The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (256 page)

6:15 Abraham . . . patiently endured:
The patriarch waited about 25 years between God's promise to bless him with countless descendants (Gen 15:4-5) and the birth of his first descendant, Isaac (Gen 21:1-5). 
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6:17 heirs of the promise:
The family of Abraham by faith.
See note on Heb 2:16
. 
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6:18 the hope:
The confident desire for "glory" (2:10), "rest" (4:1), and "blessing" (6:7). It can keep the believer from drifting (2:1), just as an anchor secures a boat (6:19) (CCC 1820). 
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6:19 the inner shrine:
The dwelling place of God in the heavenly sanctuary. Its earthly counterpart is the "Holy of Holies" (9:3), also called the "most holy place", the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle where the presence of God was curtained off by a decorated veil (Ex 26:31-34). 
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7:1-28
The priesthood of Christ is examined at two levels: it is
connected
with the royal priesthood of Melchizedek and
contrasted
with the Levitical priesthood of Aaron (CCC 1544). 
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7:2 king of righteousness:
The meaning of "Melchizedek" in Hebrew.
king of peace:
The city name "Salem" is related to the Hebrew term for "peace". 
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7:3 without father . . . mother:
Not literally, but in contrast to the requirements for priestly ministry in Israel, where a prospective candidate had to show proof of Aaronic descent on his father's side and a compatible genealogy on his mother's side. Failure to meet these requirements rendered aspiring men ineligible for priestly service (Ezra 2:61-63; Neh 7:63-65). Neither Melchizedek nor Jesus was bound by these restrictions; indeed, neither had a Levitical genealogy (Heb 7:6, 14). Some take the silence of Scripture about the life-span and parents of Melchizedek as an allegorical sign of the eternal generation of God the Son. This is a valid theological point, but it is not the point being made in Hebrews.
neither beginning . . . nor end:
Not literally, but in contrast to the age limits set for the Aaronic priesthood, where ministry began at 30 and ended at 50 (Num 4:3, 43). Melchizedek was not limited to two decades of ministry, for no such age restriction was in force in pre-Levitical times. Jesus likewise exercises his priesthood for as long as he lives— for ever (Heb 7:24).
for ever:
The Greek expression here is both different and weaker than the one translated "for ever" in 6:20 and 7:17, 21, 28. The sense is that Melchizedek was priest "for a long time", whereas Jesus remains a priest "for all eternity". 
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7:4-10
Genesis implies that Melchizedek outranks Abraham, first, because he
blessed
the patriarch (Heb 7:6; Gen 14:19) and, second, because he received a
tithe
from the patriarch just as a priest receives offerings from the laity (Heb 7:4; Gen 14:20). 
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7:5 the law to take tithes:
A reference to Num 18:2129. • The tribe of Levi was given no land inheritance in Israel but was supported by the lay tribes in return for its ministerial service. A tithe is 10 percent of a family's produce and income. 
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7:8 mortal men:
Levitical priests (7:23).
he lives:
Melchizedek (7:3). 
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7:11-19
God's oath to reestablish the priesthood of Melchizedek (7:17) implies that the priesthood of Aaron was deficient and destined to pass away. The problem: its laws and liturgies were powerless to cleanse and perfect the worshiping People of God (7:19; 9:9-10; 10:1-4). For a similar line of reasoning,
See note on Heb 8:7
. 
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7:12 change in the priesthood:
Insofar as Ps 110:4 envisions a change from the Levitical priesthood of Aaron to the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ, it follows that the Mosaic laws of worship must also give way to the messianic laws of worship (7:18-19). Essentially this is a change from sacrificial rites that involve the blood of animals (10:4) to sacramental rites such as Baptism (10:22) and the Eucharist (6:4; 13:10), whose efficacy derives from the blood of Christ (9:11-14). In all probability, the maxim that a new priesthood brings new laws is based on a pattern established in the Bible. In fact, when the family priesthood of patriarchal times gave way to the clerical priesthood of Aaron in Mosaic times, this change was followed by the promulgation of an extensive code of law concerning the rites of liturgical worship (mainly in the Book of Leviticus). For more details, see essay:
Priesthood in the Old Testament
at Num 18. 
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7:14 from Judah:
Jesus was not a Levite of the priestly family of Aaron but a Judahite of the royal family of David (Mt 1:1-16). 
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7:17 You are a priest for ever:
The words of Ps 110:4. • This is the oath of perpetual priesthood that Yahweh swore to confer on the royal heir of David. It has provisional reference to Solomon, who exercised a limited priestly ministry (1 Kings 3:15; 8:63; 9:25), just as David had done (2 Sam 6:12-19). But only the Davidic Messiah, risen to an immortal life (Heb 7:16), qualifies for the everlasting priesthood envisioned by the psalm (Heb 7:23-25). 
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7:21 without an oath:
The priesthood of Aaron, established without a divine oath, is a revocable and changeable arrangement. 
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7:22 the surety:
A legal term for someone who puts his life on the line for someone else (Sir 29:15; cf. Gen 43:9). 
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7:25 lives to make intercession:
Jesus exercises an ongoing priestly ministry in heaven, where he intercedes for the saints at the Father's right hand (8:1-2; Rom 8:34; CCC 519, 662). 
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7:27 daily . . . his own sins:
The author appears to telescope the
daily
sacrifices offered by priests every morning and evening (Num 28:1-8) and the
annual
sacrifices of the Day of Atonement, which the high priest offered for the sins of Israel, including his own (Lev 16:11-19). This is in contrast to Christ, who offered only one sacrifice, and that for his people and not for himself. For a similar use of this technique,
see note on Heb 9:12
.
once for all:
Several times Hebrews stresses how the single sacrifice of Jesus is definitive and unrepeatable (9:12, 26) (CCC 1085). 
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The Order of Melchizedek

