Paper 95 Overview: The Melchizedek Teachings in the Levant

The dissemination of Melchizedek's teachings throughout southwestern Asia represented a pivotal chapter in the religious evolution of the Occidental world, with Salem missionaries traversing Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Arabia to propagate Machiventa's gospel. These emissaries of monotheism encountered varying degrees of receptivity and resistance depending on the indigenous cultural, political, and religious contexts of the regions they entered. The interactions between the Salem religion and local belief systems produced distinctive theological syntheses that would later develop into formalized religious traditions.

The theological legacy of Melchizedek's teachings manifested differently across territories, flourishing most profoundly in Egypt, where it found fertile ground in an already evolving ethical consciousness, while confronting significant challenges in Mesopotamia due to entrenched ritualistic practices and in Arabia due to tribal fragmentation. The evolutionary trajectory of the Salem gospel through these civilizations illuminates the complex process by which revealed religion interfaces with evolutionary belief systems, often requiring cultural adaptations and sometimes experiencing periods of dilution or revival through the emergence of exceptional spiritual leaders such as Amenemope, Ikhnaton, and Zoroaster. These regional manifestations of Melchizedek's monotheistic doctrine collectively contributed to the gradual spiritual advancement of humankind and established foundational concepts that would later be incorporated into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

As India functioned as the genesis point for numerous Eastern religions and philosophies, the Levant served as the crucible for Western faith traditions. The Salem missionaries extended their outreach throughout southwestern Asia, traversing Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Arabia, proclaiming Machiventa Melchizedek's gospel with varying degrees of efficacy. Their theological impact diverged significantly across regions, sometimes yielding abundant spiritual fruits while in other instances encountering insurmountable resistance due to either strategic deficiencies in their approach or circumstances beyond their control.

By 2000 BC, Mesopotamian religious traditions had substantially deviated from the Sethite teachings and fallen under the influence of two invading groups: the Bedouin Semites infiltrating from the western desert and barbaric horsemen descending from the north. Although a vestige of early Adamite practice persisted in the observance of the seventh day, its character had transformed dramatically; rather than a day of worship, it became taboo-laden and considered inauspicious for undertaking journeys, preparing food, or kindling fires. These seventh-day prohibitions eventually influenced Babylonian practices regarding the Shabattum and were later incorporated into Jewish traditions when they returned to Palestine.

The Salem teachers achieved moderate success in refining and elevating Mesopotamian religious concepts, significantly reducing the pantheon of deities to a Babylonian triad—Bel, Ea, and Anu—representing earth, sea, and sky, respectively. This triadic structure evoked the trinity teachings of the Andites and Sumerians and resonated with Melchizedek's insignia of three circles. However, their efforts to establish monotheism were ultimately thwarted, particularly when Nabodad, the leader of the Kish school, launched a campaign against temple harlotry associated with the goddess Ishtar. This ill-fated social reform attempt precipitated the collapse of their spiritual mission, allowing the resurgence of Ishtar worship, astrology, fortune-telling, and a general deterioration of the priesthood.

Despite this systemic failure, isolated bands of Salem adherents persisted throughout Mesopotamia, maintaining their faith in the one Creator and opposing the idolatry and immorality propagated by Mesopotamian priests. These remnant faithful, descendants of the earlier Salem missionaries, composed many of the Old Testament Psalms, inscribing them on stone tablets where Hebrew priests later discovered them during the Babylonian captivity and incorporated them into their collection of religious hymns. This literary contribution, along with the Book of Job, represents a genuine reflection of Salem teachings that contrasted sharply with the magical compilations typical of Babylonian priests.

The Melchizedek teachings established their most profound and enduring roots in Egypt, from where they subsequently disseminated throughout Europe. The Nile valley's religious landscape was periodically enriched by the influx of superior genetic strains—Nodite, Adamite, and later Andite peoples—from the Euphrates valley. This demographic confluence produced an exceptionally blended type of religious philosophy that spread widely beyond Egypt's borders. While the Jews derived their cosmological understanding primarily from Babylonian sources, their concept of divine Providence emerged from Egyptian theological perspectives.

Egypt's receptivity to Salem teachings stemmed predominantly from political and moral factors rather than philosophical or religious predispositions. Each tribal leader who ascended to the Egyptian throne through conquest attempted to perpetuate his dynasty by elevating his tribal deity to primacy and proclaiming it the original god and creator of all other deities. This practice gradually acclimated Egyptians to the concept of a supreme deity, preparing the cultural soil for the eventual acceptance of a universal creator God. The idea of monotheism fluctuated throughout Egyptian history, never fully displacing polytheistic beliefs but steadily gaining credibility among the intellectual elite.

