History of Melchisedech

OF THE SAME, WHY MELCHISEDEK WAS CALLED "WITHOUT FATHER, WITHOUT MOTHER, AND WITHOUT GENEALOGY."

A history concerning Melchisedek.

In that time there was a certain queen Salem, after the name of the city; and she gave birth to Salaad. And Salaad gave birth to Melchi. And Melchi had a wife after her own name, Salem; and she bore him two sons, one called Melchi, and the other Melchisedek. And their father was a Greek, dissolute, performing sacrifices to idols. And a fitting time came to sacrifice to the idols; for he was sacrificing in the Dodekatheon; and Melchi the king says to his own son Melchisedek: Take some of the servants with you, and go to the cattle-pen, and bring me seven calves, that we may sacrifice to the gods. Therefore as Melchisedek was going, a divine thought came upon him on the way, and having gazed with his eyes into heaven, he stared at the sun, and considered the moon and the stars; and coming to himself he said: If someone made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and the stars, to that one ought the sacrifice be given, to the one who created them. The signs of heaven make it clear to me that their creator rests above them, incorruptible, invisible, immortal, the only God existing in heaven and on earth, knowing the blasphemies of hearts; he is the true God; to him the sacrifice ought to be given. I will go therefore to my father, and ask his pardon; perhaps he will listen to me. So Melchisedek returned, bringing nothing back. And when his father saw him, he says to him: Where are the calves? And Melchisedek says to him: Be not angry, father king, but hear me. And he said: What you have to say, say quickly. And Melchisedek says: Come, the sacrifice which we have to give, let us not give it to these gods; for these do not appear to me to be gods; but rather let us give sacrifice to the one who rests above the heavens. For he is God of gods. And his father, angered, says to him: Go; bring what I told you; otherwise you shall not live. And as Melchisedek was going away again to the cattle-pen, king Salem Melchi went in to Salem his wife, saying to her: Come, 28.528 let us give one of our sons as a sacrifice. But his wife, when she heard, wept bitterly; for she knew that on this pretext the king wished to kill Melchisedek, because he had reproached him concerning the sacrifice. And the queen sighed, and said: Woe is me, I have toiled and labored in vain. And when the king saw her, he said to her: Do not cry, but come, let us cast lots; and if the lot falls to me, I choose whom I wish, and I will give him as a sacrifice to our gods; but if the lot falls to you, choose whom you wish, and keep him safe. He said this, thinking that the lot would fall to the priest; and having cast the lot, the lot fell to the queen, and she chose Melchisedek, whom she loved. But the king of Salem, being defeated by his wife, prepared the son who had fallen to him by lot for sacrifice; for he feared to offend his gods. And when Melchisedek came, he brought the seven calves. And the father, taking the son who had fallen to him by lot, went to the temple of the idols in the Dodekatheon; and there came together for the sacrifice 503 children, being offered by their own fathers; and another three hundred from their mothers, and countless oxen and sheep, and the sacrifice was made ready. But Salem, the mother of Melchisedek, sitting in her house, cried out with a loud voice and

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Historia de Melchisedech

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ, ∆ΙΑ ΤΙ ΕΚΛΗΘΗ Ο ΜΕΛΧΙΣΕ∆ΕΚ «ΑΠΑΤΩΡ, ΑΜΗΤΩΡ ΚΑΙ ΑΓΕΝΕΑΛΟΓΗ ΤΟΣ.»

Ἱστορία εἰς τὸν Μελχισεδέκ.

Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἦν τις βασίλισσα Σαλὴμ, κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως· ἐγέννησε δὲ τὸν Σαλαάδ. Σαλαὰδ δὲ ἐγέννησε Μελχί. Μελχὶ δὲ ἔσχε γυναῖκα κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Σαλήμ· ἔτεκε δὲ αὐτῷ δύο υἱοὺς, ἕνα καλούμενον τὸν Μελχὶ, καὶ ἕτερον Μελχισεδέκ. Ἦν δὲ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν Ἕλλην, ἄσωτος, θυσίας ἐπιτελῶν τοῖς εἰδώλοις. Συνέφθασε δὲ καιρὸς ἐπιτήδειος τοῦ θυσιάζειν τοῖς εἰδώλοις· ἦν γὰρ θυσιάζων ἐν τῷ δωδεκαθέῳ· καὶ λέγει Μελχὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ἑαυτοῦ υἱῷ Μελχισεδέκ· Λάβε μετὰ σοῦ ἐκ τῶν παιδαρίων, καὶ ἄπελθε εἰς τὸ βουκόλιον, καὶ πρόσαγέ μοι ἑπτὰ μόσχους, ἵνα θύσωμεν τοῖς θεοῖς. Ἀπερχόμενος οὖν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, ἔννοια θεϊκὴ ἐπῆλθεν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἀτενίσας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἠτένιζε τῷ ἡλίῳ, καὶ ἐνεθυμεῖτο περὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ τῶν ἄστρων· καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενος εἶπεν· Εἴ τις ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανὸν, τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ τὰ ἄστρα, ἐκείνῳ ὀφείλει δοθῆναι ἡ θυσία τῷ κτίσαντι αὐτά. Ἔκδηλόν με ποιοῦσι τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι ὁ κτίστης αὐτῶν, ἐπάνω αὐτῶν ἐπαναπαύεται, ἄφθαρτος, ἀόρατος, ἀθάνατος μόνος Θεὸς ὑπάρχων ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, ἐπιστάμενος βλασφημίας καρδιῶν· αὐτός ἐστιν ἀληθινὸς Θεός· αὐτῷ ὀφείλει δοθῆναι ἡ θυσία. Ἀπέλθω οὖν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου, καὶ συγγνωμήσομαι αὐτῷ· ἴσως ἀκούσεταί μου. Ἀνέλυσε δὲ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, μηδὲν ἀπο φέρων. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, λέγει αὐτῷ· Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ μόσχοι; Ὁ δὲ Μελχισεδὲκ λέγει αὐτῷ· Μὴ ὀργίζου, πάτερ βασιλεῦ, ἀλλ' ἄκουσόν μου. Ὁ δὲ εἶπε· Τί ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, εἰπὲ διὰ τάχους. Ὁ δὲ Μελχισεδὲκ λέγει· ∆εῦρο, τὴν θυσίαν, ἣν ἔχομεν δοῦναι, μὴ δῶμεν αὐτὴν τοῖς θεοῖς τούτοις· οὗτοι γὰρ οὐ φαίνονταί μοι θεοί· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον δῶμεν θυσίαν τῷ ἐπαναπαυομένῳ ἐπάνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ Θεὸς θεῶν. Ὁ δὲ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ὀργισθεὶς λέγει αὐτῷ· Πορεύου· ἄγαγε ἃ εἶπόν σοι· ἐπεὶ οὐ ζήσῃ. Ἀπιόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάλιν τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ εἰς τὸ βουκόλιον, εἰσῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ Μελχὶ πρὸς Σαλὴμ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, λέγων αὐτῇ· ∆εῦρο, 28.528 δῶμεν θυσίαν ἕνα τῶν υἱῶν ἡμῶν. Ἡ δὲ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀκούσασα, ἔκλαυσε πικρῶς· ἔγνω γὰρ, ὅτι προφάσει θέλει ὁ βασιλεὺς φονεῦσαι τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ, ὅτι ὠνείδισεν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν. Καὶ ἀνεστέναζεν ἡ βασίλισσα, καὶ εἶπεν· Οἴμοι, ἐκοπίασα καὶ ἐμόχθησα εἰς κενόν. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς, εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Μὴ κλαῖε, ἀλλὰ δεῦρο λάχωμεν· καὶ ἐὰν λάχῃ μοι, ἐπιλέγομαι ὃν θέλω, καὶ δώσω αὐτὸν θυσίαν τοῖς θεοῖς ἡμῶν· εἰ δὲ λάχῃ σοι, ἐπίλεξαι ὃν ἂν θέλῃς, καὶ παραφύλαττε αὐτόν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε, δοκῶν κατα λαγχάνειν τῷ ἱερεῖ· καὶ βαλόντες κλῆρον, ἔλαχεν ἡ βασίλισσα, καὶ ἐπελέξατο τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ, ὃν ἠγάπα. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἡττηθεὶς παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, τὸν λαχόντα αὐτῷ υἱὸν ηὐτρέπισεν εἰς θυσίαν· ἐφοβεῖτο γὰρ προσκροῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, ἤνεγκε τοὺς ἑπτὰ μόσχους. Λαβὼν δὲ ὁ πατὴρ τὸν λαχόντα αὐτῷ υἱὸν, ἐπορεύετο ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν τῶν εἰδώλων ἐν τῷ δωδεκαθέῳ· συνῆλθον δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ φγʹ παῖδες ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων πατέρων προσφερόμενοι· καὶ ἄλλοι τριακόσιοι παρὰ τῶν μητέρων, καὶ βόες καὶ πρόβατα ἀναρίθμητα, καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ θυσία ἕτοιμος. Σαλὴμ δὲ ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ, καθημένη ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτῆς, ἀνεβόησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ

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