I am loving this series dearly. In all my catechetics, I don't think I ever quite appreciated the idea that a sinful priest can only offer sacrifice imperfectly, while it takes a sinless priest to offer sacrifice perfectly (thus giving the idea of "in persona Christi" more depth and purpose), as well as I did reading this article.
Now for the million dollar question: Who is Melchizedek? As far as I know, there is no official canonical answer, though he is even more puzzling than the Nephilim because he is a named who interacts with a main character. I've heard someone suggest that he might have been Hermes Trismegistus (if it is conceivable that we should mix different mythological traditions). Paul writes that "He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life," indicating immortality, almost as if he were an angel. And you yourself write that "Melchizedek is not a sinful man." Do you have a favorite theory yourself, or a source to which you would direct us for further reading on the question?
I tend to simply follow Paul who implies this is some special personage but offer no other details. In my more speculative moments, I see him as a prefiguring manifestation of Christ - as the three men visiting Abraham are manifestations of the Trinity. There is an interesting Talmudic tradition of identifying him as Shem, passing on the Noachic covenant, but I find that to be too far afield.
I am loving this series dearly. In all my catechetics, I don't think I ever quite appreciated the idea that a sinful priest can only offer sacrifice imperfectly, while it takes a sinless priest to offer sacrifice perfectly (thus giving the idea of "in persona Christi" more depth and purpose), as well as I did reading this article.
Now for the million dollar question: Who is Melchizedek? As far as I know, there is no official canonical answer, though he is even more puzzling than the Nephilim because he is a named who interacts with a main character. I've heard someone suggest that he might have been Hermes Trismegistus (if it is conceivable that we should mix different mythological traditions). Paul writes that "He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life," indicating immortality, almost as if he were an angel. And you yourself write that "Melchizedek is not a sinful man." Do you have a favorite theory yourself, or a source to which you would direct us for further reading on the question?
I tend to simply follow Paul who implies this is some special personage but offer no other details. In my more speculative moments, I see him as a prefiguring manifestation of Christ - as the three men visiting Abraham are manifestations of the Trinity. There is an interesting Talmudic tradition of identifying him as Shem, passing on the Noachic covenant, but I find that to be too far afield.