Prior to these developments, Egyptians venerated nature gods, with each of approximately forty distinct tribes worshipping a specific animal deity—whether bull, lion, ram, or others—reminiscent of earlier totemistic practices. Their burial customs evolved from the observation that bodies interred in soda-impregnated sand were naturally preserved, leading to the elaborate practice of embalming the dead and creating burial statues to ensure proper identification in the afterlife. These funerary innovations stimulated significant advancements in Egyptian artistic expression. The Egyptian belief system regarding the afterlife grew increasingly sophisticated, leading to the compilation of The Book of the Dead, which contained magical texts thought to protect the deceased in the netherworld.

Although Egyptian culture and religion derived substantially from Andite Mesopotamian sources, an extraordinary degree of social and ethical idealism evolved independently within the Nile valley. This indigenous moral development represents a compelling example of how religious values can emerge through natural evolutionary processes, not solely through revelatory interventions. Moral evolution progresses through a combination of innate human capacities for ethical reasoning, the indwelling presence of a divine spirit, and the periodic influence of truth teachers, initially from the second Eden and subsequently from Melchizedek's Salem headquarters.

Thousands of years before the arrival of Salem missionaries, Egyptian moral leaders advocated principles of justice, fairness, and the avoidance of avarice. Three millennia before the Hebrew scriptures were codified, Egyptian ethical thought was encapsulated in the maxim: "Established is the man whose standard is righteousness; who walks according to its way." Their great teachers promoted gentleness, moderation, and discretion, with one notable philosopher declaring: "Do right and deal justly with all." Of all purely human religious traditions on Urantia, none exceeded the social ideals and moral grandeur of this ancient Nile valley humanism.

This evolving ethical consciousness provided fertile ground for the Salem religion to flourish. The concepts of good and evil found resonance in the hearts of a people who already lived by the principle that "Life is given to the peaceful and death to the guilty." For centuries, Egyptians had ordered their existence according to these emerging ethical standards before they encountered the more refined theological concepts of right and wrong. While intellectually sophisticated and morally advanced, Egypt was not markedly spiritual in its orientation; throughout its six-thousand-year history, the Egyptian civilization produced only four significant prophets. Nevertheless, political conditions facilitated the influence of Abraham and Joseph in disseminating Salem teachings about the one God throughout Egypt.

A significant figure emerged in Egypt's religious evolution: a teacher referred to by many as the "son of man" and by others as Amenemope, who elevated conscience to the supreme position of arbitration between right and wrong. He taught that sin inevitably resulted in punishment and proclaimed that salvation could be attained through supplication to the solar deity. Amenemope's philosophical insights were subsequently translated into Hebrew, becoming a sacred text for the Jewish people well before the Old Testament was formalized. His primary contribution centered on instructing his son in righteousness and honesty in governmental service, ethical principles that would still command respect among contemporary political leaders.

This wise Nile valley philosopher taught that material prosperity represented divine beneficence, a concept that profoundly influenced later Hebrew philosophical thought. His worldview emphasized constant God-consciousness as the determinative factor in all human conduct, advocating that every moment should be lived with an awareness of divine presence and accountability. Amenemope's teachings about the transience of worldly riches, "riches take themselves wings and fly away," and his prayer to be "saved from fear" demonstrated a profound spiritual insight. His fundamental message encouraged turning away from "the words of men" toward "the acts of God," essentially articulating the principle that divine purpose supersedes human intention.

While not the most transcendent religious teacher of his era, Amenemope exercised unparalleled influence in shaping the subsequent development of Occidental civilization. His philosophical legacy colored the religious thought of two pivotal cultural traditions: the Hebrew, which achieved the apex of Western religious faith, and the Greek, which attained the zenith of philosophical reasoning in Europe. Through his writings, which were translated into Hebrew and later Greek, Amenemope functioned as a conservator of evolutionary ethics and revelatory morals, bridging the conceptual gap between naturally emerging human values and divinely revealed principles.

As Amenemope's theological influence gradually diminished in the Egyptian consciousness, a remarkable resurgence of Melchizedek teachings occurred through the agency of an Egyptian Salemite physician who successfully converted a royal woman to monotheism. This queen's conversion proved consequential as she persuaded her son, Ikhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt, to embrace the doctrine of a singular Universal God. Ikhnaton's theological comprehension surpassed all contemporaries since Melchizedek's departure, establishing him as a pivotal figure in maintaining the philosophical monotheistic channel critical for Michael's subsequent incarnation. This historical connection partially explains why the infant Jesus was taken to Egypt, where spiritual descendants of Ikhnaton recognized aspects of his divine mission.

