Some critics
of the Book of Mormon have argued that the Melchizedek material in Alma 12-13
is dependent upon the information about Melchizedek in the Epistle to the
Hebrews. The most sophisticated discussion comes from David P. Wright's essay “In Plain Terms That
We May Understand”: Joseph Smith’s Transformation of Hebrews in Alma 12-13
that appeared in Brent Metcalfe, ed. New
Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology (Salt
Lake City: Signature Books, 1993).
John W.
Welch responded to Wright on this issue in his Approaching
New Approaches (cf. his earlier essay The
Melchizedek Material in Alma 13:13-19; see also Book of Mormon Central’s
essay Why
Did Alma Talk about Melchizedek? And Jeff Lindsay’s discussion at Is Alma 13 derived from Paul's writings in Hebrews 7 and 8?).
In light of
various traditions about Melchizedek (e.g., the Melchizedek Scroll from Qumran
[11Q13]) and other considerations as noted by Welch et al., the material in the
Book of Mormon is evidence for, not
against, historicity.
For a genuine instance of being dependent
(anachronistically) upon Hebrews and other texts, we have a prime example from chapter
9 of a recent of many texts
purporting to be a translation of a portion of the “sealed plates” (others
claim to be a restoration of the Book of Lehi, etc); those familiar with
Hebrews and other texts will readily notice the textual dependency (e.g., verse
4 being dependent upon Heb 7:7 and the context thereof; see also verse 3's misunderstanding of the actions of Melchizedek in Gen 14:18-19 [the bread and wine being part of a priestly sacrifice] as being a "sacrament meeting" of sorts[!])
1 When [Abram] returned from the
battle, he gave the tithe of all war spoils to Melchizedek, as well as all that
he possessed, showing that even he, who would become the father of our faith,
was not exempt from the law of tithing. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, and
high priest of the Most High God, took bread and wine; and laid it on the
altar, and blessed the bread, and brake it, and gave Abram first to eat, whom he
had appointed to the priesthood, by whose priestly power proceeding from the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, was active in him
in the midst of the battle of Chedorlaomer.
2 And he also shared the bread and wine with the family of Abram, and with all his servants that were under the covenant. So Melchizedek proceeded, symbolically in relation with the promise made since the days of Adam, of the promised descendant who is King and Priest of the Most High forever in the manner of Melchizedek.
3 For how much, the other confederate kings who were in battle, were only permitted to watch this sacred ceremony with their ordinances. And after Melchizedek had distributed the sacrament, being the high priest of the Most High God, called Abraham and blessed him, saying: Blessed be Abram, thou art the man of the Most High God, possessor of the heavens and the earth, and blessed by the Most High God, who delivered his enemies into his hands.
4 And after washing his feet in a ceremony to show him that the greatness of the greater is to serve as a minor, he confirmed him to the office of the High Priest, saying: Blessed be Abram, a man of faith; receives, therefore, this consecration and called to direct the church that will henceforth be known by the name of the Most High through its descendants until it is put on the head of another by oath and covenant, from the beginning of the end of times.
5 And it came to pass before all the kings of the earth that Melchizedek raised his voice and blessed Abram, confirming him to the high priesthood of the holy order of the Only Begotten of the Father.—Being this Melchizedek recognized by all of them; for before he obtained the scepter of the king, he was a man of faith who did righteousness among his people; and when he was a boy, he covered the mouths of lions, and extinguished the fiery impetuous that consumed his village by the tyranny of the vassals of Nimrod.
6 And so, being approved of God, he was ordained a high priest according to the order of the covenant which Go made with Enoch, which was according to the order of the Son of God; whose existence does not come from the earthly man, nor from the will of man; neither by father nor mother; nor by the beginning of days nor by the end of years; but of God; whose Son proposed in Himself, before the foundation of the world, to gather together all things, both things in the heavens and on earth, which was being extended to the children of men by the appeal of His own voice, through His prophets according to His will, to all who believe and yet will believe in His name.
