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one might marvel at the present oracle spoken to the person of the one prophesied about: “rule in the midst of your enemies.” 5.3.12 And since previously he was said to be anointed with the oil “of gladness beyond your companions,” and since anointing was proper to priests among the Hebrews, it is fitting that what follows now more clearly proclaims him a priest, setting forth more teaching about him, through which it instructs that he alone, beyond all who have ever been, is an eternal priest, which cannot possibly apply to any human nature; 5.3.13 “according to the order of Melchizedek,” it says he is a priest, in contrast to the priest according to the ordinance of Moses, that is, of Aaron or any of his descendants; each of whom, not being a priest before, was later at some time anointed by men with some prepared ointment, so as to become, so to speak, in types and symbols, a certain shadowy and figurative Christ, but also, being mortal, he did not retain the priesthood for long, and he ministered only to the Jewish people, but not to the other nations, nor did he enter upon his ministry with an oath from God but was honored by the judgment of men, so that at times one was found among them unworthy of the service of God, such as Eli is recorded to have been. 5.3.14 Furthermore, that ancient priest, the one according to the ordinance of Moses, was chosen from the tribe of Levi alone, and it was absolutely necessary for him to derive his lineage from the succession of Aaron, and to serve the divinity with sacrifices of irrational animals and with blood in a bodily worship; but the one named Melchizedek, which is translated into the Greek language as “king of righteousness, then king of Salem,” which would also be “king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy,” having according to the history neither “beginning of days” nor “end of life,” nor bearing anything in common with the manner of the Aaronic priesthood. 5.3.15 For he was neither chosen by men, nor anointed with prepared oil, nor was he of a lineage that had not yet even appeared; and most paradoxical of all, he was not even circumcised in the flesh, and yet he blesses Abraham, as being much greater than he, nor did he minister to the most high God with sacrifices and libations, nor indeed did he perform his liturgy at the temple in Jerusalem. 5.3.16 For how could he, when it did not even exist? Therefore it is fitting, since nothing similar to Aaron was going to happen to our savior Christ; for he was not, being not a priest before, later at some time designated a priest, being a priest not by becoming one but by being one. For one must pay careful attention to “you are a priest forever.” For it does not say, you shall be, not being one before, nor were you one before but are not now, but from the one who said “I am who I am,” you are and you remain “a priest forever”; 5.3.17 Since therefore Christ neither began his priesthood from a certain time nor was he from a priestly tribe, nor was he anointed with a prepared and bodily oil, nor was his priesthood to have an end, nor was he to be established for the Jews alone but for all nations, for all these reasons it fittingly separates him from the ministry according to the type of Aaron, and says he will be a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.” 5.3.18 And the result of the oracle is marvelous to one who observes how our savior Jesus, the Christ of God, in the manner of Melchizedek performs the rites of the priesthood among men even to this day through his ministers. 5.3.19 For just as that man, being a priest of the nations, is nowhere seen to have used bodily sacrifices, but blesses Abraham with wine and bread alone, in this same manner first our savior and lord himself, and then all the priests from him throughout all the nations, performing the spiritual priestly service according to the ecclesiastical ordinances, with wine and bread signify the mysteries of both his body and his saving blood, Melchizedek having foreseen these things by the divine spirit and having used images of the things to come, as the writing of Moses testifies, saying: “and Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest of the most high God, and

