Chapter 22.—Of Abraham’s
Overcoming the Enemies of Sodom, When He Delivered Lot from
Captivity and Was Blessed by Melchizedek the Priest.
Having received this oracle of
promise, Abraham migrated, and remained in another place of the
same land, that is, beside the oak of Mamre, which was Hebron.
Then on the invasion of Sodom, when five kings carried on war
against four, and Lot was taken captive with the conquered
Sodomites, Abraham delivered him from the enemy, leading with him
to battle three hundred and eighteen of his home-born servants, and
won the victory for the kings of Sodom, but would take nothing of
the spoils when offered by the king for whom he had won them. He
was then openly blessed by Melchizedek, who was priest of God Most
High, about whom many and great things are written in the epistle
which is inscribed to the Hebrews, which most say is by the Apostle
Paul, though some deny this. For then first appeared the
sacrifice which is now offered to God by Christians in the whole
wide world, and that is fulfilled which long after the event was
said by the prophet to Christ, who was yet to come in the flesh,
“Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek,”
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—that is to
say, not after the order of Aaron, for that order was to be taken
away when the things shone forth which were intimated beforehand by
these shadows.
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Ps. cx. 4
.