Abraham Was Not a Prophet. So Why Abraham?

[Guest]

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

Abraham was a father.  An exalted father and a father of a multitude.  What was it that made him so special that the new dispensation (the Abrahamic covenant) was named after him?  Why do we receive the "blessings of Abraham".

[LePeel]

Omniscient foresight. Why do we receive the blessings of Abraham? Why are they so named? From what I read in the scriptures, God chose Abraham for the very purpose of bringing forth His covenant people through the loins and seed of Abraham. Why Abraham and why at that time? I suppose that's wisdom in God. I certainly don't know.

8 My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. 9 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; 10 And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; 11 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this rightshall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal. Abr. 2:8-11

Edited September 30, 2018 by LePeel

[The Folk Prophet]

Abraham was not a Prophet? 

Really? 

[MarginOfError]

43 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Abraham was not a Prophet? 

Really?

Curiously, Genesis and the Hebrew scriptures are void of any record of Abraham making any theological contribution.

Still, I'm with you. This doesn't mean that Abraham wasn't a prophet. Throughout the biblical timeline, and especially toward the end of the Kingdom of Judah and the Captivity, there were multiple prophets that operated without a clear hierarchy.

Also, paying tithes to Melchizedek probably had very little to do with how we view tithes today. It would have been  more akin to paying attribute to maintain good relations with a powerful and respected ally. Perhaps Abraham had received some forms of support from Salem in his battles against Lot's captors.

[goor_de]

1 hour ago, LePeel said:

Omniscient foresight. Why do we receive the blessings of Abraham? Why are they so named? From what I read in the scriptures, God chose Abraham for the very purpose of bringing forth His covenant people through the loins and seed of Abraham. Why Abraham and why at that time? I suppose that's wisdom in God. I certainly don't know.

8 My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. 9 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; 10 And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; 11 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this rightshall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal. Abr. 2:8-11

the ancient oriental way of thinking that Arabs still have today.
the individual is something only in the clan.
the bigger the clan, the more watch.
this is not the case in the west

[The Folk Prophet]

6 minutes ago, MarginOfError said:

Curiously, Genesis and the Hebrew scriptures are void of any record of Abraham making any theological contribution.

And yet, the LDS scriptures....

[MarginOfError]

And thus my qualifier.

But I could go crazy on LDS scripture too, if you want.

[The Folk Prophet]

18 minutes ago, MarginOfError said:

And thus my qualifier.

But I could go crazy on LDS scripture too, if you want.

You could. But none of it wouldn't do much in the way of persuading the average Latter-day Saint that Abraham was not a prophet.

[MarginOfError]

4 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

You could. But none of it wouldn't do much in the way of persuading the average Latter-day Saint that Abraham was not a prophet.

Spoil sport

[Vort]

1 hour ago, goor_de said:

the ancient oriental way of thinking that Arabs still have today.
the individual is something only in the clan.
the bigger the clan, the more watch.
this is not the case in the west

The old east Asian attitude
Which Arabs still retain
Abhors a man's ingratitude
To family domain.

The more to raise, the greater praise
Is due the faithful heir --
Inverting social principles
Of Occidental care.

[Fether]

3 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

Abraham was a father.  An exalted father and a father of a multitude.  What was it that made him so special that the new dispensation (the Abrahamic covenant) was named after him?  Why do we receive the "blessings of Abraham".

I don’t know that to whom he tithes were paid had much to do with who was in charge. Does Pres Nelson pay tithes, should he make money, to himself or to his bishop? I would argue his bishop.

On my mission I was once a district leader over the area the Assistants and the Zone Leaders served in. They would report their numbers to me. I had some stewardship over them and they had some over me, but because they came to my meetings and gave me their numbers does not suggest I had a higher position than them. It was just the organization.

But that is just me thinking out loud.

All that being said, I have had similar questions. It is somewhat confusing as to who is who’s leader and whether Abraham was a prophet or not.

BUT! One trustworthy source I found that suggests he is a prophet is Children’s Song Book Chapter 110:4

”Abraham the prophet prayed to have a son,So the Lord sent Isaac as the chosen one.Isaac begat Jacob, known as Israel;Jacob’s sons were twelve tribes, so the Bible tells.”

[Guest Scott]

All LDS sources I know of say that Abraham was a prophet.

If you plug in the words "Abraham" and "Prophet" into LDS.org, it pulls up many sources:

https://www.lds.org/search?lang=eng&query=abraham+prophet

[Just_A_Guy]

3 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

Abraham was a father.  An exalted father and a father of a multitude.  What was it that made him so special that the new dispensation (the Abrahamic covenant) was named after him?  Why do we receive the "blessings of Abraham".