7 For God swore to Enoch and his descendants with an oath unto Himself; that all who are ordained according to his command and call, would have power by faith, to divide the seas, to dry the waters, to divert the course of the rivers, and to move the mountains from their place. In defying to many natural elements as the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break all ties of the enemy, and to stand in the presence of God; simply by doing all things according to His will, according to His commandments, and even to subdue against principalities and powers; if so the will of the Son of God that existed before the foundation of the world. Therefore, in the days of Enoch this Priesthood was called by his name, as being the priesthood of Enoch.
8 And the men who had this faith before the foundation of the world were ordained by this holy calling, in the order of God, in the likeness of Melchizedek, who was also high priest of the same order as Enoch before him, but as Melchizedek was greater than Enoch in the likeness of the Only Begotten of the Father; having been called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the will of God who called and ordained him, first by His foreknowledge and then according to his great faith, for the purpose of teaching the commandments of God to the children of men, was that the Priesthood of the Son of God in relation to the great high priest which was Melchizedek, and out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being and, so that men not abuse the gifts derived from the feelings that come from the name of God, came to be called according to the order of Melchizedek.
9 And when there is on earth a high priest appointed by the heavens in the manner of Melchizedek, for the purpose of regulating the gospel of the Lamb of God, which in some way has become distorted among the children of men; he must be caught up to receive the keys of the same high priesthood in his body, as a slave marked by his Lord, as if it were, by an incandescent iron, both physically and spiritually, and therefore Melchizedek was called the Prince of Peace, because he had the power to unify the people of God, just as he unified Abram under the covenant and conferred upon him the presidency of this high priesthood and blessed Abram with all gifts pertinent to the president of the church among the people of God in their days. But Melchizedek remained the greatest, though he was minor among them, for how much he lived.
10 For behold, Abram made all things by revelation received from heaven, and obtained from the Lord the promise that his righteous offspring would forever inherit this same priesthood from the holy order o the Son of God; and that God will raise a prophet the likeness of Melchizedek, from times to times, to bring light and knowledge to the children of men in the flesh, for the purpose of uniting the heavens and the earth, when in the final part of all times the city of Enoch will descend again to the church of the lamb. But the children of God shall be tested by fire.
11 And this Melchizedek, having established righteousness on earth, was called the king of the heavens by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace. Because he lifted up his voice, and blessed Abram, being the high priest and keeper of the Lord’s storehouse, the one that God appointed to receive tithes for the poor. So even Abram paid him the tithes of all that he had, which God gave him, which exceeded his needs.
12 And it came to pass that God blessed Abraham, and gave him riches and glory, and lands for an everlasting possession; according to the covenant he made, and according to the blessing which Melchizedek had blessed him. (Joseph Fredrik Smith, The Sealed Book of Mormon: Translated from the Plates of Mormon By the Gift and Power of God [Independence, Miss.: United Literary Order of the Last Days, LLC, 2019], 95-98)
2 And he also shared the bread and wine with the family of Abram, and with all his servants that were under the covenant. So Melchizedek proceeded, symbolically in relation with the promise made since the days of Adam, of the promised descendant who is King and Priest of the Most High forever in the manner of Melchizedek.
3 For how much, the other confederate kings who were in battle, were only permitted to watch this sacred ceremony with their ordinances. And after Melchizedek had distributed the sacrament, being the high priest of the Most High God, called Abraham and blessed him, saying: Blessed be Abram, thou art the man of the Most High God, possessor of the heavens and the earth, and blessed by the Most High God, who delivered his enemies into his hands.
4 And after washing his feet in a ceremony to show him that the greatness of the greater is to serve as a minor, he confirmed him to the office of the High Priest, saying: Blessed be Abram, a man of faith; receives, therefore, this consecration and called to direct the church that will henceforth be known by the name of the Most High through its descendants until it is put on the head of another by oath and covenant, from the beginning of the end of times.
