It is always helpful at the beginning of any quest to define our chief term, so let us now ask ourselves, what is a priest? The answer is that a priest is one who acts as a mediator between men and Deity. A priest, then, presents men to God, in contradistinction to a prophet who presents God to men.

Melchizedek, who is termed a priest of the most High God, is mentioned in the Bible in three places, each important and significant. The first mention of Melchizedek is in the 14th Chapter of the Book Genesis, in which is described a battle of kings: four Kings against five, in which the four are victorious over the five. But among the prisoners is Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, and in consequence of this Abram armed his trained servants, gave battle, was victorious over the victorious Kings, and rescued Lot from their hands.

It is after this victory of Abram that Melchizedek mysteriously appears, as is duly recorded in the 18th to the 20th verses of the 14th Chapter of Genesis: "And Melchizedek King of Salem, brought forth bread and wine: and he was a priest of the most high God. And he blessed Abram and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hands. And Abram gave him tithes of all."

Who then is this Melchizedek? As the passage announces, he is a priest of the most High God, but beyond this there have been numerous suggestions as to his true nature and significance. He is termed the King of Salem, that is the King of the City of Peace; he has been considered as an Angelic visitation; even as Christ Himself appearing unto Abram and blessing him. Others have thought of him as the Holy Spirit, and again as the personification of Divine Wisdom.

Be all this as it may, he must have been of supreme dignity and spiritual significance for the patriarch Abram to be blessed by him and pay him tribute as to a superior. In the truly Messianic 110th Psalm we come to the second Biblical reference to Melchizedek. This is the Psalm alluded to by Jesus as pertaining to himself in the Gospel according to St. Mark 12, 26. It is a short passing reference, but it links the Old Testament with the New. In the 4th verse of the 110th Psalm we have "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

This is a clear indication that there are two kinds or orders of priesthood: the one literal and historic, and the other mystical; the one according to the laws of man, the other according to the law of God; the one hereditary, and the other eternal.

The first or Aronic priesthood of Israel had Aaron as its founder. It was humanly successive, for Aaron was followed by his son in his priestly office; but the priesthood of Melchizedek is without beginning or end, having no earthly ancestry, but flowing directly from the Divine Source. It appears unheralded, yet fully constituted.

Thus we come to the third, last and final Biblical reference to Melchizedek, and this time in the New Testament in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The holy explanation of this fulfilling of the law is given in the 5th, 6th and 7th Chapters of this Epistle, but especially in the 7th Chapter, but it takes for its text the very passage in Genesis 14 which has already been quoted: "For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him: To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was unto whom even the prophet Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils." (Hebrews 7, 1–4)

There is a science, which is also an art, termed Typology in which the Old Testament is unfolded and explained in terms of the New. In the ultimate fulfilment of the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek we have a very significant example of this method of presenting and elucidating a profound truth.

The beginningless and endless priesthood of Melchizedek emerging from the hidden heart of the mystery is given as a type of the Eternal Priesthood of Christ. What then of the Kingship of Melchizedek? He is said to be the King of righteousness, which is a state of acceptance with God, and in this is he not a true type of Christ who is a personification of Salvation? Melchizdek is said also to be the King of Peace and, as such, is he not typical of Him who bestows upon us that peace which passes all understanding?

The marriage of Righteousness and Peace: is not this a foretaste, a vision of that Heavenly Kingdom under the rulership of Melchizedek-Christ, Priest and King, wherein the Divine Law is supreme, and all sins are forgiven if we truly repent? In this Heavenly Kingdom all earthly ancestry is transcended, for in it there is "neither beginning of days nor end of life," but only the eternal NOW, where men become "like unto the sons of God."

There is another striking similitude between Melchizedek and Christ. From the account in Genesis we learn that to Abram, Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine. Here surely, in his exercise of his priestly office, is a foretaste of things to come, a Golden Dawn of that full day, which became in Christ the Noontide Splendour of the Supreme Revelation.

And who is to say that there may even be truth in the theory that Christ and Melchizedek may be one and the same, and that He came to Abram in those ancient days and blessed him. This is not impossible, for Christ is Eternal, and did he not say: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8, 58). Also He said: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad" (John 8, 56).

There is a measure in which all men are priests, for all may in some degree present or introduce others to God. The capacity to do this rests in our knowledge of God, and in the urgency of our individual desire to know Him better, and to pass on this spiritual enthusiasm to our fellowmen.

To truly become a priest after the order of Melchizedek involves a dedication to the true way of life, a vision of the Supreme Perfection and a determination to move towards that Perfection with an undeviating and dauntless enthusiasm which no earthly obstacles will be allowed to hinder. This is a very high and noble ideal, and perhaps it is one which few will have the courage to endeavour to achieve, but the soul being what it is, will never be satisfied with anything less than the highest and noblest conception it is able to perceive and understand.

Therefore we have before us a challenge: we are all potentially priests for ever after the order of Melchizedek, and it is for us, each one of us, to accept this responsibility and actualise it, or to reject our opportunity, to the world’s great detriment. For every one of us there are souls waiting to be introduced to friendship with God, but in order to be qualified to make this presentation, it is first necessary that we come to know Him ourselves.

Will we then, through the Kingly and Royal paths of Righteousness and Peace, come to Eternal Life that we may lead others thereto? The choice is always before us, either to drift the easy way of stagnation and negation into slavery and degradation, or to claim our priestly heritage and our regal dignity as true rulers of our own interior life, for no one can teach others until he has, to some extent, learned to rule himself. All the lessons of the past are useless unless we bring them forward and apply them to our own immediate concerns.