O
NLY
four verses in the OT mention the royal priest Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20; Ps 110:4). Given such minimal attention, one might think him an insignificant figure in the great drama of biblical history. Yet, in the Letter to the Hebrews, the priesthood of Melchizedek looms large as an anticipation of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Some investigation into the background of this mysterious priest-king is called for if we are to understand and appreciate the Melchizedek argument in Hebrews.

MELCHIZEDEK THE PRIEST

Let us begin with some basic facts. Melchizedek is the first person in Scripture who is explicitly called a "priest" (Gen 14:18). Indeed, he is the only figure in Genesis who is identified as a priest of "God Most High", the same God that Abraham knows as "the LORD" who made "heaven and earth" (Gen 14:22). The only others to bear the title "priest" in Genesis are pagan clerics who served the idol gods of Egypt (Gen 41:45, 50; 46:20; 47:22, 26). Secondly, Melchizedek is identified as the king of "Salem" (Gen 14:18). Psalm 76:2 identifies this city as Zion, i.e., Jerusalem, as does a long stream of Jewish tradition. This is the holy city that would later become the spiritual center of Israelite religion and the political capital of the Davidic kings. Thirdly, Melchizedek ministers to Abraham as a priest, not only by blessing him (Gen 14:19), but also by bringing forth "bread and wine" (Gen 14:18). These are probably the elements of a thank offering made to God Most High in gratitude for a successful mission, and as such they would constitute a communion sacrifice to be consumed by the priest and participants alike (cf. Lev 7:12-15). Abraham reciprocates these actions by giving a tithe of his spoils to Melchizedek (Gen 14:20), suggesting that a priestly and spiritual service has indeed been performed for the patriarch and his company (cf. Num 18:21).

MELCHIZEDEK'S PRIESTLY ORDER

The Letter to the Hebrews finds theological significance, not only in the person of Melchizedek as an individual, but also in his priesthood. This is why the phrase "the order of Melchizedek" appears five times in the span of three chapters (Heb 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 17). The expression itself is taken from Psalm 110, where the Lord swears an oath of ordination to the Davidic Messiah, making the
king
at his right hand (Ps 110:1) a
priest
after the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4). The statement is striking, since for well over a thousand years, Israel knew only the Levitical priesthood of Aaron and his descendants established by the Mosaic covenant (Ex 40:12-15). No other priesthood was acknowledged by the Law or permitted to officiate on behalf of the covenant people (Num 17:1-13; 18:1-7). So what is this "order" linked with Melchizedek?

   Genesis implies that the order of Melchizedek is the patriarchal order of priesthood that functioned for many centuries before the ordination of Aaron and his sons took place at Mount Sinai (Lev 8:1-36). In other words, it is the original, pre-Levitical form of the priesthood that was exercised during the long stretch of pre-Mosaic history. This was the age of natural religion, an era when priestly authority was rooted in the authority structure of the family. In these ancient times, the father of the family conducted public rites of worship, and his sons became his successors in the ministry. In particular, the first-born son, by the natural right of primogeniture, was the primary heir who stood to receive the full measure of his father's priestly and ruling responsibility. This is what we see throughout Genesis, where the Patriarchs—not a professional class of clerical priests—exercised spiritual leadership by building altars (Gen 12:7-8; 13:18), calling upon the Lord in prayer (Gen 21:33; 26:25), con— secrating natural landmarks (Gen 28:18-22), pouring out libations (Gen 35:14), and offering sacrifice on behalf of the family (Gen 8:20; 46:1; Job 1:5).