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order to remain; for it was transferred to the priesthood before Levi and before Aaron, according to the order of Melchizedek, which now is practiced in the church, from the Lord's incarnate presence until now, the seed no longer being chosen according to succession, but the type according to virtue being sought. 3. For the first priesthood is performed in uncircumcision through Abel, but also in succession through Noah; and third through Melchizedek, who served as priest to God not in circumcision but in the righteousness of perfection and virtue, and in the uncircumcision of the flesh. And that Melchizedek was a man, the holy apostle of God himself will declare in the epistle. For he says thus, "But he whose descent is not reckoned from them has received tithes from the patriarch." It is clear, therefore, that his descent is not reckoned from them, but his descent is reckoned from others. But how many others are not genealogized in the most obvious way? Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Elijah the Tishbite; for in all the explicit books, the fathers or mothers of these men are nowhere mentioned 2.328. But lest some error arise because of this, it will do no harm to say what we have also received in traditions. For we have found that Daniel's father was called a certain Sabaan. And likewise we have found by nature the patriarchal line of Elijah, which I will also relate in order thus: Elijah the Tishbite was the brother of Joda the priest, being himself of course from priests, and the son of Achinaam; Achinaam the son of Zadok, Zadok of Ahitub of Amoria, Amoria son of Amoria of Razaza, Razaza of Aazia, Aazia of Phinehas, Phinehas son of Eleazar, Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, that is; Aaron son of Amram, Amram of Kohath, Kohath of Levi, Levi the third son of Jacob; Jacob brother of Esau, and child of Isaac, Isaac son of Abraham. And in the explicit books the genealogies of these men are not very clearly stated, or only parts of the account concerning Elijah in the books of Chronicles. But by nature, of the three youths, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, we have found their fathers neither in traditions nor in apocryphal books. What then shall we say? Shall those men, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, cause us to imagine what we ought not and to marvel excessively beyond the 2.329 measure of each subject, by considering them without father and without mother? But may it not be so. For boundaries have been set for us and foundations for the building of the faith and traditions of the apostles and holy scriptures and successions of teachers, and from all sides the truth of God has been made secure, and let no one be deceived by empty myths. 4. But I will return again to the matters at hand, to which these people have fantasies about Melchizedek. For it is clear that the righteous one was holy and a priest of God and king of Salem, but not belonging to the order in heaven and having descended from heaven; "For no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man," says the holy and true God the Word. But the divine scripture, proclaiming the order of Melchizedek, and the Spirit, explicitly teaching the transfer, showed the priesthood from the old synagogue and from the * nation to a most beautiful and supreme nation, and one not united by participation in fleshly succession. For this holy Melchizedek no longer had a succession after him, nor indeed a removal of the priesthood. For he himself remained a priest all the time of his life and is still celebrated in scripture as a priest, with no one succeeding him or overturning the priesthood during the time of his service. So also our Lord, not being a man, but the holy God the Word of God, Son of God, begotten without beginning and without time, always being with the Father, but becoming man for our sake from Mary and not from the seed of a man, offers the priesthood * to the Father, having taken the lump from humanity, so that he might be established as priest for us according to the order of Melchizedek, which has no succession. for the things on our behalf remain unto the

