Martin McNamara, «Melchizedek: Gen 14,17-20 in the Targums, in Rabbinic and Early Christian Literature», Vol. 81 (2000) 1-31

The essay is introduced by some words on the nature of the Aramaic translations of Gen 14 used in the study (the Tgs. Onq., Pal. Tgs. as in Tgs. Neof. I, Frg. Tgs., Ps.-J.). Tg. Neof. identifies the Valley of Shaveh (Gen 14,17) as the Valley of the Gardens (pardesaya). The value of Tg. Neof.’s evidence here is doubtful. Most Targums retain Melchizedek as a personal name (not so Tg. Ps.-J.). Salem of v. 18 is identified as Jerusalem. Melchizedek is identified as Shem, son of Noah, mainly because of the life-span assigned to Shem in Gen 11. The question of Melchizedek’s priesthood in early rabbinic tradition and in the Targums (Tg. Gen 14; Tg Ps. 110) is considered, as is also the use of Jewish targumic-type tradition on Melchizedek in such early Fathers as Jerome, Ephrem, and Theodore of Mopsuestia.

to the positioning and formulation of the elements of the paraphrase. The growth which has given us our present texts may have been gradual and varied. It is possible that certain phrases were added in the process of transmission to an already established base text. It is recognised among scholars today that Tg. Ps.-J. is a later and scholarly composition, from a scholar’s study rather than from a liturgical or community setting. It was probably composed in the seventh-ninth centuries. Its author used Tg. Onq., the Pal. Tgs., rabbinic texts and other sources known and unknown, and probably made additions of his own.

II. Encounter at the Valley of Shaveh,
that is the King’s Valley (Gen 14,17)

        For an easy and convenient comparative reading of the different Targums we offer here the English translation of Tgs. Onkelos, Neof., Neof. marg, Frg. Tgs.^PVNL and Ps.-J. which correspond to Gen 14,17-20. The Hebrew text of Gen 14,18-20 and the Aramaic text of the Targums are given at the beginning of sections III and IV of this article.