Genesis 14: Who was Malkitzedek?

In בראשית פרק י״ד, after אברם’s victory over the coalition ofkings, we read:וּמַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִןוְהוּא כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן׃And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest ofGod Most High.וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ׃He blessed him, saying, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator ofheaven and earth.”וּבָרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר־מִגֵּן צָרֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וַיִּתֶּן־לוֹ מַעֲשֵׂר מִכֹּל׃And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.”(בראשית י״ד:י״ח–כ׳)מלכי־צדק blesses אברם in the name of אל עליון, and אברם responds by giving him a tenth ofeverything — a gesture that echoes the later institution of מעשר. Who was Malki-Tzedek?Many commentators, like Rashi, explain that he was a priest of Hashem, andquite possibly Shem the son of Noah. However, he was punished because of thisconversation with Avram and the priesthood was taken away and given to Avram’schildren. This reading is supported by the מדרש and תלמוד. In נדרים ל״ב ב׳, the sages ask:“וכי מקדימין ברכת עבד לברכת קונו?”Because מלכי־צדק blessed אברם before blessing God, the כהונה was taken from him and given to אברם’s descendants. As the verse in תהילים says:נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ וְלֹא יִנָּחֵם אַתָּה כֹהֵן לְעוֹלָםעַל־דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק׃ה׳ has sworn and will not relent: “You are apriest forever, because of the words of Melchizedek.”(תהילים ק״י:ד׳)Some interpret this to mean that מלכי־צדק’s misstep — his failure to properly honor God— led to the transfer of spiritual authority to the children of אברהם. Others, likeרשב״ם and יוספוס, suggest that מלכי־צדק wasn’t a person at all, but a title— the royal designation for the king of ירושלים, much like “פרעה” in Egypt or “אבימלך” among the פלשתים. In this view, the name “מלכי־צדק” simply means “righteous king,” andthe figure in בראשית represents a political archetype rather than a spiritual one.If we goback to the text, there may be a further hint that Malkitzedek was not praisingGod. Right after his pronouncement to Abram, and an interjection from the kingof Sodom, Abram seems to correct what Malkitzedek said.הֲרִימֹתִי יָדִי אֶל־ה׳ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִםוָאָרֶץ׃I raise my hand in oath to ה׳, God Most High,Creator of heaven and earth.(בראשית י״ד:כ״ב) אברם adds the name of ה׳, distinguishing the true God fromthe generic “אל עליון.” This suggests that מלכי־צדק may have been a priest to El,a Canaanite deity, and not to ה׳. אברם’s insertion of God’s name is a theological clarification — adeclaration that his victory was not granted by a local god, but by the Onetrue God.מלכי־צדק’s legacy extends far beyond Jewish tradition. In Christian theology,he is seen as a prototype of Jesus — a priest not from the line of אהרן, but appointed directly by God andalso a royal figure. This interpretation emphasizes his eternal priesthood anddivine appointment, making מלכי־צדק a bridge between the Hebrew Bible and Christiandoctrine.Perhaps it is this later Christian rereading of the text that prompted the midrahic counter interpretation that MalkiTzedek was in fact a priest for God who was punished and had the priesthood taken away and given to Avram and his descendants.