"Typology in the Bible -1"

All Doves:

In that I have already introduced the reader of the idea that God uses "word pictures" as a means to teach Biblical truths, you are ready for a deeper understanding of this linguistic device used to illustrate God's "Object Lessons" of the Bible. If your religious affiliation is in a "Covenant/Reformed" hermeneutic or an "amillennial"-based church, (does not believe in a Biblical Rapture or the distinction between Israel and the Church), you are unlikely to have ever heard mention of "Typology". This view is held by Roman and Orthodox Catholics, and nearly all of the mainline Protestant daughter-churches of Rome.

However, if you are a member of any of these churches: the Assemblies of God, the C&MA church, the majority of Baptist churches, many independent non-denominational churches, Pentecostal churches, and Bible-based churches, it is more likely that you have encountered or heard the term used and perhaps described in some detail by your pastor.

This post will discuss the ground rules for proper study and use of "Typology". In nearly ten years of formal theological academic education, in attendance of "Covenant/Reformed" "amillennial" seminaries, I never heard the word ever mentioned once and yet in the study of historical theology hermeneutics, we can find the term is used and referenced in some of the early Church Fathers' writings, such as Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine, the great Catholic theologian. At best, we see that "Typology" had its beginnings during the early to mid-fourth century. It is so named "Typology" from being rooted in the stamping or pressing metal coinage as money.

A "Type" is a divinely ordered Old Testament foreshadowing of some spiritual reality in the New Testament; and, it usually consists of a correspondent or resembling between a person, event, or thing in the Old Testament and some aspect of the person or activity of Jesus Christ. One of the foremost examples of "Typology" is found in the commentary by A.W. Pink, 'Gleanings in Genesis'. Years ago, I came across his book in a Christian bookstore. You can access A.W. Pink's book on the internet by simply entering his name and the title. You are bound to find a site that has his book 'Gleanings in Genesis'. He lists 104 specific examples of "Typology" between Joseph in Genesis and Jesus Christ. While A.W. Pink was a staunch Calvinist and Puritan, he was one of the foremost Bible scholars of his day, he went to be with the Lord in 1952.

"Types" can be persons (such as Adam, Melchizedek); events (such as the flood); objects (such as lambs); institutions (such as Passover or services in the Tabernacle); places (such as Jerusalem or Babylon); and offices (such as prophets, priests, or kings).

The term "Type" originated from the Greek word "typos" and is noted appearing 16 times in the New Testament. It is translated a number of ways in the New Testament: 2X as "print" -(John 20:25), 2X as "figure" -(Acts 7:43; Roman 5:14); 2X as "pattern" -(Titus 2:7; Hebrews 8:5); 1X as "fashion" -(Acts 7:44); 1X as "manner" -(Acts 23:25); 1X as "form" -(Romans 6:17); and 7X as "example" -(1st Corinthians 10:6,11; Philippians 3:17; 1st Thessalonians 1:7; 2nd Thessalonians 3:9; 1st Timothy 4:12; 1st Peter 5:3). The passages noted indicate that the writers used the expression with some latitude, but the general theme or idea in common, is "likeness". The idea of matching likeness is technically called "type" and "antitype"; and the link which binds them together is the correspondence, the similarity, of the one with the other. After you read 'Gleanings in Genesis' you will be in for a Biblical surprise not recognized by the average reader. When I first read his commentary, and his 104 examples, my next thought was, "what else is in the Bible that I haven't been told about?"

A "type" is the pattern in the Old Testament (such as the Passover Lamb). The "antitype" (in Greek, the "antitypos") is the "representation", or its fulfillment. See Hebrews 9:24 for the fulfillment found in the New Testament (Jesus as the Lamb of God). The legitimacy of typology is based not only on the New Testament vocabulary but also on two other factors:

    ++ Typology is part of prophecy, and the prophetic relationship between Old and New Testament ties them together in this latent fashion.

    ++ Also, Jesus taught and demonstrated that the entire Old Testament speaks of Him [Jesus], see Luke 14:15-44; John 5:39-44). God clearly designed the earliest portion of Scripture to reflect and portray His Son in many ways.

You will find that not all theologians and pastors believe in them, which is more of a reflection of their hermeneutics, as I stated at the beginning. This is sad, because it takes away from the larger scope of the Word of God as revealed in the Bible. When I was in seminary, nearly all of my professors were "Covenant/Reform" in their theology. There actually is a reason for holding to their position but it is dishonest to the Word of God. Over five decades I have heard many absurd and lame sermons by these folks. The chief reason such folks hold this view of the Bible is that they can make the Bible say whatever they want it to say, and as bizarre as their imagination can conceive.