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θαυμάσειεν τὸν παρόντα χρησμὸν εἰς πρόσωπον ἀναφωνηθέντα τοῦ θεσπιζομένου τὸ «κατακυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου». 5.3.12 Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν κεχρῖσθαι τῷ ἐλαίῳ «τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου», ἱερέων δὲ οἰκεῖον ἦν παρ' Ἑβραίοις τὸ χρίεσθαι, εἰκότως ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας ἤδη λευκότερον ἱερέα αὐτὸν ἐπιφημίζει, πλείονα προτιθεὶς περὶ αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν, δι' ἧς μόνον αὐτὸν παρὰ τοὺς πώποτε αἰώνιον ἱερέα εἶναι παιδεύει, ὅπερ οὐδεμιᾷ ἀνθρώπου φύσει δυνατὸν ἐφαρμόζειν· 5.3.13 «κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ» ἱερᾶσθαί φησιν αὐτόν, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως διάταξιν ἱερέως, ἤτοι τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ἢ καί τινος τῶν ἐξ ἐκείνου· ὧν ἕκαστος μὴ ὢν πρότερον ἱερεὺς ὕστερόν ποτε δι' ἀνθρώπων ἀλοιφῇ τινι σκευαστῇ χριόμενος, ὡς ἐν τύποις εἰπεῖν καὶ συμβόλοις, σκιώδης τις καὶ εἰκονικὸς Χριστὸς ἀπετελεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅτε θνητὸς ὢν οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἀπετίθετο τὴν ἱερωσύνην, καὶ παρὰ μὲν τῷ Ἰουδαίων μόνῳ ἱερᾶτο λαῷ, οὐ μὴν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μεθ' ὁρκωμοσίας θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν λειτουργίαν παρῄει κρίσει δὲ ἀνθρώπων τιμώμενος, ὡς καί ποτε μὴ ἄξιον εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ θεραπείας, οἷος ἀναγέγραπται ὁ Ἠλεί. 5.3.14 ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ὁ παλαιὸς ἐκεῖνος ἱερεύς, ὁ κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως διάταξιν, ἐκ μόνης ἐκρίνετο φυλῆς τῆς Λευί, ἔδει δὲ ἐξ ἅπαντος καὶ τὸ γένος ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἀαρὼν διαδοχῆς αὐτὸν φέρειν, θύμασίν τε ζῴων ἀλόγων καὶ αἵμασιν σωματικῇ γε λατρείᾳ θεραπεύειν τὸ θεῖον· ὁ δὲ Μελχισεδὲκ ὠνομασμένος, ὃ μεταλαμβάνεται εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν «βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἔπειτα βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ», ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ ἂν εἴη «βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης, ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητος», οὐκ ἔχων κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν οὐκ «ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν», οὐ «ζωῆς τέλος», ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κοινόν τι φέρων πρὸς τὸν τῆς τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ἱερωσύνης τρόπον. 5.3.15 οὔτε γὰρ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ᾕρητο, οὐκ ἐλαίῳ σκευαστῷ κέχριστο, οὐ γένος ἦν τῶν μηδὲ φανέντων πω· καὶ τὸ πάντων γε παραδοξότατον, ὅτι μηδὲ τὴν σάρκα περιτέτμητο, καὶ ὅμως τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εὐλογεῖ, ὡς ἂν πολὺ κρείττων αὐτοῦ τυγχάνων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ θυσίαις καὶ σπονδαῖς τῷ ὑψίστῳ ἱερᾶτο θεῷ, οὐδὲ μὴν παρὰ τῷ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ναῷ τὴν λειτουργίαν ἐξετέλει. 5.3.16 πῶς γὰρ τῷ μηδὲ ὄντι; εἰκότως οὖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ σωτῆρι τῷ Χριστῷ οὐδὲν μὲν τῷ Ἀαρὼν ἐμφερὲς ἔμελλεν συμβήσεσθαι· οὔτε γὰρ μὴ ὢν πρότερον ὕστερόν ποτε ἱερεὺς ἀναδέδεικται, καὶ ἱερεὺς οὐ γενόμενος ἀλλὰ ὤν. προσεκτέον γὰρ ἐπιμελῶς τῷ «σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα». οὐ γὰρ ἔσῃ, φησίν, μὴ ὢν πάλαι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἦσθα μὲν πάλαι νῦν δὲ οὔ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ φήσαντος «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὢν» σὺ εἶ καὶ «ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα» διαμένεις· 5.3.17 ἐπεὶ οὖν οὔτε ἀπὸ χρόνου τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀπήρξατο οὔτε ἐκ φυλῆς τῶν ἱερωμένων ὁ Χριστός, οὐδὲ διὰ σκευαστοῦ καὶ σωματικοῦ ἐλαίου κέχριστο, οὐδὲ τέλος ἕξειν ἔμελλεν τῆς ἱερωσύνης οὐδὲ μόνοις Ἰουδαίοις ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἔθνεσιν καταστήσεσθαι, τούτων ἕνεκα πάντων εἰκότως αὐτὸν τῆς μὲν κατὰ τὸν τύπον Ἀαρὼν λειτουργίας ἀπαλλάττει, «κατὰ τὴν τάξιν δὲ Μελχισεδὲκ» ἱερέα φησὶν ἔσεσθαι. 5.3.18 Καὶ τό γε ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ χρησμοῦ θαυμάσιον συνορῶντι ὅπως ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ τρόπῳ τὰ τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἱερουργίας εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν διὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπευτῶν ἐπιτελεῖ. 5.3.19 ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἱερεὺς ἐθνῶν τυγχάνων οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται θυσίαις σωματικαῖς κεχρημένος, οἴνῳ δὲ μόνῳ καὶ ἄρτῳ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εὐλογῶν, τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον πρῶτος μὲν αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἔπειτα οἱ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες ἱερεῖς ἀνὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὴν πνευματικὴν ἐπιτελοῦντες κατὰ τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς θεσμοὺς ἱερουργίαν, οἴνῳ καὶ ἄρτῳ τοῦ τε σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου αἵματος αἰνίττονται τὰ μυστήρια, τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ ταῦτα πνεύματι θείῳ προτεθεωρηκότος καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ταῖς εἰκόσι προκεχρημένου, ὡς ἡ Μωσέως γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ λέγουσα· «καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ ἐξήνεγκεν ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον· ἦν δὲ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, καὶ