To me, the power of Abraham is that he constitutes a king who did not have his kingdom just passed to him by virtue of high birth.  He had to go out and seek for it, at great personal cost, from the King of Kings himself—with the intermediary of Melchizedek, whose name (IIRC) literally means “the prince of peace”.

[The Folk Prophet]

4 hours ago, Fether said:

I don’t know that to whom he tithes were paid had much to do with who was in charge. Does Pres Nelson pay tithes, should he make money, to himself or to his bishop? I would argue his bishop.

Um...if your bishop told you to make the check out to him....you'd....better....double.....check.....on....that..........situation......

[wenglund]

9 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

What do you make of the first two verses of the Book of Abraham (bold mine)?

Quote

1 In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I,Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;

2 And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.

 

The chapter heading describes this as "Abraham seeks the blessings of the patriarchal order" Sounds to me like he was both the High Priest and the Patriarch.

Even still, I think the answer to your question has to do with covenants rather than position of authority.

Thanks, -Wade Enlgund-

Edited October 1, 2018 by wenglund

[Anddenex]

9 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

Abraham was a father.  An exalted father and a father of a multitude.  What was it that made him so special that the new dispensation (the Abrahamic covenant) was named after him?  Why do we receive the "blessings of Abraham".

I think there are some similarities between Abraham and Lehi within what you are asking.

[CV75]

20 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was "the great high priest'.  He appears to be the last of the "patriarchs" and analogous to the President of the Church at the time.  That would mean that Abraham was not.

Abraham was a father.  An exalted father and a father of a multitude.  What was it that made him so special that the new dispensation (the Abrahamic covenant) was named after him?  Why do we receive the "blessings of Abraham".

I think it was because of his uniquely great faith. “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3) It is very conceivable that Melchizedek gave him keys in connection with Abraham's quest "for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto [he] should be ordained to administer the same. (Abraham 1: 2)."

Melchizedek may well have been Shem, Abraham's patriarchal predecessor. See section 5:9 here: https://www.lds.org/manual/old-testament-student-manual-genesis-2-samuel/genesis-12-17-abraham-father-of-the-faithful?lang=eng

If not, Abraham could have a patriarchal priesthood by lineage while at the same time operating under a priestly kingdom governed by Melchizedek. Both could have held the same keys operative within the separate spheres of responsibility (family and government of multiple families).

Edited October 1, 2018 by CV75

[JohnsonJones]

Well, today we have at least 15 prophets, seers and revelators...but we only have ONE THE PROPHET. (and in that, THE Prophet, Seer, and Revelator).

We have one President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We know that at times in the past that the Organization of the Church was different.  I do not know why.

I would hazard a guess that in the older dispensations that there were many areas.  In order to teach to various different places and have the people led by revelation they had many different prophets.  That way, someone living in one area who never heard a revelation, could hear it from another. 

Another possibility is that there were multiple prophets called for different reasons.  For example, while Melchizedek was the Great High Priest (and some suspect that he was Shem), Abraham was a prophet chosen for another reason, that to create a different people that were a people set apart.  This would be similar to what Lehi and his family was called to do.

In the Book of Mormon we see several instances in which we see two Holy Men that are religious leaders at the same time.  The first is Lehi and his son Nephi.  Lehi is obviously the Prophet leading the family, but Nephi also receives personal revelation and other items while his father is still alive (and from which we get the entire 1st Nephi from). 

This also occurs when we have Mosiah (who was a seer at least, and perhaps a revelator) and Alma (who was a prophet).  Various other times we see two prophets operating at the same time (Nephi and Samuel for example).

We also see this in the Old Testament.

It is only when the New Testament comes around that the order of this seems to change.  In the Old Testament the Prophets did not have apostles wandering around with them.  It appeared there were several prophets.

In the New Testament we have 12 apostles chosen who follow the Lord.  After his passing we assume that the Prophet would have been Peter (as he was the head of the Disciples) and that the first presidency was Peter, James, and John.

Today, we follow after the order of this new Testament idea of 12 apostles.  However, when Joseph ordained them and set them as equals to each other before his death he gave each of them the same power that he had as a quorum.  They were, thus, while following the Order set forth in the New Testament, in a way also following that of the Old Testament in that they were all set apart to be Prophets as well.  The difference, as there is order in the Lord's Kingdom, is that only ONE could hold the Keys to the entire Priesthood at one time.  This was automatically passed down to the next in line upon death.

As this is, who knows but that the Lord may raise or have raised other prophets that we know not of.  It implies that there will be at least two prophets working hand in hand at the same time and with each other right before the Lord comes again to Jerusalem. 

In this, I see no problem with Abraham being a prophet at the same time that Melchizedek was the Great High Priest.

[Iggy]

@Carborendum the title of your post is incorrect - Abraham WAS a prophet.

From: https://www.lds.org/ensign/series/old-testament-prophets?lang=eng   in the Ensign's of 2014, the prophets of the Old Testament are written about.

Prophet                                Ensign-Date

Malachi                  December 2014

Jeremiah               October 2014

Isaiah                     September 2014

Job                         August 2014

Elijah                      July 2014

Samuel                  June 2014

Moses                    April 2014

ABRAHAM           MARCH 2014

Noah                      Feb 2014

Adam                     Jan 2014

From a non-LDS source, here are the prophets they have listed. Please note they have also listed many women, and those who only received personal revelation. This place apparently doesn't recognize personal revelation without the person receiving it as NOT a prophet. Such as Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. She received a revelation for herself and those under her stewardship.

Prophets in the Old Testament   https://www.gotquestions.org/prophets-in-the-Bible.htm  
• Noah:
• Abraham:
• Jacob:
• Joseph:
• Moses:
• Aaron:
• Miriam:
• The seventy elders of Israel:
• Eldad and Medad:
• Balaam:
• Elihu:
• Joshua:
• Deborah:
• Gideon:
• Samuel:
• A procession of prophets: Shortly after Saul’s anointing as king, he met with seventy prophets and joined them (1 Samuel 10:10).
• King Saul:
• Gad:
• Nathan:
• David:
• Asaph:
• Tabernacle musicians: First Chronicles 25:1–7 lists the musicians whom David commissioned to perform before the tabernacle and identifies them as prophets. They include Heman, the grandson of Samuel; Jeduthun; and Asaph, as well as their sons.
• Writers of the Psalms: Many of the psalms besides those directly identified as having been written by David refer to the coming Christ, including Psalms 2, 18, 89 (by Ethan the Ezrahite), 132, and many others.
• King Solomon:
• Agur:
• Ahijah:
• Iddo:
• Shemaiah:
• Azariah:
• Hanani:
• Jehu:
• Elijah:
• Unnamed Prophet: When the northern kingdom of Israel was threatened by Syria, this prophet assured King Ahab that Israel would triumph with God’s help.
• Micaiah:
• Jahaziel:
• Eliezer:
• Unknown prophets: Various prophets lived during the time of Elijah and Elisha, belonging to the school of prophets. Nothing is known about these prophets except some lived in Bethel (2 Kings 2:3) and some in Jericho (2 Kings 2:5), and they all annoyed Elisha by reminding him that Elijah’s departure was imminent.
• Elisha:
• Zechariah the priest:
• Jonah:
• Joel:
• Amos:
• Hosea:
• Isaiah:
• Micah:
• Oded:
• Zephaniah:
• Nahum:
• Huldah:
• Jeremiah:
• Uriah:
• Habakkuk:
• Obadiah:
• Daniel:
• Ezekiel:
• Haggai:
• Zechariah the prophet: The son of Berechiah
• Malachi:

I know this is much, much more than you were talking about, but in my research I found this and thought it fascinating. Had the person of this other faith who wrote this web article, had known of the LDS Church's belief that every baptized member has the ability to receive revelation for themselves and those under their stewardship, there wouldn't be enough band-width to list all of their names. 

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Yes he was.

Abraham the prophet prayed to have a son,
So the Lord sent Isaac as the chosen one.
Isaac begat Jacob, known as Israel;
Jacob’s sons were twelve tribes, so the Bible tells.

[Traveler]

Okay - I will do a rare thing for me on this forum - I will mix speculations with my studies.  First - Abraham was a prophet.  His name was changed to Abraham as part of his prophetic calling and covenant.  I speculate that Melchizedek was actually Shem the heir son of Noah.  Shem established the covenant of Peace (same as Enoch and the city of Enoch) in the city of Salem.  Like the City of Enoch the city of Salem was also taken up.  I find it most interesting that the great priesthood is named after Melchizedek and yet we known next to nothing of him.  According to certain Jewish traditions, Abraham left home as a young fellow and went and lived in the home of his linage with Melchizedek (that I speculate as Shem).  This parallels the post by @wenglund and his references to the Book of Abraham. 

