Genesis 14:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Paul explicitly notes the setting aside of the law and argues that if the first covenant were flawless, there would be no need for another. The prophet thus admonishes, as the Lord promises a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah, distinct from the covenant established when He brought them out of Egypt; for, they did not adhere to that covenant, prompting Him to disregard them. He declares that He will place His laws within their minds and inscribe them on their hearts, promising to be their God, and they will be His people. No one will need to instruct their neighbor to know the Lord, for all will know Him, as He will be merciful to their transgressions, forgetting their sins and iniquities.

Further, by calling it "new," He highlights the obsolescence of the first covenant, which is indeed near to its end. Therefore, the law lacks the power for sanctification. Yet, justification in Christ and its accompanying service is far greater, as evidenced by God's voice through the prophets, who addressed those clinging to the inadequate commandments. "Wash yourselves; cleanse your hands," and "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

We are redeemed in Christ, wherein we see and know the Father, able to trace countless proofs within the Scriptures where service under the law does not please God. To remain on topic, we turn to Abraham, who, upon learning of his nephew Lot's peril in Sodom, bravely assembled his household and allies to rescue him from captivity. Upon returning triumphantly, the king of Sodom encountered him in the Valley of Shaveh, which was the king's field.

Additionally, Melchisedec, the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God, offered Abraham bread and wine, proclaiming him blessed by God, the creator of heaven and earth, for delivering his enemies into his hands. Remarkably, Abraham gave him a tenth of everything, illustrating the superiority of Melchisedec's priesthood over that of the law, as the lesser is blessed by the greater.

The narrative signifies that Melchisedec prefigures Christ, as all blessings in every instance flow from a higher source. Even the great priesthood represented by Aaron and Levi is subordinate to the divine priesthood of Christ. As Levi was yet in Abraham's lineage when Melchisedec blessed him, it symbolizes the ultimate righteousness granted by the ministry of Christ, of which Melchisedec is a foreshadowing.

It is evident that the greater blessing bestowed upon Abraham by Melchisedec represents an incomparable elevation. While some speculate that Melchisedec may have been simply a mere angelic figure or a glorious spirit, it is underscored that Melchisedec was indeed a king and a man, ruling in the city of Salem, where he symbolized both peace and truth.

As some scholars contend Melchisedec was not a man but rather a higher spiritual entity, they miss the core truth: no created being exists without genealogical reference or limits in time. The interpretation that Paul presents in relation to the priesthood of Melchisedec aimed to convey the idea that Jesus Christ became fully man to reveal God's righteousness and to open the way into a new covenant, ensuring peace with God.

In linking Melchisedec to Christ, Paul emphasizes the significance of his priesthood as a prototype of the one to come. The elements of bread and wine, offered by Melchisedec, foreshadow the sacramental blessings of the New Covenant, which we receive through Christ interceding on our behalf before the Father.

Melchisedec's blessing of Abraham, which acknowledged God's deliverance of enemies, mirrors the blessing Jesus offers us as our high priest, praying, “Holy Father, keep them in Your truth.” Through understanding the significance of these images, we recognize how they prefigure the work of Christ in establishing a new order of worship and relationship with God, fulfilling the promise of a deeper union with Him.

Thus, it becomes clear through scriptural references that Melchisedec is properly understood as a man, a king, and a priest, with Christ as His ultimate fulfillment, securing for us the everlasting blessings through His sacrifice and resurrection.

The Apostle Paul refers to Melchisedec as one without father or mother and lacking a genealogical record (Hebrews 7:3). St. John Chrysostom clarifies that we do not know his ancestry or the timing of his birth and death, stating, “He was likened to the Son of God” (Hebrews 7:3). This resemblance lies in the fact that we have no written account of Melchisedec’s beginnings or end, similar to the timeless nature of Christ, who cannot be compared to anything.

This description of Melchisedec doesn’t imply he was not a man; indeed, he was human in every way. The absence of his genealogical details in the Scriptures indicates that Moses chose to document only the lineage of Abraham, descended from Shem, Arphaxad, and through whom Christ came. Since Melchisedec belonged to a different lineage, his parents are not mentioned. Melchisedec symbolized the Son of God in various aspects. His name signifies “king of righteousness,” and Christ embodies righteousness itself, having justified us through His blood to save us from God’s wrath. As Melchisedec ruled over Salem, which means peace, Christ is identified as peace itself, reconciling humanity to God the Father, as the Apostle states, “This is our peace, which hath made both one” (Eph. 2:14). Just as Melchisedec was honored in Salem, so too was Christ in Jerusalem, welcomed as a King when He entered riding on a young donkey, as proclaimed by the people, “Blessed is the coming King!” (Luke 19:38; John 12:13). Additionally, the inscription placed above Him during His crucifixion declared, “Jesus of Nazareth is King” (John 19:19).

In the Scriptures, Melchisedec is noted to be without father and mother since his lineage is not specified, whereas Christ is truly without a mother from the Father’s eternal perspective and without a father from the Mother’s temporal view. Melchisedec has neither a recorded beginning nor an end in the Holy Scriptures—his birth and death remain unchronicled—yet these events are assured. Conversely, Christ is truly eternal, existing without a beginning, transcending time. Melchisedec serves as the first and last priest of his line, with no records of any being appointed after him. In contrast, Christ our Lord is the great High Priest who ascended through the heavens, uniquely being both the first and last to hold such an office, having offered Himself on the cross in atonement for the sins of humanity. Melchisedec’s offerings consisted of bread and wine, while Christ, our Savior, has given us His own body and life-giving blood, presented under the appearances of bread and wine. Thus, it is foretold concerning Him in the Psalms, “Thou art a priest for ever, according to the rank of Melchisedec” (Ps. 109:4). This testimony does not refer to the eternity of years but to the unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine, for only the Son of God is eternal, while Melchisedec has passed into the past, as St. Chrysostom remarks, “He (Melchisedec) died, and was not a priest for ever.”

