The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (257 page)

MELCHIZEDEK'S IDENTITY

Such is the historical context in which Melchizedek exercised his priesthood. Being a patriarch, he possessed ruling authority as a "king" as well as religious authority as a "priest" (Gen 14:18). Beyond this, it is interesting to note that the link between Melchizedek and the patriarchal priesthood is even closer according to Jewish and Christian tradition. Several ancient sources identify Melchizedek with the patriarch Shem, the first-born of Noah (Gen 6:10), whose genealogy in Genesis indicates that he lived into and beyond the lifetime of Abraham (Gen 11:10-11). This tradition appears in the oldest translations of Genesis into Aramaic (
Targum Neofiti
and
Fragmentary Targum
at Gen 14:18), in rabbinic commentaries on the Pentateuch (
Genesis Rabbah
43, 6;
Leviticus Rabbah
25, 6;
Numbers Rabbah
4, 8), in the Babylonian Talmud (b.
Nedarim
32b), and in other religious works as well (e.g.,
Pirqe de Rabbi Eliezar
8, 2). It was also aired in ancient Christian writings, such as those of St. Ephraem the Syrian (
Commentary on Genesis
11, 2), St. Jerome (
Letters
73), and St. Thomas Aquinas (
Commentary on Hebrews
7, 1). Noted theologians such as Alcuin, Peter Lombard, and Nicholas of Lyra also found insight in the identification of Melchizedek as Shem, as did the
Glossa Ordinaria,
the running commentary that filled the margins of the medieval Latin Bible. Martin Luther accepted this interpretation as late as the sixteenth century (
Lectures on Genesis
14, 18). Admittedly, it is uncertain whether the author of Hebrews ever knew or accepted this tradition, but it would certainly enhance the parallelism between Melchizedek and Jesus, who is hailed as the Father's "first-born" (Heb 1:6).

MELCHIZEDEK TYPOLOGY IN THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS

With this background in mind, let us examine how the priesthood of Christ is linked with the order of Melchizedek. (1)
Royal Priesthood.
In the theology of Hebrews, Jesus is both king and high priest, just like Melchizedek. For much of the Old Testament period, these two offices were entrusted to two different families: Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi were the priests, while David and his descendants from the tribe of Judah were the kings. However, in the ancient order of Melchizedek, the patriarch, and eventually his first-born heir, wore the two crowns of ruling and religious authority. (2)
Priesthood in Salem.
The ministry of Melchizedek in the earthly Salem foreshadows the ministry of Jesus in the "heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:22). According to Hebrews, this is the celestial city that the Lord has "prepared" for the saints (Heb 11:16); it is the city high above, whose "builder and maker is God" (Heb 11:10). There Jesus ministers as king and high priest of the People of God (Heb 8:1-5), having entered into heaven when he ascended into glory (Heb 4:14; 9:24). (3)
Inheritance of the Son.
The patriarchal form of the priesthood, based in the natural order of the family, is an earthly model of what is now established in the divine family of God. The Father has raised up Jesus as a Son, indeed, as the "first-born" Son (1:6), exalting him over the angels (Heb 1-2) as well as over the Levitical mediators of the Mosaic covenant (Heb 5-10). Being the Father's eldest Son in the family of faith (Rom 8:29), he is the designated heir who is given authority over the entire created order (Heb 1:23). His relational identity is thus akin to a father figure, for he ministers to believers both as his "brethren" (Heb 2:11) and as his "children" (Heb 2:13). (4)
Signs of Bread and Wine.
In the heavenly sanctuary, Jesus offers the Father his "body" (Heb 10:10) and his "blood" (Heb 9:12). This messianic sacrifice is perceived by faith but is veiled from our senses. So for us who eat from his "altar" (Heb 13:10), these have the sacramental appearance of bread and wine (Mt 26:26-28), the very elements once offered in thanksgiving by the royal priest Melchizedek (Gen 14:18). «
Back to Hebrews 8:1.

