Melchizedek Beyond Hebrews: Priest, Heavenly Figure, and the Mystery of 11QMelchizedek

Melchizedek appears only briefly in Genesis, yet later Jewish and Christian texts turned this enigmatic priest-king into a major theological figure. This article traces the movement from Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 to the Qumran text 11QMelchizedek and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Particular attention is given to the way 11QMelchizedek portrays Melchizedek as an eschatological agent associated with jubilee, judgment, and deliverance, and to the distinct way Hebrews uses Melchizedek typologically to articulate the priesthood of Christ. The study argues that Second Temple Jewish traditions demonstrate that Melchizedek could be imagined in more than one way before and alongside early Christianity. Hebrews does not simply reproduce the Qumran figure but participates in a wider interpretive environment in which Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 had become fertile resources for messianic and priestly reflection.