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Michael or Yhwh? Toward Identifying Melchizedek in 11Q13

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Scholars are still divided over the identity of the figure Melchizedek in 11Q13. Is he an angel, or is ‘Melchizedek’ simply another title for Yhwh? This article argues that these two opposing views can be reconciled by seeing the figure Melchizedek as an expression of what the early rabbis called belief in ‘two Powers in heaven’. The way he is portrayed in 11QMelch is comparable to Philo’s concept of the divine MPHPK and the belief of the ‘Magharians’. While there are clear indications in 11Q13 that Melchizedek is an intermediary, there are equally compelling arguments that he is Yhwh. The author of 11Q13 uses a collage of biblical texts to present him as a divine intermediary. The fact that a number of biblical messianic titles are conflated in the person of Melchizedek encourages seeing other Qumran descriptions of exalted figures as referring to him as well.

Key Words: Tisha b’Av • Jeremiah • LXX • MT • Edomites • Temple • Gedaliah • assassination

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