Melchizedek (Hebrew for "king of righteousness") is a type, or figure, of Christ. He was the King of Salem ("peace"), identified as Jerusalem, who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine. Unlike the later priestly tribe of Levi, who were priests by ancestry, Melchizedek received his priesthood directly from God. Thus, he is "without father or mother or genealogy." (CCC 58, 1333, 1350)
