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TYPOLOGY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Illustrations,
Rules and Pitfalls Dr Calvin L. Smith
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DEFINING TYPOLOGY

• Various approaches to hermeneutics and exegesis
• Grammatico-Historical Interpretation
• Ditch baggage and travel back in exegetical time
• Literary Genre
• Understanding the Bible as human expression
• Biblical Theology
• Interpretation within a canonical narrative
  context
• 1st c. Jewish-Christian approach to Scripture
• NB Final phase. How did NT writers understand OT?

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• One such approach favoured by NT Typology
• From Romans 514 tupos (referring to Adam)
• who is the figure of him that was to come. (KJV)
• who was a pattern of the one to come. (NIV)
• who was a type of the one who was to come. (ESV)
• He is a prototype of the Coming One. (HCSB)
• Thus typology identifies patterns in the OT
• which prophetically point to the future
• Rooted in OT history
• (whether a person, object, institution or event)
• type, prototype, pattern, example, allusion,
  figure, illustration, stamp, model of something
  yet to come

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ILLUSTRATIONS OF TYPOLOGY

• ADAM AND CHRIST
• (Romans 512-14)
• Note the similarities

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• Human
• Tempted by Satan
• In the Garden of Eden
• Tempted with food
• Surrounded by wild beasts
• Side opened
• More allegorically
• From his side came his helpmate/wife

• Humanity of Christ
• Tempted by Satan
• Temple as re-creation of Eden
• turn stones to bread
• Surrounded by wild beasts (Mk 113)
• Side speared
• From His side came His Bride, the Church

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But note also Adam as antitype of Christ

• Made head over creation (Gen 126-28)
• A son of God, created (Lk 338)
• See 1 Cor 1545-48
• Earthly (cf his name)
• A living being
• In Adam all die. He brought DEATH
• Tempted in a garden, with an abundance of food,
  and FAILED

• Head of New Creation
• (Re 1115)
• The Son of God, Creator (Col 115ff)
• Heavenly
• a life-giving Spirit
• In Christ all who believe live. He brought LIFE.
• Tempted in a wilderness, hungry, had no food, and
  withstood (PASSED)

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MORE EXAMPLES OF TYPOLOGY

• Passover lamb as prototypal of Christ (1 Co
  56-8)
• male, unblemished/leaven, blood, no bones broken
  - Jn 1931ff
• Jonah as a type of Christ (Mt 1238-41)
• JONAH CHRIST
• Jonah preached Christ preached
• Lk 1130 sign to Ninevites A sign to that
  generation
• Cast lots Cast lots
• Overboard to save them Sacrificed which saves
  us
• In fish 3 days nights In tomb 3 days
  (idiom)
• Brass serpent figurative of Christ lifted up (Nu
  215ff)
• Illustrative of Christ lifted up for us (Jn
  314-15)
• Manna from heaven points to Christ as Bread of
  Life
• (Ex 1613-16 cf Jn 626-51)

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Moses prefigures Christ (Ac 322-3)

• Both came out of Egypt
• Both described as prophets
• Both rejected by Israel
• Both were leaders and deliverers of their people
• Both lawgivers (Torah cf Matthew, esp. 5-7)
• BUT ALSO ANTITHETICAL
• Moses received the law cf Jesus as giver of the
  law (Lord of the Sabbath)
• Moses preached a law that did not save cf Jesus
  message which brings salvation

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ABUSE AND PITFALLS OF TYPOLOGY

• Typology is not allegory
• School of Alexandria
• (allegory as apologetics within a philosophical
  city)
• The search for a sensus plenior
• Four-fold interpretation of all Scriptures
• literal
• moral (tropological)
• allegorical
• Eschatological (anagogical)
• Typology is illustrative, not prescriptive

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An illustration of allegorical interpretation

• Origens interpretation of the Good Samaritan
• The man who was going down is Adam. Jerusalem
  is paradise, and Jericho is the world. The
  robbers are hostile powers. The priest is the
  Law, the Levite is the prophets, and the
  Samaritan is Christ. The wounds are disobedience,
  the beast is the Lords body, the inn, which
  accepts all who wish to enter, is the Church.
  The manager of the inn is the head of the
  Church, to whom its care has been entrusted. And
  the fact that the Samaritan promises he will
  return represents the Saviors second coming.

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• WHO SAYS?
• WHERES THE PROOF?
• Allegorical interpretation reads into the text
  what is not there (eisegesis vs exegesis)
• Unprovable, unverifiable, subjectivised
  interpretation (relativist rather than absolute).
• CAN MAKE BIBLE SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT!
• DANGER Some approach and utilise typology in the
  same way

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ALLEGORY DISGUISED AS TYPOLOGYEXAMPLE 1 THE
TABERNACLE

• Book of Hebrews
• (readership, purpose Levitical cultus,
  superior)
• So the entire thrust of Hebrews is typological
• (note symmetry of Old and New Covenants)
• Two priesthoods (Levitical, Melchizedek)
• Two tabernacles (heavenly and earthly copy)
• Two entries by priest into holy of holies
  (heavenly, earthly)
• Two Days of Atonement
• Two blood sacrifices (Yom Kippur and Calvary)
• One performed yearly, one once and for all times

