A Preliminary Study of the Historia de Melchisedech in the Latin West
Stephen Pelle
The account commonly called Historia de Melchisedech (HistMelch) tells of the early life mysterious king Salem who appears in Gen. 14. Scholars have discovered versions this apocryphon virtually all languages late antique and medieval Eastern Christendom, including Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopian, Slavonic, Armenian, Georgian. In present article author identifies, edits, translates three Latin texts HistMelch, dating from ninth to fifteenth centuries, which were previously unknown specialists apocrypha. All represent independent translations their (presumably) Greek original or originals. This also includes a discussion several other dealing with Melchizedek that appear been infl uenced one way another by HistMelch. thorough examination these texts, some are among earliest extant witnesses any language, is crucially important future study origins diffusion
Apocrypha