7:28 men in their weakness:
The high priests of Israel were sinful (7:27) and mortal (7:23), and the Law they administered brought nothing to perfection (7:19). The high priest of the New Covenant is sinless (7:26) and immortal (7:24), and he embodies the perfection of humanity (5:9) made possible in the new economy of grace (10:14; 12:23) (cCC 1540). 
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8:1-10:39
The climax of Hebrews, where the author demonstrates the superior excellence of the New Covenant over the Old. He shows that the cultic and liturgical traditions of Israel, especially the Tabernacle and the rites of the Day of Atonement, are earthly and historical signs that teach us about heavenly realities and help us to understand the priestly work of Christ (CCC 522). 
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8:1 the point:
The main idea of the book.
the right hand:
An allusion to Ps 110:1, also referred to in Heb 1:3 and cited explicitly in 1:13. • Psalm 110 provides the template for the presentation of Jesus in Hebrews. It is a messianic psalm that describes how the Lord will
enthrone
the anointed One in
heaven
and ordain him an eternal
priest
in the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:1-4). 
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8:2 true tent:
The sacred dwelling place of God in heaven. The Mosaic Tabernacle was only a model and reflection of this eternal reality (8:5), also called his "holy tent" (Wis 9:8). 
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8:3 something to offer:
Levitical priests offered the blood of bulls and goats in the earthly sanctuary (Lev 16:14-15). In a similar but superior way, Christ offers his own humanity, his body (10:10) and blood (9:12-14), as an atonement sacrifice in the sanctuary of heaven (9:24). 
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8:4 he would not be a priest:
Because Jesus descended, not from the priestly tribe of Levi, but from the royal tribe of Judah (7:14). 
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8:5 See that you make:
A citation from Ex 25:40. • Moses spent 40 days on Sinai (Ex 24:18) receiving instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex 25:1-27:19). Its blueprint was based on a vision of the heavenly sanctuary that God had shown him (Acts 7:44). 
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8:7 first covenant:
The Mosaic covenant ratified at Sinai (Ex 19-24) and administered by the Levitical priests (Lev 1-16). Because the prophet Jeremiah later spoke of a "new covenant" (Heb 8:8), which the author calls a
second
covenant, he infers that the first is deficient and destined to pass away. For a similar line of reasoning, see note at Heb 7:11-19. 
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8:8-12
A citation from Jer 31:31-34. • Jeremiah gives one of the clearest prophecies of the New Covenant in the OT. He defines it over against the Mosaic covenant established during the Exodus period. The Old Covenant was engraved on stone tablets (Ex 31:18) and transgressed by Israel (Ex 32:1-6); it prescribed sacrifices to remind the people of their sins (Heb 10:3). The New Covenant, by contrast, is inscribed on the heart (8:10), makes a deeper knowledge of God possible (8:11), and wipes away the memory of sin through an efficacious remission of guilt (8:12) (CCC 580, 1965). 
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8:13 ready to vanish:
This is the strongest hint in Hebrews that the sanctuary (Jerusalem Temple) and apparatus (Levitical cult and priesthood) of the Old Covenant were still operating when the letter was written. Other passages, such as 8:4-5 and 10:1-3, give the same impression. The overall perspective of the letter confirms this, as well: it is inconceivable that readers would be tempted to revert to the system of Levitical worship after the Temple and priestly leadership of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in
A.D.
70. See introduction to Hebrews:
Date.
 
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9:1-14
The layout of the Mosaic Tabernacle. The sanctuary proper was composed of two chambers: the outer tent or Holy Place, where the priests of Israel performed regular duties, and the inner tent or Holy of Holies, where the high priest alone could enter once a year. For the author, the first and second chambers of the Tabernacle symbolize the first (Mosaic) and second (New) covenants (8:7), as well as earth and heaven. Thus, the Aaronic high priest, who passed from the first tent to the second once a year, is a type of Christ, who passed from the Old Covenant into the New once for all time when he ascended into the presence of God in heaven (4:14; 9:24). • The distinction between the first and second tents can be explained in two ways. In one sense, the first tent represents the Old Covenant, and the second tent the New. In another, the first signifies the Church, and the second the glory of heaven (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Commentary on Hebrews
9, 1). 
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9:2 Holy Place:
The outer tent where priests performed daily and weekly rituals (9:6). It was furnished with a lampstand (Ex 25:31-37), a table overlaid with gold (Ex 25:23-29), and 12 loaves of the bread of Presence (Ex 25:30; Lev 24:5-8). 
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9:3 second curtain:
The embroidered veil that hung as a partition between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Ex 26:31-33). A similar veil separated the Holy Place from the outer courtyard.
Holy of Holies:
The most sacred chamber of the Tabernacle, inaccessible to all but the high priest once a year (9:7). It housed the Ark of the Covenant, the golden chest that served as the earthly throne of Yahweh (Ex 25:10-15). The Ark was topped with the mercy seat and its two cherubim (Ex 25:17-22), and inside it were the tablets of the covenant (Ex 25:16), a jar of manna (Ex 16:33), and the rod of Aaron (Num 17:8-10). 
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9:4 altar of incense:
Scripture normally puts the incense altar in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies (Ex 30:1-10; 40:26). Perhaps the author is alluding to the Day of Atonement liturgy, when incense was taken from the altar into the presence of the Ark (Lev 16:12-13). 
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