11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Discussion about the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeology, etc.
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rgprice
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11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Post by rgprice »

Anyone know of good analysis or research on the Qumranic scroll of Melchizedek?

The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation notes: "For our author, Melchizedek is an enormously exalted divine being to whom are applied names generally reserved for God alone: the Hebrew names el and elohim.

Certainly I would think that the treatment of Melchizedek in this scroll is related to the fact that Melchizedek is the first figure in the Jewish scriptures associated with the Most High God, El Elyon.

What I'm not clear on, and maybe no one is, is whether Melchizedek is being envisioned as an angel of the priest Melchizedek who is going to return to earth on behalf of the Most High God, or if Melchizedek is seen as an incarnation of the Most High God.
Therefore Melchizedek will thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required by Go[d’s] statues.
This scripture’s interpretation:] he is to inst[r]uct them about the periods of history for eter[nity … and in the statues of] [the] truth […] [… dominion] that passes from Belial and ret[urns to the Sons of Light …] by the judgement of God, just as it is written concerning him, [“who says to Zi]on ‘Your divine being reigns’”. [“Zi]on is [the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who] uphold the covenant and turn from walking [in the way] of the people. “Your di[vi]ne being” is [Melchizedek, who will del]iv[er them from the po]wer of Belial.
Is Melchizedek a "second god"? Is Melchizedek taking on the role of Yahweh?

Or is the story here that Melchizedek was the first high priest of the Most High God, he died, he ascended to heaven and became an archangel, who will now return to act on behalf of the Most High God?

I notice that "the Lord" is not used in 11Q13 other than in quotations from the scriptures.
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MrMacSon
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Re: 11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Post by MrMacSon »

There are a lot of blog type returns in an internet search. The only thing remotely academic I found was this 2012 book chapter about Josephus' possible use of an exegesis of it -

Abstract
This chapter suggests that Josephus's story of the foundation of Jerusalem and the temple, beginning from a paraphrase of Gen. 14.18 on the lines of existing Aramaic and Greek Jewish interpretative tradition, is based on associative exegesis used in rewritten bible; this exegesis would have been linked with a catena of biblical texts on Melchizedek, related to and perhaps illuminating that which lies behind 11Q13 (11QMelchizedek). The story as Josephus gives it seems wholly Hellenic; Hebrew names are omitted or Graecized. At the same time, however, it is bound up with Jewish renderings of Gen. 14.18, Aramaic as well as Greek. In the period of certain Christian interpretations Jews were ready to connect biblical figures with angels or spirits, as when Resh Laqish in third-century Tiberias is said to identify the divine spirit upon the waters in Gen. 1.2 as the spirit of Adam and the spirit of the Messiah.

https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789 ... anguage=en

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MrMacSon
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Re: 11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

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From Wikipedia

Melchizedek is seen as a divine being in the text and is referred to as "El" or "Elohim", titles usually reserved for God.[39] According to the text, Melchizedek will proclaim the "Day of Atonement" and he will atone for the people who are predestined to him. He also will judge the peoples.[40]

The Qumran Scrolls, also indicate that Melchizedek was used as a name of the Archangel Michael, interpreted as a heavenly priest; Michael as Melchi-zedek contrast with Belial, who is given the name of Melchi-resha "king of wickedness".[42]

. . . . . .

39. Sumner, Paul (February 25, 2010). "Melchizedek: Angel, Man or Messiah?". Hebrew Streams. Retrieved September 9, 2020.

41 Fred L. Horton (2005) The Melchizedek Tradition: A Critical Examination of the Sources p. 85: "Interestingly enough, we see that the Genesis Apocryphon offers no unique information about Melchizedek. Josephus gives three items of information not found in the other sources, and Philo four."

42 Pearson, Birger A. (2003). "Melchizedek in Early Judaism, Christianity and Gnosticism". In Stone, Michael E.; Bergren, Theodore A. (eds.). Biblical Figures Outside the Bible. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-56338-411-0. Gareth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews, vol. 29 of The New International Commentary on the New Testament Author, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2012, 298f. (fn. 14).
and
The Dead Sea Scrolls document 11Q13 holds that Melchizedek was an angel or “a godlike being” who was part of the Divine Council referred to in Psalm 82:1 and Psalm 7:7–8) : Michael Wise, et al., The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation (Harper; San Francisco, 1996), pp. 456–457, via https://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d110101.PDF
StephenGoranson
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Re: 11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Post by StephenGoranson »

A good source for bibliography on Qumran texts is the Bibliography search page at The Orion Center for the Study of the
Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature.

http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/resources/ ... aphy.shtml

For examples:
With the drop-down menu "search in" with Title and Melchizedek gives 79 items.
searching Judean Desert Documents with 11Q13 gives 42 items.
rgprice
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Re: 11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Post by rgprice »

thanks
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Sinouhe
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Re: 11Q13 2 - The Coming of Melchizedek

Post by Sinouhe »

rgprice wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:03 am
Is Melchizedek a "second god"? Is Melchizedek taking on the role of Yahweh?

In my opinion, we can associate Melchizedek in 11Q13 with the teacher of righteousness.

1/ Both are being mentioned in the sky among the saints (1QH and 11Q13)
2/ Both are considered as “a cure” for the sinners
3/ Both are identified in the scrolls with the servant from Isaiah.

It would be an amazing coincidence if the sect had 2 divine characters in the sky and if they identified these 2 different characters with the Isaiah's servant.

There is a connection with 4Q471/4Q491 too.
Last edited by Sinouhe on Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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