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ἐπιμένειν τάγμα· μετετίθετο γὰρ εἰς τὴν πρὸ τοῦ Λευὶ καὶ πρὸ Ἀαρὼν κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἱερωσύνην, ἥτις νυνὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πολιτεύεται, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας καὶ δεῦρο, μηκέτι τοῦ σπέρματος κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἐκλεγομένου, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κατὰ ἀρετὴν τύπου ζητουμένου. 3. Πρώτη γὰρ ἱερωσύνη ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ διὰ τοῦ Ἄβελ τελεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθεξῆς διὰ τοῦ Νῶε· τρίτη δὲ διὰ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ, τοῦ οὐκ ἐν περιτομῇ ἀλλὰ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ μὲν τελειότητος καὶ ἀρετῇ, ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ δὲ σαρκὸς θεῷ ἱερατεύσαντος. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, αὐτὸς ὁ ἅγιος θεοῦ ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ δηλώσει. φάσκει γὰρ οὕτως «ὁ δὲ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν δεδεκάτωκε τὸν πατριάρχην». δῆλον οὖν ὅτι ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ γενεαλογεῖται, ἐξ ἄλλων δὲ γενεαλογεῖται. πόσοι δὲ ἄλλοι οὐ γενεαλογοῦνται κατὰ τὸ φανερώτατον; ∆ανιὴλ Σεδρὰχ Μισὰκ Ἀβδεναγὼ Ἠλίας ὁ Θεσβίτης· ἐν πάσαις γὰρ ῥηταῖς βίβλοις οὐδαμοῦ ἐμφέρονται 2.328 τούτων οἱ πατέρες ἢ αἱ μητέρες. ἵνα δὲ μὴ διὰ τοῦτο πλάνη τις γένηται, οὐδὲν λυπήσει ἃ καὶ ἐν παραδόσεσι κατειλήφαμεν λέγειν. εὑρήκαμεν γὰρ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ τὸν πατέρα Σαβαάν τινα καλούμενον. τοῦ δὲ Ἠλία φύσει καὶ τὴν πατριαρχίαν ὡσαύτως ηὕραμεν, ἥντινα καὶ καθ' εἱρμὸν ὑφηγήσομαι οὕτως· Ἠλίας ὁ Θεσβίτης ἀδελφὸς γέγονεν Ἰωδαὲ τοῦ ἱερέως, ἐξ ἱερέων δῆθεν καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπάρχων, υἱὸς δὲ τοῦ Ἀχιναάμ· Ἀχιναὰμ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ Σαδώκ, Σαδὼκ δὲ τοῦ Ἀχιτὼβτοῦ Ἀμορία, Ἀμορίας υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀμορία τοῦ Ῥαζαζά, Ῥαζαζὰ τοἈαζία, Ἀαζία τοῦ Φινεές, Φινεὲς υἱὸς τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ, Ἐλεάζαρ υἱὸτοῦ Ἀαρών, τοῦ ἱερέως δηλονότι· Ἀαρὼν υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀμράμ, Ἀμρὰτοῦ Καάθ, Καὰθ τοῦ Λευί, Λευὶ τρίτος υἱὸς τοῦ Ἰακώβ· Ἰακὼβ δὲ ἀδελφὸς μὲν Ἠσαῦ, παῖς δὲ τοῦ Ἰσαάκ, Ἰσαὰκ υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. ἐδὲ ταῖς ῥηταῖς βίβλοις οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς αἱ τούτων γενεαλογίαι ἐμφέρονται ἢ μόνον ἐν ταῖς Παραλειπομέναις τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν ὑποθέσεως μέρη. φύσει δὲ τῶν τριῶν παίδων, Σεδρὰχ Μισὰκ Ἀβδεναγώ, οὔτε ἐν παραδόσεσιν οὔτε ἐν ἀποκρύφοις τοὺς πατέρας ηὕραμεν. τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ἆρα κἀκεῖνοι, οἱ περὶ Σεδρὰχ Μισὰκ Ἀβδεναγώ, φαντάσουσιν ἡμᾶς λογίζεσθαι ἃ μὴ χρὴ καὶ ὑπερόγκως θαυμάζειν ὑπὲρ τὸ 2.329 μέτρον ἑκάστην ὑπόθεσιν, ἀπάτορας καὶ ἀμήτορας αὐτοὺς λογισάμενοι; ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο. ὅροι γὰρ ἐτέθησαν ἡμῖν καὶ θεμέλιοι εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἀποστόλων παραδόσεις καὶ γραφαὶ ἅγιαι καὶ διαδοχαὶ διδασκάλων, καὶ ἐκ πανταχόθεν ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἠσφάλισται καὶ μηδεὶς ἀπατάσθω κενοῖς μύθοις. 4. Ἐπανελεύσομαι δὲ πάλιν εἰς τὰ προκείμενα, εἰς ἅπερ οὗτοι φαντάζονται περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἅγιος ὁ δίκαιος ὑπῆρχε καὶ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ βασιλεὺς τῆς Σαλὴμ δῆλον, ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς ἐν οὐρανῷ ὑπάρχων τάξεως καὶ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκώς· «οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου», φησὶν ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἀψευδὴς θεὸς Λόγος. τὴν δὲ τάξιν τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ κηρύττουσα ἡ θεία γραφὴ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ῥητῶς διδάσκον τὴν μετάθεσιν ἔδειξε τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς συναγωγῆς καὶ τοῦ * ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος κάλλιστον καὶ ὑπέρτατον καὶ οὐ μετοχῇ σαρκὸς διαδοχῆς ἡνωμένον. ὁ γὰρ Μελχισεδὲκ ὁ ἅγιος οὗτος οὐκέτι μετ' αὐτὸν διαδοχὴν ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ ἀφαίρεσιν τῆς ἱερωσύνης. ἔμεινε γὰρ αὐτὸς ἱερεὺς τὸν πάντα χρόνον τῆς αὐτοῦ ζωῆς καὶ ἔτι ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ᾄδεται ἱερεύς, μηδενὸς αὐτὸν διαδεξαμένου ἢ ἀνατρέψαντος τὴν κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τῆς αὐτοῦ ὑπηρεσίας ἱερωσύνην. οὕτω καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, οὐκ ὢν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ ἅγιος θεὸς Λόγος, υἱὸς θεοῦ γεννηθεὶς ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀχρόνως, ἀεὶ σὺν πατρὶ ὤν, γενόμενος δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς ἐκ Μαρίας ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ σπέρματος ἀνδρός, τὴν δὲ ἱερωσύνην * τῷ πατρὶ προσφέρει, ἐξ ἀνθρωπότητος τὸ φύραμα λαβών, ἵνα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἱερεὺς καταστῇ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, τὴν μὴ ἔχουσαν διαδοχήν. μένει γὰρ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