Righteous Old Testament

Righteous Melchizedek King of Salem

Also known as Melchisedek

The king and priest of Salem who brought forth bread and wine and blessed Abraham; without recorded genealogy, he is honored as a type of the eternal priesthood of Christ.

Feast Day

May 22

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Commemorated as

The Righteous Melchizedek, King of Salem

Life

Melchizedek is an Old Testament figure who appears in a single brief episode in the Book of Genesis as the king and priest of Salem, a place traditionally identified with Jerusalem. Described as a 'priest of the Most High God,' he met the patriarch Abraham as Abraham returned from battle, brought out bread and wine, and pronounced a blessing upon him, after which Abraham gave him a tithe of his spoils. Scripture records no genealogy for him, naming neither his ancestry nor the circumstances of his birth or death.

Because his name is read as meaning 'king of righteousness' and, by association with Salem, 'king of peace,' and because his priesthood stands outside the later Levitical order, Melchizedek became a central scriptural type in Christian interpretation. The Orthodox Church commemorates him among the righteous of the Old Covenant and honors him on May 22.

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Genesis 14 Meeting with Abraham at Salem As king and priest of Salem, Melchizedek met Abraham after Abraham's victory in battle, brought out bread and wine, and blessed him; Abraham gave him a tithe of all his spoils.

Contributions & Legacy

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King and Priest of Salem

Melchizedek held the combined office of king and priest of Salem, generally identified with Jerusalem. The Genesis account presents him as a 'priest of the Most High God,' and the Orthodox commemoration describes him as a Canaanite whose lineage Scripture does not record. His name is interpreted to mean 'king of righteousness,' while his city's name is associated with peace.

The offering of bread and wine and the blessing he gave Abraham, together with the tithe Abraham rendered to him, are read in the commemoration as marking his priestly authority and as prefiguring the Church's liturgical offering and the Eucharist.

Type of Christ's Eternal Priesthood

The absence of any recorded genealogy, beginning, or end for Melchizedek is understood in Christian tradition as underscoring an eternal priestly character. Psalm 110:4 and the Epistle to the Hebrews (chapters 5 through 7) name Christ 'a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek,' setting this priesthood apart from the Aaronic and Levitical succession.

In this reading, Melchizedek is regarded as a type of Christ: unlike the Levitical priests who offered animal sacrifices, he is described as offering prayers from a pure heart, and his priesthood is held to exist perpetually without succession or termination. In Jewish interpretive tradition he is at times identified with Shem, the son of Noah.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints