To Correspondents by Editor

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 16, 1858

To Correspondents.

By Editor

S Bruce: All we know of Melchisedec [Heb. vii, 1-3] is what is recorded of him in the Bible; viz., that he was king of Salem, and a priest of the Most High God. See Gen. xiv, 18. For this very reason he is said to be without father and without mother, without beginning of days or end of life: because we have no account of his genealogy nor any record of his life, death or posterity, save the fact above referred to. It was necessary for every one who aspired to a place in the Jewish priesthood, to be able to trace his genealogy, and show his descent from the family of Aaron. He who could not trace his genealogy and tell who were his ancestors was said to be "without father." Clarke furnishes many instances of this usage. The Jews objected to the priesthood of Christ, because he could not trace his descent from the legitimate stock, the tribe of Levi. Paul meets this objection by a reference to Melchisedec who was neither descended from the tribe of Levi, nor yet from Abraham, but was a Canaanite; and yet he was a priest of the Most High God. But the Holy Spirit has seen fit to tell us nothing of his ancestry, nor of his death or posterity. Therefore, so far as the Holy Spirit has seen fit to record, he is without father or mother, beginning of days or end of life, or cessation of priesthood. And thus the objection of the Jews is most triumphantly met; for Christ was to be a priest after the order of Melchisedec.