The characteristics of "types", to be genuine, a "type" must be purposed and ordained of God to avoid abuse. The Bible must indicate that God intended the correspondent between the "type" and the fulfillment "antitype" and that it doesn't simply spring from the fertile mind of creative interpreters. When the New Testament teaches "typology" correspondence, it leaves no room for doubt or having to guess at its meaning. This idea is fully embodied in A.W. Pink's 'Gleanings in Genesis', there is no doubt whatsoever in any of the 104 examples. "Types" do not include the many simple parallels between things in the two Testaments. I'll address "parallels" in another post.

A "type" is a real entity with a real, literal existence in an Old Testament passages. It has a historical reality or existence, but is nevertheless considered by New Testament authors to foreshadow a greater spiritual reality in its New Testament fulfillment (especially in Jesus Christ). For example, the mercy seat in the Tabernacle existed physically and literally, but it also pointed to the ultimate reality of Jesus Christ as the propitiation of God for our sins.

A "type" also usually involves a symbol in its own context. A symbol is something that carries a meaning in addition to its ordinary meaning - a sign that suggests another meaning rather than stating it explicitly. For example, a national flag is a symbol of the country it represents. In the Bible the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21:4-9 is symbolic of faith or healing, but it was also a "type" of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and redemption through Him. See John 3:14-15.

A "type" is a "form" of prophecy. Prophecy is prediction by means of words, whereas typology is prediction by correspondence between two realities, the "type" and the "antitype". But not every correspondence is a type. This is important to remember that it must be a genuine "type", "The correspondence of resemblance must have a predictive element, a foreshadowing and an anticipation of the "antitype". It has a future focus.

Interpreting typology is not as simple as interpreting prophecy because the "type" is not given a direct prediction, and the fulfillment is normally not described in detail. These principles become helpful in identifying "types":

1. Study first the context of each "type". The typological meaning of the Bronze Serpent, for example, must be based on the context of Number 21.

2. Note the natural qualities of the "type" to avoid including them in the meaning of the "type". Jesus referred to the Bronze Serpent being "lifted up" in the wilderness before applying that pattern to His own crucifixion. However, the fact that it was bronze has no significance whatsoever.

3. Be certain that the "type" and the "antitype" are parallel and congruent. God told Moses that the people should "look" and "live" -(Numbers 21:8). Though Jesus changes this to "believe" in John 3:15, spiritually the ideas are parallel. See John 3:16-18.

4. Remember that the fulfillment is greater than the "type" itself. For example, Jesus as the Lamb of God in John 1:29 is greater than any Old Testament animal.

5. The correspondence between the "type" and "antitype" generally had one or two principle points. According to 1st Corinthians 5:7-8, for instance, Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. He was sacrificed, and must receive Him to experience any benefit. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, and he was superior to Aaron, typifying Christ Jesus as King and Priest with a greater high priesthood than Aaron's. Points of contrast or dissimilarity should also be noted in order to avoid including those in typology.

6. The fulfillment arises out of the normal meaning of the "type". Interpretation should not be arbitrary (such as concluding that clean animals that chew the cud are types of Christians who should talk well or meditate on Scripture. Really, I'm not kidding; this is a teaching of some cults.

7. "Types" should not be based on numbers, shapes, or colors. These may be symbols (if shown to be in so by their context), but are not foreshadowings of spiritual of spiritual realities.

8. Avoid speculation. Parallelism alone does not imply typology. For example, the statement that Paul to Philemon about putting Onesimus' wrongs on Paul's account is parallel to God's reckoning to Christ the sins of the world. This does not make Paul a type of Christ. Some interpreters seem to get discouraged when others do not recognize types and symbols where they cannot, and so they invent them and frequently err in doing so. It is best when in doubt to confer with someone with greater discernment or more experience.

9. Do not develop doctrines based primarily on "types". True doctrines, rely on the collective study of the Corpus text. Over the years I have felt that any doctrine or teaching has to be taken in context, not just the passage, but the context of the chapter, the book, and the totality of Scripture. This way one is less likely to be guilty of the abuse of typology.

