names? And who is King of righteousness, but our Lord Jesus Christ? And then also King of Salem, from the city; that is, King of peace; for so is Salem interpreted. Which again is of Christ; for He has made us righteous, and has made peace between the things in heaven, and the things on earth. What man is a king of righteousness and peace? None other, but only our Lord Jesus Christ. Then he adds another difference, saying, Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. Since, therefore, there was an objection to him, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek," but that one had died, and did not become a priest forever; see how he has contemplated it. For lest anyone should object, saying, "And who would say this about a man?" "I am not speaking," he says, "of the thing itself; that is, we do not know what father he ever had, or what mother, nor when he received his beginning, nor when he died." "And what of this?" he says. "For is it because we do not know, that he did not die, or did not have parents?" You say well, he both died and had parents. How then, "Without father, without mother"? How, "having neither beginning of days, nor end of life"? How? By its not being recorded in the Scripture. And what of this? That, just as this man is without father by not being genealogized, so Christ is by the very nature of the matter. 2. Behold the without-beginning, behold the without-end. Just as we do not know of this one either a beginning of days, or an end of life, because it is not written; so we do not know of Jesus either, not because it is not written, but because it does not exist. For that one

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Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχισεδὲχ, βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὁ συναντήσας Ἀβραὰμ ὑποστρέφοντι ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ εὐλογήσας αὐτὸν, ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἐμέρισεν ἀπὸ πάντων Ἀβραὰμ, πρῶτον μὲν ἑρμηνευό μενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ (ὅ ἐστι βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης), ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητος, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. αʹ. Βουλόμενος ὁ Παῦλος τὸ διάφορον δεῖξαι τῆς Καινῆς καὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς, πολλαχοῦ αὐτὸ διασπείρει, καὶ 63.96 ἀκροβολίζεται, καὶ διακωδωνίζει τὰς ἀκοὰς τῶν ἀκροατῶν καὶ προγυμνάζει. Εὐθέως γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προοιμίου τοῦτο κατεβάλλετο, εἰπὼν, ὅτι ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐλάλησεν ἐν προφήταις, ἡμῖν δὲ ἐν Υἱῷ· κἀκείνοις μὲν πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, ἡμῖν δὲ διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Εἶτα περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ διαλεχθεὶς τίς εἴη καὶ τί ἐργασάμενος, καὶ παραινέσας αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθωμεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ εἰπὼν ὅτι ἀρχιερεύς ἐστι κατὰ τὸν Μελχισεδὲχ, καὶ πολλάκις εἰς τὴν διαφορὰν ταύτην ἐμβῆναι βουληθεὶς, καὶ πολλὰ προοικονομήσας, καὶ ἐπιτιμήσας αὐτοῖς ὡς ἀσθενέσι, καὶ πάλιν θεραπεύσας καὶ ἀνακτησάμενος ὥστε θαῤῥεῖν· τότε λοιπὸν εἰσάγει τὸν τῆς διαφορᾶς λόγον ἀκμαζούσαις ταῖς ἀκοαῖς· ὁ γὰρ ἀναπεπτωκὼς οὐκ ἂν εὐ 63.97 κόλως ἀκούσειε. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ἄκουε τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης· Καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν Μωϋσῆ διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοψυχίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρότερον κενώσας αὐτῶν τὴν ἀθυμίαν διὰ πολλῶν, καὶ διὰ φοβερῶν, καὶ διὰ χρηστοτέρων, τότε λοιπὸν καθίησιν εἰς τὸν τῆς διαφορᾶς λόγον· καὶ τί φησιν; Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχισεδὲχ, βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ἐν τῷ τύπῳ δείκνυσι πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν διαφοράν. Ὅπερ γὰρ εἶπον, ἀπὸ τοῦ τύπου ἀεὶ πιστοῦται τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἀκροατῶν. Οὗτος γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Μελχισεδὲχ, βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὁ συναντήσας Ἀβραὰμ ὑποστρέφοντι ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ εὐλογήσας αὐτόν· ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων ἐμέρισεν Ἀβραάμ. Θεὶς τὴν διήγησιν πᾶσαν ἐν συντόμῳ, μυστικῶς αὐτὴν ἐθεώρησε· καὶ πρῶτον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος· Πρῶτον μὲν, φησὶν, ἑρμηνευόμενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης. Καλῶς· Σεδὲχ γὰρ δικαιοσύνη λέγεται. Μελχὶ δὲ βασιλεύς· ἄρα ὁ Μελχισεδὲχ βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης ἐστίν. Ὁρᾷς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν; Τίς δέ ἐστι βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός; Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως· τουτέστι, βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης· οὕτω γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται τὸ, Σαλήμ. Ὃ πάλιν ἐστὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὗτος γὰρ ἡμᾶς δικαίους ἐποίησε, καὶ εἰρηνοποίησε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τίς δαὶ ἄνθρωπος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης καὶ εἰρήνης ἐστίν; Οὐδεὶς ἕτερος, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνος ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Εἶτα καὶ ἑτέραν διαφορὰν ἐπάγει λέγων, Ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητος, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἀντέπιπτεν αὐτῷ τὸ, Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲχ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐτεθνήκει, καὶ οὐκ ἐγένετο ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ τεθεώρηκεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μηδεὶς ἀντεπενέγκῃ λέγων, Καὶ τίς τοῦτο εἴποι ἂν περὶ ἀνθρώπου; οὐ τῷ πράγματι, φησὶ, λέγω· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἴσμεν ποτὲ τίνα πατέρα ἔσχεν, ἢ τίνα μητέρα, οὐ πότε ἐδέξατο τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὐ πότε ἐτελεύτησε. Καὶ τίς τοῦτο, φησί; μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἴσμεν, οὐκ ἐτελεύτησεν, ἢ οὐκ ἔσχε γονεῖς; Καλῶς λέγεις, καὶ ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἔσχε γονεῖς. Πῶς οὖν, Ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ; πῶς, Μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων; Πῶς; τῷ μὴ ἐμφέρεσθαι τῇ Γραφῇ. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ὅτι, ὥσπερ οὗτος ἀπάτωρ τῷ μὴ γενεαλογεῖσθαι, οὕτως ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτῇ τῇ φύσει τοῦ πράγματος. βʹ. Ἰδοὺ τὸ ἄναρχον, ἰδοὺ τὸ ἀτελεύτητον. Ὥσπερ τούτου οὐκ ἴσμεν οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, οὔτε ζωῆς τέλος, διὰ τὸ μὴ γεγράφθαι· οὕτως οὐκ ἴσμεν οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ γεγράφθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