Melchizedek's Canaanite territory and the Melchizedekian heresy
Eustathius has just argued that Scripture calls Melchizedek without father and without mother because his Canaanite ancestors were unworthy; he now gives territorial evidence for Melchizedek's Canaanite origin, then quotes Chrysostom reporting the Melchizedekian heresy.
That Melchizedek is shown to be Canaanite by descent can be inferred from the very regions he ruled and reigned over, and from the places he lived near. He was a neighbor of Sodom, and he was closer still to Abraham, who was living by the oak of Mamre (Genesis 18:1). And I think he was also king of Salem—that is, of this much-talked-of Jerusalem.
So if Melchizedek clearly resembles the Son of God, he will not be without father or without mother or without genealogy. Instead, the things of the flesh will be traced in a genealogy according to the nature of the flesh, and the other part will be seen as without genealogy, just as is certainly the case also with Christ. For Christ is traced in a genealogy according to the body, but according to the highest order he has his descent indescribable, as we have previously explained.
From Chrysostom on this same passage: Many who did not understand what was said about Melchizedek have said that he was greater than Christ, and they established for themselves a heresy; they are also called Melchizedekians. So, contending and wanting to show that Melchizedek is greater than Christ, they bring forward to us as witness the Scripture that says, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 109:4 (Psalm 110:4 in Hebrew numbering)). For how, they say, would he not be greater, the one according to whose image and order Christ serves as priest? But others, having gone astray, say that he is the Holy Spirit.
Greek
Ὅτι δὲ Χαναναῖος τὸ γένος δείκνυται ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, ἔστι δήπου τεκμήρασθαι καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ὧν ἐκράτει καὶ ἐβασίλευε κλιμάτων καὶ οἷς ἐπλησίαζεν· ἀστυγείτων μὲν γὰρ ἦν Σοδόμων πλησιαίτερος δὲ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ οἰκοῦντι πρὸς τῇ δρϋὶ τῇ Μαμβρῇ. Οἶμαι δὲ <ὅτι> καὶ Σαλὴμ ἐκείνης ἐτύγχανε βασιλεύς, ἥ ἐστιν ἡ πολυθρύλητος αὕτη Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον τόπον. Οὐκοῦν εἰ σαφῶς ἔοικεν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἀπάτωρ οὐδὲ ἀμήτωρ οὐδὲ ἀγενεαλόγητος ἔσται, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τῆς σαρκὸς γενεαλογηθήσεται, θάτερον δέ τι τὸ ἀγενεαλόγητον ὀφθήσεται καθάπερ οὖν ἀμέλει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς κατὰ μὲν δὴ τὸ σῶμα γενεαλογεῖται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνωτάτω τάξιν ἀδιήγητον ἔχει τὴν γενεὰν ὡς προαποδεδώκαμεν. 2 Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου εἰς αὐτό· Πολλοὶ μὴ νοήσαντες τὰ περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ εἰρημένα μείζονα τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτον εἰρήκασι καὶ συνεστήσαντο ἑαυτοῖς αἵρεσιν, οἳ καὶ λέγονται Μελχισεδεκιανοί. Φιλονεικοῦντες οὖν καὶ βουλόμενοι δεῖξαι ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ προφέρουσιν ἡμῖν μάρτυρα τὴν γραφὴν λέγουσαν· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Πῶς γάρ, φησίν, οὐκ ἂν εἴη μείζων, οὗ κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἱερατεύει ὁ Χριστός; Ἄλλοι δὲ πλανηθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον.