ABRAHAM THE BARBER

Subject: ABRAHAM THE BARBER

From: David
Date: 2020-01-07, 18:01

Here is a Russian icon that appears to be from the Forefathers tier of an iconostasis:

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We can tell from the inscription that it depicts

СВЯТЫЙ ПРАОТЕЦ МЕЛХИЗЕДЕКЪ
SVYATUIY PRAOTETS MELKHIZEDEK
“Holy Forefather Melchizedek”

Melchizedek is a mysterious figure, because while there is so little information about him in
the Bible, he is nonetheless a part of significant doctrinal understanding of Jesus in the New
Testament.

We first find him the the Old Testament, where he appears in Genesis 14:

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth loaves and wine, and he was the priest of
the most high God. 19 And he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high
God, who made heaven and earth, 20 and blessed be the most high God who delivered your
enemies into your power. And Abram gave him the tithe of all.

Next in Psalm 109 (110 KJV):

1 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. 2
The Lord shall send out a rod of power for you out of Sion: rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 With you is dominion in the day of your power, in the splendors of your saints: I have
begotten you from the womb before the morning. 4 The Lord swore, and will not repent, You
are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

And we find him in the New Testament book of Hebrews, which makes a rather lengthy and
wordy connection of Melchizedek with Jesus in chapter 7 — too long to include here.

In the icon, we see Abraham wearing a crown and omophorion (the stole around his neck),
holding a tray on which are loaves of bread.

What I want to note today, however, is found in the odd scroll text given him here:

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It says basically that God sent Abraham to Melchizedek to “cut my hair” — Ostrizhe vlasui
moy.

“Cut my hair”?  There is nothing whatsoever about Abraham cutting Melchizedek’s hair in the
Bible.  But as you all should know by now, when information was lacking — whether in the
Bible or out of it — people just made things up.  There are apocryphal writings in which
Abraham cuts Melchizedek’s hair — the so-called “Apocrypha of Melchizedek.” One version
of the story is found in the Byzantine-Slavic  text Palea Historia — “Old [Testment] History.”

The tale, which has variations, relates basically that Melchizedek was one of two sons of a
king of Salem.  The king asked him to bring oxen to sacrifice to the gods, but Melchizedek
tried to convince his father to sacrifice instead to the God of Heaven.  His father was
unhappy, and decided to sacrifice Melchizedek to the gods instead.  Melchizedek prayed to
God that the city and its worshippers and idols would be destroyed, and God caused an
earthquake that swallowed up all the city and its people.  Melchizedek went to Mount Tabor,
where he lived as an ascetic hermit on wild plants and water.  However, God sent Abraham to
find Melchizedek — who by that time had hair down to his feet and very long nails.  Abraham
met Melchizedek and cut his long hair and trimmed his nails.  Melchizedek and Abraham
then worshipped the “most high God,” and Melchizedek blessed Abraham.

So that is how the scroll in today’s icon has Melchizedek oddly saying that Abraham “cut my

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hair.”

There is a cave chapel on Mount Tabor that in Medieval times was often considered by
pilgrims to be the dwelling of Melchizedek.

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