5 And it came to pass before all the kings of the earth that Melchizedek raised his voice and blessed Abram, confirming him to the high priesthood of the holy order of the Only Begotten of the Father.—Being this Melchizedek recognized by all of them; for before he obtained the scepter of the king, he was a man of faith who did righteousness among his people; and when he was a boy, he covered the mouths of lions, and extinguished the fiery impetuous that consumed his village by the tyranny of the vassals of Nimrod.
6 And so, being approved of God, he was ordained a high priest according to the order of the covenant which Go made with Enoch, which was according to the order of the Son of God; whose existence does not come from the earthly man, nor from the will of man; neither by father nor mother; nor by the beginning of days nor by the end of years; but of God; whose Son proposed in Himself, before the foundation of the world, to gather together all things, both things in the heavens and on earth, which was being extended to the children of men by the appeal of His own voice, through His prophets according to His will, to all who believe and yet will believe in His name.
7 For God swore to Enoch and his descendants with an oath unto Himself; that all who are ordained according to his command and call, would have power by faith, to divide the seas, to dry the waters, to divert the course of the rivers, and to move the mountains from their place. In defying to many natural elements as the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break all ties of the enemy, and to stand in the presence of God; simply by doing all things according to His will, according to His commandments, and even to subdue against principalities and powers; if so the will of the Son of God that existed before the foundation of the world. Therefore, in the days of Enoch this Priesthood was called by his name, as being the priesthood of Enoch.
8 And the men who had this faith before the foundation of the world were ordained by this holy calling, in the order of God, in the likeness of Melchizedek, who was also high priest of the same order as Enoch before him, but as Melchizedek was greater than Enoch in the likeness of the Only Begotten of the Father; having been called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the will of God who called and ordained him, first by His foreknowledge and then according to his great faith, for the purpose of teaching the commandments of God to the children of men, was that the Priesthood of the Son of God in relation to the great high priest which was Melchizedek, and out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being and, so that men not abuse the gifts derived from the feelings that come from the name of God, came to be called according to the order of Melchizedek.
9 And when there is on earth a high priest appointed by the heavens in the manner of Melchizedek, for the purpose of regulating the gospel of the Lamb of God, which in some way has become distorted among the children of men; he must be caught up to receive the keys of the same high priesthood in his body, as a slave marked by his Lord, as if it were, by an incandescent iron, both physically and spiritually, and therefore Melchizedek was called the Prince of Peace, because he had the power to unify the people of God, just as he unified Abram under the covenant and conferred upon him the presidency of this high priesthood and blessed Abram with all gifts pertinent to the president of the church among the people of God in their days. But Melchizedek remained the greatest, though he was minor among them, for how much he lived.
10 For behold, Abram made all things by revelation received from heaven, and obtained from the Lord the promise that his righteous offspring would forever inherit this same priesthood from the holy order o the Son of God; and that God will raise a prophet the likeness of Melchizedek, from times to times, to bring light and knowledge to the children of men in the flesh, for the purpose of uniting the heavens and the earth, when in the final part of all times the city of Enoch will descend again to the church of the lamb. But the children of God shall be tested by fire.
11 And this Melchizedek, having established righteousness on earth, was called the king of the heavens by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace. Because he lifted up his voice, and blessed Abram, being the high priest and keeper of the Lord’s storehouse, the one that God appointed to receive tithes for the poor. So even Abram paid him the tithes of all that he had, which God gave him, which exceeded his needs.
12 And it came to pass that God blessed Abraham, and gave him riches and glory, and lands for an everlasting possession; according to the covenant he made, and according to the blessing which Melchizedek had blessed him. (Joseph Fredrik Smith, The Sealed Book of Mormon: Translated from the Plates of Mormon By the Gift and Power of God [Independence, Miss.: United Literary Order of the Last Days, LLC, 2019], 95-98)