King James Version · Under Rome
Hebrews 7
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For this Melchisedec, king of , priest of , who met returning from the slaughter of the kings, and him; To whom also gave a tenth part of all; first being by King of , and after that also King of , which is, King of peace; Without , without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of ; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the , who receive the office of the priesthood, have a to take of the people according to , that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of : But he whose descent is not counted from them received of , and him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is of the better. And here men that receive ; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, also, who receiveth , payed in . For he was yet in the loins of his , when Melchisedec met him. If therefore perfection were by the priesthood, (for under it the people received ,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of ? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of . For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the . For it is evident that our sprang out of ; of which tribe spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after of a , but after the of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better did; by the which we draw nigh unto . And inasmuch as not without an he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an ; but this with an by him that said unto him, sware and will not , Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of : But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to them to the uttermost that come unto by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an became us, who is , harmless, undefiled, separate from , and made higher than ; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up , first for his own , and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the , which was since , maketh the Son, who is for evermore.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.