Abraham returned home and there is an old story about Abraham and idols.  It was said that Abraham disapproved of his father's idol worship.  I believe it included Baal but that is another speculation.  It is said that Abraham broke all his father's idols, except for one which was the smallest and most insignificant idle.  When Abraham's father returned Abraham told his father that the idols had a big disagreement and the remaining idle destroyed all the others.   Abraham's father was so upset that he set up Abraham to be sacrificed to several idols at the hand of an Egyptian priest - We can read the results of that sacrifice in the Book of Abraham.

I believe Abraham had solid and trusting relationship with Melchizedek.  But I want to point out something.  Even the Prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pays tithing to his bishop as well as being interviewed for a temple recommend - each holding the necessary keys to their calling.   But what I want to point out is that Abraham was a direct decedent of Shem and a rightful heir to the patriarchal priesthood - and was the oldest worthy direct heir descendant in that patriarchal order - thus Abraham was the prophet heir of Melchizedek and he assumed his prophetic role to the world when Melchizedek was taken up into heaven with Salem.

 

The Traveler

[Guest]

OK, I can't address everyone and every detail. But here is my response to many.

First, I apologize that I did not make a differentiation between "prophet" and "Prophet".  I implied as much when I described Melchizedek as the President of the Church at the time.  So, yes, he was a "prophet".  But I had maintained that he was not a "Prophet".  However, @wenglund brought up the scripture of becoming the heir of the last of the Patriarchs.  Thus, I guess he really was the President of the Church of the time.  It was simply AFTER Melchizedek.  And we could even take that role to be inherited down through Ephraim.

The distracting thing about Abraham is that he didn't do the things that prophets normally do. What writings did he leave that were "thus saith the Lord"?  He certainly had revelations (Book of Abraham).  But I see no mention of him saying to any contemporaries (other than his close family) The Lord has revealed his will concerning "this people".  What new commandments did he introduce other than circumcision? What practices?  What modes of worship?  What prophecies of the future?

It seems that the entire purpose of Abraham's status was to establish him as a father of all mankind.  Why?  All other Patriarchs were born into the role.  Why was he different that he was basically "called" to that role?

[JohnsonJones]

23 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

OK, I can't address everyone and every detail. But here is my response to many.

First, I apologize that I did not make a differentiation between "prophet" and "Prophet".  I implied as much when I described Melchizedek as the President of the Church at the time.  So, yes, he was a "prophet".  But I had maintained that he was not a "Prophet".  However, @wenglund brought up the scripture of becoming the heir of the last of the Patriarchs.  Thus, I guess he really was the President of the Church of the time.  It was simply AFTER Melchizedek.  And we could even take that role to be inherited down through Ephraim.

The distracting thing about Abraham is that he didn't do the things that prophets normally do. What writings did he leave that were "thus saith the Lord"?  He certainly had revelations (Book of Abraham).  But I see no mention of him saying to any contemporaries (other than his close family) The Lord has revealed his will concerning "this people".  What new commandments did he introduce other than circumcision? What practices?  What modes of worship?  What prophecies of the future?

It seems that the entire purpose of Abraham's status was to establish him as a father of all mankind.  Why?  All other Patriarchs were born into the role.  Why was he different that he was basically "called" to that role?

To be fair, ALL the patriarchs and prophets were "called" to their role via foreordination.  Not all prophets were born into their role, and not all of them knew immediately.  Abram was a special case, and as such, even his name was changed.  Even though he is the Father and the first of the great Patriarchs of Israel, Israel would named after his heirs rather than he, himself.  His house would be called after Israel (who also had his name changed after an experience with heaven).

Now, not all prophets say, thus saith the Lord in the Old Testament or even in modern times.  In our modern day there are many prophets that have done more small changes and other things that seem to be more of their opinion than a definitive statement of "thus saith the Lord."

HOWEVER, with Abraham, I do not see this as such.

In the OLD TESTAMENT in regards to Abram and Abraham, it was ABRAM that paid tithes to the Lord.  It was Abraham that was the prophet that we talk about.  Something that one should note in the scriptures and the Old Testament is the timing and the change of his name and when the covenant came about.  Abraham was what we would consider old when he became a prophet.  He had received the promises of posterity and others to himself already, but the covenant he makes and the bigger side of it and the beginning of it's fulfillment begin to come to the fold finally.

