The study of Melkisedeq has been highly fragmentary among modern scholars, proving to be difficult to discuss over the long Second Temple Period. This study will focus on the social memory of Melkisedeq to understand the evolution of the tradition surrounding his character among sectarian groups in the Second Temple Period. Through an analysis of the components from the Hebrew Bible that compromise the social memory of Melkisedeq a deeper understanding of how his memory is used by later groups can be made. The redaction and expansion of his character changes greatly over time. The study of social memory allows scholars to understand how different memories form within a collective group, thus exploring the societal and ideological elements of disparate groups that form the over-arching memory of Melkisedeq. In order to properly identify these memories, redactional, historical, and textual criticisms will be employed to analyze the texts of Melkisedeq, answering such questions as: Who is Melkisedeq? What is the relationship between Melkisedeq and the king of Sodom? What is a priest-king? Did Abram tithe to Melkisedeq? This study will address the Near Eastern context of Melkisedeq in Genesis 14, in order to examine which features of his social memory are accentuated or excluded in Second Temple literature.

This work concerns the shifts in the perception of the figure of Melchizedek in the Old Testament, Intertestamental sources and the New Testament. It explicates three central biblical texts which are speaking about Melchizedek. These texts are: the book of Genesis 14, Psalm 110 and the Epistle to the Hebrews. The work also aims to notice perceiving Melchizedek{\crq}s figure in non-biblical sources, like Qumran texts, Targums, apocryphs or the testimonies of church fathers. The findings coming from these sources are compared together in the conclusion of the work. Each of traditions is different, so we can not make unambiguous conclusion about figure of Melchizedek. Some non-biblical Melchizedekian traditions still continue, some others have disappeared entirely.