
The Biblical Figure Melchizedek Appears Just Twice In The Hebrew Bible, And Once More In The Christian New Testament. Cited As Both The King Of Shalem-understood By Most Scholars To Be Jerusalem-and As An Eternal Priest Without Ancestry, Melchizedek's Appearances Become Textual Justification For Tithing To The Levitical Priests In Jerusalem And For The Priesthood Of Jesus Christ Himself. But What If The Text Was Manipulated? Robert R. Cargill Explores The Hebrew And Greek Texts Concerning Melchizedek's Encounter With Abraham In Genesis As A Basis To Unravel The Biblical Mystery Of This Character's Origins. The Textual Evidence That Cargill Presents Shows That Melchizedek Was Originally Known As The King Of Sodom And That The Later Traditions About Sodom Forced Biblical Scribes To Invent A New Location, Shalem, For Melchizedek's Priesthood And Reign. Cargill Also Identifies Minor, Strategic Changes To The Hebrew Bible And The Samaritan Pentateuch That Demonstrate An Evolving, Polemical, Sectarian Discourse Between Jews And Samaritans Competing For The Superiority Of Their Respective Temples And Holy Mountains. The Resulting Literary Evidence Was Used As The Ideological Motivation For Identifying Shalem With Jerusalem In The Second Temple Jewish Tradition. A Brief Study With Far-reaching Implications, Melchizedek, King Of Sodom Reopens Discussion Of Not Only This Unusual Character, But Also The Origins Of Both The Priesthood Of Christ And The Role Of Early Israelite Priest-kings. History Of Interpretation Of Melchizedek -- Melchizedek The Man In The Context Of Gen. 14 -- From Sodom To Shalem: Polishing The Patriarch -- From ʼel ʻelyon To Yhwh: Conflating Deities And Monotheistic Apologetics -- Evidence Of Sectarian Redaction In The Samaritan Pentateuch And The Masoretic Text -- From Shalem To Jerusalem: Sectarian Relocation Via Redaction -- The Tithes That Blind: Seeking Precedent For Tithing To The Jerusalem Priesthood -- Psalm 110: From Davidic King To Melchizedek -
This book investigates the historical and textual origins of the biblical figure Melchizedek, arguing that he was originally identified as the King of Sodom before being reimagined by scribes to serve sectarian interests. Robert R. Cargill, a scholar of ancient Near Eastern history and biblical studies, utilizes a rigorous analysis of the Hebrew Bible, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and early Christian texts to demonstrate how Melchizedek was repurposed. He posits that scribal redaction was employed to relocate Melchizedek to Shalem, thereby legitimizing the Jerusalem priesthood and influencing later theological developments regarding the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and students of biblical criticism frequently note the technical precision and analytical depth of Cargill's textual arguments. The work is recognized as a significant contribution to understanding how sectarian redaction shaped foundational religious narratives.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0190946997
ISBN-13:
9780190946999
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