The safest way to recognize "types" in the Old Testament is to watch for statements in the New Testament that they are "types", or at least to find a clear implication of it. Some scholars suggest that this is the only way to avoid taking all parallels between Old Testament and New Testament persons and events as "types". For example, resemblances and parallels can be found between Christ and Joseph, Moses, Isaac, Samuel, Solomon, Elijah, Jeremiah, and Daniel on the other hand. Yet none of these men are mentioned in the New Testament to be so designated in the New Testament.

Another potential criterion is to note a symbolic significance either stated or implied by an Old Testament author. In the study of the Church's view on hermeneutics, one discovers that many of the early church fathers abused the practice of Typology. Origen, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, all were prone to excess in applying Typology in the interpretation of Scripture. Because of their abuse of Typology, it eventually passed into decline in the early church. The real issue is that of finding or striking a balance that avoids the excesses in either way, too much or too little application.

The following list are acknowledged, and commonly agreed upon "types", by theologians and clergy, that are fulfilled by Jesus Christ:

    1. Melchizedek -(Hebrews 7:3,15-17)
    2. Aaron -(Hebrews 5:4-5)
    3. Feast of Passover -(1st Corinthians 5:7)
    4. Feast of Unleavened Bread -(1st Corinthians 5:7-8)
    5. Feast of First Fruits -(1st Corinthians 15:20-23)
    6. Feast of Pentecost -(Joel 2:28; Acts 2:1-47)
    7. Feast of Trumpets -(Matthew 24:21-23)
    8. Feast of Atonement -(Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26-27)
    9. Feast of Tabernacles -(John 7:2,37-39; Hebrews 9:19-28)
    10.Sabbath -(Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 4:3,9-11).
    11.Tabernacles -(Hebrews 8:5; 9:23-24)
    12.Tabernacle Curtain -(Hebrews 10:20)
    13.Burnt Offering -(Leviticus 1; Ephesians 5:2; 10:5-7)
    14.Grain Offering -(Leviticus 2; Hebrews 10:8)
    15.Fellowship Offering -(Leviticus 3; Ephesians 1:14)
    16.Sin Offering -(Leviticus 4:1-5:13; Hebrews 13:11-12)
    17.Guilt Offering -(Leviticus 5:14-6:7; Hebrews 10:12)

Although Passover (among Israel's Feasts) is specifically called a "type" in the New Testament, the other Feasts can be included on the basis of Paul's statement in Colossians 2:16-17, that the Festivals were "a shadow of things to come."

It is easier to spot "types" that have already been fulfilled in the New Testament than "types" whose fulfillment is still future and yet to be fulfilled.

Not all theologians want to acknowledge "types", however, Scripture has confirmed their existence. God has spoken in the Bible to confirm their existence and purpose. This is validated by the Proverbs 25:2 passage.
Also, in Ecclesiastes we have a passage, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, see, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." -(Ecclesiastes 1:9).
This passage is a confirmation that all of the efforts over the centuries to undermine or to change or to destroy the Biblical message has been done and despite the repackaging of many heresies today, they have all been dealt with before.

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in wine, or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ." -(Colossians 2:16).

"I have also spoken by he prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." -(Hosea 12:10)

'Webster's 1828 Dictionary' defines a "similitude' as:
    1. Likeness; resemblance; likeness in nature, qualities of appearance; as similitude of substance.

There are three other words in the New Testament that express the same general concept. One is called "shadow" ("skia") see Hebrews 10:1, "For the law having a shadow of the good things to come" as if the substance or reality that was still future cast its shadow backward into the old economy. "Shadow" implies dimness but it also implies a measure of resemblance between the one and the other.

Another word, a more commonly heard and familiar word, "parable" ("parabolh") see Hebrews 9:9; the Tabernacle with its services was an acted parable for the time then present, revealing the blessed reality which was to come. Jesus chose to use the parable beginning in a transition of his message between Matthew 12 and 13, because of the general sense of unreceptive nature and belief of the religious of His day. Chapter 13 of Matthew embodies this transition shift to using parables but explaining to the disciples in private as to their meanings.

A third word is "copy" or "pattern" ("hupodeigma"), a word that denotes a sketch or draft of something future, invisible, see Hebrews 9:23; the Tabernacle and its furniture and services were copies, outlines of heavenly things.

I encourage the reader to search on a search engine of your choice, the name: "A.W. Pink, 'Gleanings in Genesis' to read his study on the typology comparison of Joseph in Genesis with that of Jesus Christ. To refute "Types" in the Bible is to deny the Word of God as Truth.

Be blessed in the Sacred Text of the Lord,

Pastor Bob