A literary and discourse analysis of the Melchizedek passages in the Bible: A case study for inner- and inter -biblical interpretation

This project exegetically examines each of the three texts of Melchizedek, Genesis 14, Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5--7, and the relationships between the three texts. These three texts provide a test case for this project to describe an interpretative phenomenon, generally called an inner- (the use of the OT in the OT) and inter-biblical (the OT in the NT) interpretation, in which the later biblical writers wrote their texts by their thorough and careful reading of the antecedent Scriptures and framed their compositions to further develop the message embodied in the antecedent Scriptures. In chapter one, we will survey relevant literature and discuss briefly some critical issues regarding inner- and inter-biblical interpretation. In chapters two and three, we will examine two methodologies to biblical interpretation, discourse analysis, and rhetorical criticism. In chapter four, we will examine Genesis 14, paying special attention to vv. 18--20. In chapter five, we will look at the cotexts of Genesis 14: Genesis 12--22, 49, and Numbers 22--24. In chapter six, since 2 Samuel 7 contains some semantic-thematic links to Genesis 14 (with its cotexts such as Genesis 12, 22 and 49) and Numbers 22--24, we will examine 2 Samuel 7 in detail. In chapter seven, we will study Psalm 110 through discourse and poetic-literary study. In chapter eight, we will investigate how the Psalter, serving as the cotexts for Psalm 110, illuminates the interpretation of Psalm 110; we will examine Psalms 1 and 2 and Book I--IV of the Psalter, with special reference to certain psalms (72, 89). In chapter nine, we will investigate Book V where Psalm 110 is found, with special reference to Psalm 132; at the end of the chapter, a concluding section will tie together all the studies of these particular OT texts. In chapters ten and eleven, we will focus on Hebrews (first seven chapters) and how the OT texts provide thematic and structural influence on Hebrews. In Chapter twelve, we will assess the hermeneutical issue of inner- and inter-biblical interpretation, and provide a conclusion of this project.