Ignatius the Theologian, in his letter to the Philadelphians, observes that Melchisedec was a king, high priest, and a virgin throughout his life, serving as a type of the Son of God, who is the King and Hierarch, the source of purity and the Bridegroom of virgins. To learn more about Melchisedec, one might consult the Prologue for May (22nd) and February (23rd). “Melchisedec king of Salim” (Gen. 14:18). The city of Salim is referenced in the Gospel of John, where it is recorded, “John was baptizing in Enon near Salim, for there were many waters there” (John 3:23). It is believed that Salim is not to be equated with Jerusalem, as many have done; rather, it was a separate city located in the territory of Manasseh, near Enon and Scythopolis, alongside the Jordan River. Conversely, Jerusalem belonged to Benjamin, situated on Mount Moriah, later known as Zion, named after the Amorite king Zion, the very site where Abraham offered his son Isaac to God, at a time when there was no city there, just an uninhabited area populated by a few farmers. When Melchisedec encountered Abraham after his victory in battle, Isaac had yet to be born, revealing that Melchisedec ruled over the Salim near the Jordan, the site where John would later baptize during Christ's ministry.

Jerome also recounts, based on ancient Jewish teachings, that Melchisedec signified the establishment of Jerusalem, which occurred only after Abraham's sacrifice on Mount Moriah when he offered Isaac. The narrative suggests that Melchisedec, endowed with prophetic insight, foreseeing the miracles destined for that location in the end times, moved from Salim at the Jordan and founded a city, naming it “Jerusalem.” This name reflects a blend of Greek and Hebrew, where “hieros” in Greek means “holy,” and “salim” in Hebrew means “peace.” Thus, the term Jerusalem—“holy peace”—is emblematic of a place sanctified by Abraham’s sacrifice and the divine covenant of eternal peace established by God with Abraham.

"And blessed be the God of the highest, who hath delivered the enemy under thy hands." Recognizing that you attribute your success in overcoming your foes to the blessings of the Most High who has handed them to you, despite their greater numbers, let us also glorify Him for this victory.

That Abram received these priestly words from Melchisedec is evident as Abram offered him a tithe from his spoils of war (Gen. 14:20), a common practice among all nations who dedicated tithes to their deities through their ministers. Why is the account of Abram's military success read during the commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council? Firstly, the soldiers of Abram, who are considered the father of the faithful and rallied 318 against the enemy, foreshadow the 318 bishops of the First Ecumenical Council, the defenders of Orthodox belief, who triumphed over and condemned the heretical views of Arius and his followers, a connection made clear by St. Ambrose of Mediolanum (De fide ad Gratianum).

Secondly, the reference to Melchisedec in this narrative is linked to the doctrine of the Son of God’s unity and complete equality with God the Father, a truth affirmed at the First Ecumenical Council, countering Arius’s heresy that denied the Son’s eternal generation from the Father, asserting instead that He came into existence in time. The narrative of Melchisedec supports the truth of the Son's eternal origin from the essence of God the Father. Notably, the Apostle remarks that Melchisedec’s parentage, genealogy, and beginning of days are unmentioned to symbolize the Son of God, who lacks earthly ancestry and is not derived from flesh, as He existed before all time and was eternally generated from the Father. This comparison is underscored by the Psalmist in Psalm 109, which prophetically speaks of Christ, stating, "Out of the womb before the day, I have begotten you.... Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" (Psalm 109:3-4). Here, the Father depicts the Son’s priesthood in the imagery of birth, indicating His consubstantiality with Him, and the phrase "before the day" signifies His eternal existence prior to all creation (cf. Psalm 71:17).

The holy Church, which instituted the reading of this account during the First Ecumenical Council, clearly recognized Melchisedec as a prefiguration of the eternal Son of God. This is evident from the hymns sung on this feast: "Out of the womb Thou wast born before the day, from the Father motherless before the age: even though Arius glorifies the creature, mixing Thee, the Creator, with the creature in error, yet the Council at Nicaea proclaimed Thee, Lord, co-present with the Father and the Spirit."

Thirdly, Abram’s victory, as a protector of true faith against the kings who disturbed the peace of civil society, serves as a metaphor for the triumph of the shepherds of the Church, convening in council, and of her head Christ over those who disrupt her peace with false teachings. This correlation is also highlighted in one of the hymns set for the First Ecumenical Council: "As the divine Abram of old, all the godly, God-exalting people, Your fierce enemies, by Your might, have been decisively destroyed." Due to this resemblance, the narrative is also read during the commemorations of other Ecumenical Councils.

Moreover, it is significant that this account is also included in the week preceding the Nativity of Christ, during the Week of the Fathers, the ancestors of Jesus according to the flesh. During this week, the liturgy involves readings from St. Matthew concerning the genealogy of Jesus according to the flesh. However, to ensure this reading does not overshadow the idea of Christ's divinity, which transcends all human lineage and has neither earthly father nor mother, the Church opts to recall His eternal birth using the story of Melchisedec. This is not to imply that Melchisedec lacked genealogy, but rather that his story omits details regarding his ancestry and parentage.