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Hebrews 7:3 – made like the Son of God
In favor of Melchizedek not being a preincarnate Christ, according to some, is the statement, made like the Son of God. The word made like/aphomoiomenos, according to TDNT says “this verb [the root aphomoióõ] means ‘to copy,’ rarely ‘to compare,’ and in the passive ‘to be or become like’ or ‘make oneself out to be like'” (p. 686). The ISBE states: “Some have thought that Melchizedek was a Christophany rather than a historical character and thus understood vv. 2b-3 literally rather than typologically. A major objection to such an interpretation is the statement that Melchizedek resembled (Gk. aphomoiomenos) the Son of God (v. 3). The verb aphomoioo [from which aphomoiomenos is derived] always assumes two distinct and separate identities, one which is a copy of the other. Thus Melchizedek and the Son of God are represented as two separate persons, the first of which resembled the second” (“Melchizedek,” vol. 3, p. 313). [Bryan T. Huie , Updated: September 13, 1997 via the Internet, “Was the Logos Melchizedek?”]
- A possible answer to the suggested dilemma is understanding the distinction between economical and ontological descriptions.
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