Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il>]

Ian Hutchesson wrote:
I can't see how it could possibly be a true Davidic psalm, given the
role
> given to the king of priest after the order of Melchizedek,
> and obviously
> negating the Aaronid priesthood role. Ps110 seems to me a better fit
> as the
> enthronement of the Hasmonean king.
According to 2 Sam. 8, David's sons were priests. In Israel, as in Ugarit
and elsewhere in the ANE, the king could assume priestly functions.

 

>making the whole Melchitzedek tradition in Gen. 14 quite early. Abraham, as
>eponymic ancestor of the later United Kingdom of Israel under the Davidic
dynasty,
>receives the blessing of the king of Jerusalem, David's future capital.

Doesn't that all seem artificial to you though? There is no opaque reason
for a necessary blessing from a person who is never heard of before or
after. Perhaps I'm missing out on something.
 

Melchizedek, a Jebusite Jerusalem priest king, is mentioned twice in the
Bible in two entirely different and independent contexts. That in itself
is worthy of note. Add to this the fact the conquest of Jerusalem is attributed
to David, who did not exterminate or expel the native Jebusite population,
but lived with them on amicably, even, according to 2 Sam. 24, purchasing
the Temple Mount from the Jebusite ewir, probably the former ruler,
probably of the Melchizedek/Adonizedek dynasty, perhaps even Melchizedek
himself. The narrative of 2 Sam. 24 may be unhistorical, but the almost
inadvertent historical notice of the purchase of nothing less than the
Temple Mount from the local Jebusite, polytheistic ewir is something
that should be given serious consideration.
  Can you imagine a Second Temple, Hasmonean Period writer putting
something like that in the Bible? The connection between the Davidic dynasty
and the Melchizedek line is thus given further support from the Biblical
narrative.
Yours,
Jonathan D. Safren
Dept. of Biblical Studies
Beit Berl College
Beit Berl Post Office 44905
Israel
> .