It was in chapter 17, and though Abraham had received revelation already in regards to the Lord, this is where we see the start of the fulfillment of a much larger prophecy and prophecies concerning many others.  We see his conversation with the Lord about Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah.  If a prophet had such a conversation with the Lord today in our modern time, and then a  city was destroyed as such I think we would see that as absolute proof that he was a servant of the Lord and speaking to the Lord.

One of the main stories we tell about Abraham and the example of both him and Issac as well as the parable/metaphor of it is when the Lord commands Abraham to sacrifice Issac.  It is symbolic of the sacrifice our Father made with his only begotten son.  It is considered one of the great stories of prophecy and it's relation to the Messiah cannot be missed.

Even if we just look at the few chapters that we see him in the Old Testament, he fulfills several items of things which only prophets would do.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

To be fair, ALL the patriarchs and prophets were "called" to their role via foreordination.  Not all prophets were born into their role, and not all of them knew immediately.  Abram was a special case, and as such, even his name was changed.  Even though he is the Father and the first of the great Patriarchs of Israel, Israel would named after his heirs rather than he, himself.  His house would be called after Israel (who also had his name changed after an experience with heaven).

Now, not all prophets say, thus saith the Lord in the Old Testament or even in modern times.  In our modern day there are many prophets that have done more small changes and other things that seem to be more of their opinion than a definitive statement of "thus saith the Lord."

HOWEVER, with Abraham, I do not see this as such.

In the OLD TESTAMENT in regards to Abram and Abraham, it was ABRAM that paid tithes to the Lord.  It was Abraham that was the prophet that we talk about.  Something that one should note in the scriptures and the Old Testament is the timing and the change of his name and when the covenant came about.  Abraham was what we would consider old when he became a prophet.  He had received the promises of posterity and others to himself already, but the covenant he makes and the bigger side of it and the beginning of it's fulfillment begin to come to the fold finally.

It was in chapter 17, and though Abraham had received revelation already in regards to the Lord, this is where we see the start of the fulfillment of a much larger prophecy and prophecies concerning many others.  We see his conversation with the Lord about Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah.  If a prophet had such a conversation with the Lord today in our modern time, and then a  city was destroyed as such I think we would see that as absolute proof that he was a servant of the Lord and speaking to the Lord.

One of the main stories we tell about Abraham and the example of both him and Issac as well as the parable/metaphor of it is when the Lord commands Abraham to sacrifice Issac.  It is symbolic of the sacrifice our Father made with his only begotten son.  It is considered one of the great stories of prophecy and it's relation to the Messiah cannot be missed.

Even if we just look at the few chapters that we see him in the Old Testament, he fulfills several items of things which only prophets would do.

What on earth do I have to do to make my question clear?

Does anyone actually understand my question?  Am I just that obscure in my explaining my question?

@wenglund, you were the only one who actually addressed my real underlying question.  Do you know what I'm getting at?

MOE at least acknowledged the idea that Abraham didn't seem to make any theological contribution.  That was somewhere near what I was talking about.

Modern prophets at least administer the policies and procedures as well as stand as the ensign of the Saints of the Latter days to guide us, make doctrinal interpretation, apply gospel principles to the ideas of today.  They serve an organizational function.  But I'm just not aware of Abraham doing any similar thing.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Guest

[JohnsonJones]

7 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

What on earth do I have to do to make my question clear?

Does anyone actually understand my question?  Am I just that obscure in my explaining my question?

@wenglund, you were the only one who actually addressed my real underlying question.  Do you know what I'm getting at?

If I understand your question right (and I might not) perhaps you should have read what I did prior to Wengland?

You are thinking of OUR day today and that there can ONLY BE ONE prophet and ONE head of the church at a time.  However, this was NOT ALWAYS SO.

You are thinking there can only be ONE patriarch at a time.  This was NOT ALWAYS SO.

However, going off your assumption, you need to look at Chapter 17.

The tradition has that Abraham was a descendant of Shem (who was the son of Noah) and it was Shem who was Melchizedek.  If we stick with your idea that there can only be ONE High Priest or ONE Patriarch over the entirety of the church  (despite multiple evidences that this was distinctly NOT so in several dispensations), or...ala...one prophet as we have today...then chapter 17 is where you find your answer.

Most likely, Melchizedek passed away, and while Melchizedek was still alive, Abram was still Abram.  It was ONLY after Abram was older that he became Abraham.

I pointed this up above, and the what you see AFTER chapter 17 as opposed to BEFORE chapter 17.'

(adding for clarification - chapter 17 being discussed is chapter 17 of Genesis in the Old Testament).

Edited October 7, 2018 by JohnsonJones