This icon of Melchizedek is one of several that I painted many years ago. You can see the curls of the challah bread in his hand reflected in the curls of his beard. He wears the turban of a high priest and the crown of a king, as he was both priest of God Most High and king of (Jeru-)Salem.

Melchizedek is a mysterious but very important figure in the Bible. He is the king of Salem (later known as Jerusalem) and a priest of God Most High, and he blessed the patriarch Abraham. In the book of Genesis, we read how Abram returns from defeating king Chedorlaomer and meets with Bera the king of Sodom, at which point: “…Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was [is] the priest of the most high God. And he blessed Abram, and said, ‘Blessed be Abram to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand’. And Abram gave him tithe from all.” (Genesis 14:18–20)

Melchizedek is also mentioned in Psalm 110 as an example of one man acting as both priest and king (a new development in Jewish practice, dating from the time of the Maccabees about 200 BC) and Christ is compared to Melchizedek in the Epistle to the Hebrews in the New Testament. Melchizedek is the only non-Jewish priest in the Old Testament who is considered legitimate; his priesthood is also greater than the Jewish priesthood because he blesses Abram [Abraham], the father of all Jews and thus all of Abraham’s descendants–including the Jewish priests! Abraham also offers Melchizedek a tithe (10%) of all he has, indicating that he considers Melchizedek more important than himself. Melchizedek, king of Salem [i.e. “righteousness” and “peace”], sacrifices bread and wine to God; this is considered by Christian readers as a clear allusion to the Eucharist. Because he is king of righteousness and seems to be a priest for all eternity (as there is no record of his birth or death or his ancestors), he is considered by Christians to be an archetype of Christ Himself.

Some Jewish legends also notice his apparent eternity and say that he presided at the funeral of Abel and was hidden by God in Eden during the Flood to protect him. He was also important to Jews who rejected the legitimacy of the Temple, such as the Essenes and the Qumran community who compiled the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Melchizedek is commemorated by the Eastern churches on May 22.