_3. Conjectures Concerning Melchizedek:_ "The faith of early ages ventured to invest his person with superstitious awe. Perhaps it would be too much to ascribe to mere national jealousy the fact that Jewish tradition, as recorded in the Targums of Pseudo-Jonathan and Jerusalem, and in Rashi on Gen. xiv in some cabalistic writers, pronounces Melchizedek to be a survivor of the Deluge, the patriarch Shem, authorized by the superior dignity of old age to bless even the father of the faithful, and entitled, as the paramount lord of Canaan (Gen. ix. 26) to convey (xiv. 19) his right to Abram. Jerome in his Ep. lxxiii. (ad Evangelum Opp. i. 438), which is entirely devoted to a consideration of the person and dwelling place of Melchizedek, states that this was the prevailing opinion of the Jews in his time; and it is ascribed to the Samaritans by Epiphanius, (Hae. Iv. 6, p. 472.) It was afterwards embraced by Luther and Melanchthon, by our own countrymen, H. Broughson, Selden, Lightfoot, Jackson, and by many others. It should be noted that this supposition does not appear in the Targum of Onkelos,--a presumption that it was not received by the Jews till after the Christian era--nor has it found favor with the Fathers." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Hackett Edition, p. 1876.) _4. The Mystery About Melchizedek:_ Much of mystery is connected with the life and character of Melchizedek. "The Jews," says Kitto, in admitting Melchizedek's official superiority to Abraham, "sought to account for it by alleging that the royal priest was no other than Shem, the most pious of Noah's sons, who according to the shorter chronology might have lived to the time of Abraham." (Biblical Literature, Vol. II, Art. Melchizedek). Others have seen in him Canaan the son of Ham: Ham himself, or even Enoch; while others have held that Melchizedek was no other than the son of God himself under human appearance, and still others take him to have been an angel, the latter being among the wild notions of Origen and his school. (Ibid, as above.) All this of course is conjecture, although it is not unreasonable that he may have been Shem the son of Noah. The Book of Mormon gives this important information concerning him. "Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abominations; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness: But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the High Priesthood, according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father. Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention." (Alma xiii.)