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1 […] … […] 2 […] and as for what it says, “In [this] year of jubilee [each of you shall return to his property,” and about it he said, “And] this 3 [is the manner of the release:] every creditor shall release what he has lent [to his neighbor. He shall not press his neighbor or his brother, for there has been proclaimed] a release 4 for God.” [Its interpretation] for the end of days concerns the captives, who […] and whose 5 teachers have been hidden and kept secret, and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for […] … and they are the inheritance of Melchizedek, who 6 will bring them back to them. He will proclaim liberty to them,⁠ to release them from [the burden of] all their iniquities.⁠ And [thus] this thing will happen 7 in the first week of the jubilee that follows the nine jubilees.⁠ The Day of Atonement is the end of the tenth jubilee,⁠ 8 to atone on it for all the sons of [light]⁠ and the men of the lot of Melchizedek. […] … upon them … according to all their deeds, for 9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek⁠ and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written 10 about him in the songs of David, who said, “God stands in the assembly [of El]; in the midst of the gods he judges.”⁠ And about him he said, “And above it 11 return to the heights; God will judge the peoples.”⁠ As for what he said, [“How long] will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked? Selah,” 12 its interpretation concerns Belial and the spirits of his lot,⁠ who […] … in their turning away from the statutes of God [to act wickedly]. 13 But Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of the judgments of God, [and on that day he will] deliver them [from the hand of] Belial⁠ and from the hand of all the spirits [of his lot]. 14 To his aid come all the gods [of righteousness], and he is the one who […] all the sons of God, and the … 15 this … is the day [of peace], of which he spoke [… through] Isaiah the prophet, who said, [“How] lovely 16 on the mountains are the feet of the herald who proclaims peace, the herald [of good news who proclaims salvation], who says to Zion, ‘Your God [is king].’” 17 Its interpretation: the mountains [are] the prophets, they … […] … for all … […] 18 And the herald is the one anointed of the spirit,⁠ as Daniel said [about him, “Until an anointed one, a prince, there are seven weeks.” And the herald of] 19 good news who proclaims [salvation] is the one about whom it is written that […] 20 “to comfort the [mourners.” Its interpretation:] to instruct them in all the ages of the world […] 21 in truth … […] … […] 22 … […] was removed from Belial and will return […] … […] 23 […] by the judgments of God, as it is written about him, [“who says] to Zion, ‘Your God is king.’” Zion is 24 [the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, those] who uphold the covenant, who turn aside from walking in the way of the people. And “your God” is 25 [… Melchizedek, who will] deliver them from the hand of Belial. As for what he said, “You shall sound the horn throughout all the land,”

Texts in conversation

Compare 11Q13 2:8 and Hebrews 7:3

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · New Testament

Summary

In 11Q13 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Melchizedek’s atonement belongs to a final Jubilee. Hebrews makes his continuing priesthood central, using the absence of birth or death in the Genesis account to present him as a model for Jesus.

Passages

11Q13 2:8

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek

6 will bring them back to them. He will proclaim liberty to them, to release them from [the burden of] all their iniquities. And [thus] this thing will happen 7 in the first week of the jubilee that follows the nine jubilees. The Day of Atonement is the end of the tenth jubilee, 8 to atone on it for all the sons of [light] and the men of the lot of Melchizedek. […] … upon them … according to all their deeds, for 9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written

100–50 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 11Q13

Hebrews 7:3

New Testament

1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. 2 To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time. 4 But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder.

80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Hebrews

References

“... Heb. vii. 3 and vii. 8 implies that Melchizedek's priesthood still continues and that he is still living. At first blush this view of Melchizedek seems remarkably similar to that of the 11Q Mel- chizedek. In the 11Q, Melchizedek, Melchizedek will make atonement for the Sons of Light on the last jubilee (lines 6, 8). Further, since the text calls Melchizedek an Elokim, it is reason- able to assume that he is regarded as immortal. However, the theme of Melchizedek's immortality is of no importance what- sover in the 1 iQ, Melchizedek as we have it, and Melchizedek's priestly function is never brought into connection with his im- mortality: Melchizedek will offer a single act of atonement on the tenth jubilee. [...] It is not impossible to see how a Christian writer, privy to Qumranite speculation about Melchizedek, might pattern Christ's priesthood upon that supra-mundane model. In doing so, however, it would be difficult to escape a subordination of Christ to Melchizedek similar to the subordination found in some of the Melchizedekian heresies. This subordination would conflict seriously with the view of the author of Hebrews in chapters i and ii that Christ is superior to the heavenly beings, and that in putting all things in subjection to Christ, God ex- empted nothing, including a heavenly Melchizedek (cf. Heb. ii. 8). To conclude that Christ is a priest according to the order of a heavenly Melchizedek would be to conclude that the author of Hebrews in chapter vii is departing from a principle he thought important enough to demonstrate in his initial chapters. [...] Hebrew's notion of a perpetual priesthood for Melchizedek is derived from exegesis of Gen. xiv. There is no need for the additional hypothesis that this exegesis was augmented by concepts similar to those in the 11Q, Melchizedek. At the very least this would be to multiply hypotheses without need. Also this would point to a fundamental contradiction in the argument of Hebrews. ...”

Fred L. Horton Jr., The Melchizedek Tradition: A Critical Examination of the Sources to the Fifth Century A.D. and in the Epistle to the Hebrews, SNTSMS 30 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976), 169.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Column 2

11Q1310 chapters

Compare 11Q13 2:8 and Hebrews 7:3

Summary

Passages

11Q13 2:8

Hebrews 7:3

References

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