Ikhnaton demonstrated extraordinary determination in implementing religious reforms, methodically transforming Egypt's theological landscape from polytheism to monotheism with unprecedented resolve. He changed his name, abandoned his capital, constructed an entirely new city, and fostered innovative artistic and literary traditions to promote his monotheistic vision. Working with the Salemite physician, Ikhnaton strategically established monotheism under the guise of sun-worship, adapting the existing Aton faith's concepts of divine parenthood to create a religion acknowledging an intimate worshipful relationship between humanity and God. His literary contributions included "The One God," a thirty-one-chapter exposition, and numerous hymns, twelve of which were preserved in the Hebrew Psalms, though attributed to Jewish authorship.

Despite his remarkable spiritual insights, Ikhnaton's reforms ultimately faltered due to sociopolitical factors rather than theological inadequacies. He brilliantly articulated the concept of universal divine sovereignty, declaring Aton the creator not only of Egypt but of "the whole world, man and beasts, and all the foreign lands." While admirably universalistic, this non-nationalistic theology undermined Egyptian patriotism and military morale, providing political ammunition for the priests he had displaced. Following Ikhnaton's death, the priesthood restored traditional deities, moved the capital back to Thebes, and systematically dismantled his religious innovations. Nevertheless, his monotheistic vision persisted in Egyptian consciousness and significantly influenced Hebrew religious development through the Exodus generation, who carried these concepts into Palestine.

Melchizedek missionaries penetrated beyond Palestine through Mesopotamia to the Iranian plateau, where they cultivated theological advancements for over five centuries. The entire Persian nation was progressing toward acceptance of the Melchizedek religion when a dynastic change precipitated intense persecution that nearly eradicated monotheistic teachings. By the sixth century BC, when moral renaissance flourished throughout various civilizations, the Abrahamic covenant had virtually disappeared from Persia. Into this spiritual vacuum stepped Zoroaster, who revitalized the embers of Salem teaching after encountering ancient traditions during his pilgrimage to Ur in Mesopotamia.

This vigorous and adventurous spiritual reformer developed a distinctive religious philosophy that incorporated Hebraic concepts of divine justice, Mosaic notions of supreme deity, and remnants of the Dalamatian and Edenic teachings about the Seven Master Spirits. Unlike contemplative religions, Zoroastrianism emphasized action, practical work rather than ritualistic observances, presenting God as the embodiment of supreme wisdom and the patron of civilization advancement. Zoroaster employed fire as a symbol of pure and wise universal Spirit, though his followers later misinterpreted this symbolism and began worshipping the flame itself. His religion spread by military conquest following the conversion of an Iranian prince, and Zoroaster himself died heroically in battle for his convictions.

Zoroastrian influence extended well beyond Persian borders, significantly shaping Jewish theological concepts of heaven, hell, and demonology during the Babylonian captivity when Hebrews were under Persian political and cultural dominance. These Zoroastrian elements were subsequently incorporated into the Hebrew scriptures and later influenced both Christianity and Islam. Despite philosophical sophistication in its original form, modern Zoroastrianism has diverged considerably from its founder's noble teachings, developing an excessive fear of the dead and embracing sophisticated beliefs that Zoroaster himself would have rejected. Nevertheless, Zoroaster belongs to that remarkable group of sixth-century BC luminaries who preserved the light of Salem from extinction during a spiritually darkened period of human history.

The establishment of Melchizedek's monotheistic teachings in the Arabian Desert occurred relatively late in the evolutionary religious timeline. The Salem missionaries encountered failure in Arabia similar to their experience in Greece, primarily due to misinterpreting Machiventa's admonitions regarding organizational structures. However, they correctly adhered to his instructions against using military force or civil compulsion to propagate their message. Ironically, despite its geographical proximity to Salem, Arabia experienced one of the most profound failures of Melchizedek's theological mission, with tribes maintaining their traditional fetish worship and household deities for millennia, resisting the integration of monotheistic concepts.

Throughout Arabia, scattered families and clans preserved vestigial understandings of monotheism, treasuring traditions associated with Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, and Zoroaster. These isolated pockets represented potential receptivity to the Jesusonian gospel, but Christian missionaries to desert regions presented an austere and uncompromising version of their faith, unlike their more adaptable counterparts in Mediterranean countries. Had Jesus's followers taken his commission to "go into all the world" more seriously and approached their missionary work with greater flexibility and cultural sensitivity, many additional territories, including Arabia, might have embraced Christianity.

The unifying element in Arabian religious consciousness was a widespread reverence for a black stone fetish housed in a Meccan temple, the Kaaba, which provided a common point of veneration across disparate tribes. This shared object of devotion later facilitated the establishment of Islam, which presents Allah as a clearly defined singular deity. Islam's theological strengths include its unambiguous monotheism and emphasis on divine attributes of mercy and compassion, while its limitations involve the association of military conquest with religious propagation and the subjugation of women. Nevertheless, Islam has consistently maintained core monotheistic principles, affirming God's omnipresence: "whenever as many as three speak together, God is present as a fourth" and his nature as "the first and the last, also the seen and the hidden."