The Superiority of the Melchizedekian Priesthood

Angels. Just as he leads in for one day the present age (Heb 3:13). He says of a division of soul and spirit (Heb 4:12), when the soul suffers with the body, but the grace of the Holy Spirit draws upward toward the heavenly things. Since the beginning of Christ is from Judaism—for he lived according to the law—because of this he says: leaving these, let us bring forward perfection, knowing that according to the order Melchizedek must be a priest who is to be without law. From dead works, and faith toward God, and baptisms. To the Christians, the earthly things are dead. It is therefore absurd, he says, to depart from this course, whether from faith, or from having been made dead by all, to come again to the baptisms according to the law. The Lord, having come, proclaimed repentance, saying: Repent; for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near; but repentance from dead works. Thus, therefore, it is to be read: repentance from dead works, instead of the repentance from the dead works. What he therefore says is this: it is not necessary to leave the repentance from dead works and the faith toward God and the baptism—which he named in the plural because of the multitude of those being made worthy. And he spoke of baptisms and the teaching, and the laying on of hands through which there are ordinations, and of the resurrection, the hope, and the following things—to turn back to the law. But this prepares the way, since the priests in the law were avenging the law, but Melchizedek was outside the law; and not having come according to the order, he was Melchizedek. It is not necessary, he says, to leave the Melchizedekian one according to the order to avenge the priesthood in the law, so that the things standing in the law might remain. But he said the things in the law are a foundation, since they have become a precursor of piety for men.

The apostles raised up dead men (Heb 6:6). And this was the power of the resurrection. Speaking by way of example, he said that if baptism is a mystery, the once-for-all suffices. But if the thing happens a second time, it is contempt and an example. An example was taken, not for the baptism—for how could a second baptism be prevented?—but for the power of the Holy Spirit greatly benefiting the land (Heb 6:7–8). Having spoken above of the full assurance of hope, he showed that God provided full assurance to Abraham, not through works that belong to the citizenship, but through the administration (Heb 6:17). It is impossible, having made God swear, to be changed; it was impossible to change the power of the promise. He does not merely mention how Melchizedek met Abraham when the Assyrians were surrounding, and gave him tithes from all things (Heb 7:1–2), but showing that the forefather of the Levitical tribe used Melchizedek. Therefore, the priesthood without law is superior to the priesthood.