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Author of Hebrews began this typological
illustration, so well take it further
TABERNACLE FURNISHINGS
TABLE OF BREAD OF PRESENCE Libations (Ex 2529,
3716) cf Bread of life (Jn 6), blood
HOLY OF HOLIES
LAMPSTAND Seven lamps (Rev 112, 20), birth of
Church, Spirit and oil, anointing
Ark of the Covenant
Holiness of God (Uzzah) His presence cf Hebrews
(heavenly Holy of Holies)
TRINITY!
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Makes sense (also veil, Heb 1020, sacrifices
etc). But then people look for what is not
there. Consider

• Most of the elements of the Tabernacle were
  constructed as rectanglesThe rectangular shape,
  and especially in the case of the altar with its
  reinforced four corners, shows Gods mighty
  power, rectitude, and greatness.
• (cf rectangular as a weak construction shape)
• The laver, the only circular element, was
  cast from the mirrors of women who served at the
  Tabernacle. A woman may be a symbol of
  sensuality, the flesh, as opposed to the mind,
  symbolized by a man. That may be why the laver
  was circular the priest used it to wash his feet
  and his hands, leaving behind the last traces of
  the flesh and of his contact with the surrounding
  world.
• Source www.heraldmag.org/2006/06ja_4.htm,
• drawing on CT Russells Tabernacle Shadows of
  Better Sacrifices (1881).

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• Copper, a symbol of organizational
  attainment, shows that the Court is the place
  where all believers meet spiritually. Copper gave
  the sockets shine and durability and was also
  used for the sockets of the five posts at the
  entrance to the Holy, and for hooks to hold the
  outer covering of the tent together. Thus the
  organizational forms that keep our fellowship
  together are only necessary from the outside,
  from a human point of view. Inside what counts is
  the gold of love. Where love is present,
  organizational props are not needed.
• Source www.heraldmag.org/2006/06ja_4.htm,
• drawing on CT Russells Tabernacle Shadows of
  Better Sacrifices (1881).

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• Violet is a mixture of the element of earthly
  life associated with sin, and with the heavenly
  elements. Conquered sin is the creative agent in
  the construction of the church, making her a
  merciful high priest. The reddish color of copper
  carries in it both the features of human life,
  and of sin.
• The Most Holy was surrounded by twenty-two
  boards... This is the number of letters in the
  Hebrew alphabet used to deliver Gods message to
  man.
• The whole Tabernacle was held together by
  fifteen bars. Love, as presented by the apostle
  Paul, has fifteen attributes (1 Corinthians
  134-7). It is love and holiness that made the
  Tabernacle an entire whole
• Source www.heraldmag.org/2006/06ja_4.htm,
• drawing on CT Russells Tabernacle Shadows of
  Better Sacrifices (1881).

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• The number five denotes the perfection of the
  human nature. A human has five endings (head,
  arms, and legs), has five senses with which to
  experience the environment, and five appendages
  at the end of each limb. Since a human being is
  symmetrical, the number five naturally progresses
  into ten, the number of fingers and toes. Thus,
  the Tabernacle, in its dimensions, demonstrates
  the eternity of Gods time (the number three) as
  it relates to the perfection of human life (the
  number five).
• Who says?
• Where do you draw the line?
• Such esoteric (Gnostic) interpretations are
• ripe for abuse and promoting false doctrine.
• Source www.heraldmag.org/2006/06ja_4.htm,
• drawing on CT Russells Tabernacle Shadows of
  Better Sacrifices (1881).

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ALLEGORY DISGUISED AS TYPOLOGYEXAMPLE 2 THE
BODY AS A TEMPLE

• Demonism in the Synoptic Gospels
• Matthew 1222-28
• Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Satan
• Luke 1120
• Where Kingdom is, demons cannot be
• Greater is He, 2 Cor 616
• An insult to the Holy Spirit

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COUNTER-RESPONSEOh, but a Christian can be
demon-possessed(or oppressed as another term
for possessed)Temple typology cited as
evidenceon the basis of 1 Cor 316,
619Non-Jews could enter the court of the
Gentilesbut not Holy of HoliesIn the same
way, a demon can enter oroppress your body, but
cannot enter intothe innermost being of man
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YES
Jerusalem Temple
NO!
Holy of Holies
Court of Gentiles
Man as a tripartite (or bipartite) being
(on the basis of 1 Cor 619) Christians can be
oppressed in their body by a demon, but not their
spirit.
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NB This doctrine is reached on the basis of poor
typology (comparing body with Jerusalem temple)

• PROBLEMS WITH THIS VIEW
• Directly contradicts passages cited about
  Christians and demonism (cf also 2 Cor 616ff)
• Paul is not differentiating between body and
  spirit! 1 Cor 615-20 actually talking of the
  body!!!
• Paul juxtaposes Corinthian temple and its sexual
  immorality with Corinthians as the temple of God
  (so flee immorality).
• NOT talking of Jerusalem temple.

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• Bipartitle/tripartite debate owes to Greek
  dualism.
• Jews regarded humanity as a unified whole.
• How far do we take this analogy of various
  courts? Court of Gentiles, women, Israel, priests
  and Holy of Holies.
• Quinto-partite humans?
• In short, poor typology not properly investigated
  yields a false doctrine.
• NEVER base a doctrine on a type.

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DOING (identifying) TYPOLOGY

• Typology is generally Christocentric
• (Note all examples cited so far).
• Bible points to Christ Lk 2427, 44, Jn 539
• Usually, typology is explicitly stated in
  Scripture
• (Again, note all the examples cited so far)
• Arguably some exceptions, notably Joseph and
  Jesus

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• Joseph Leader of his twelve brothers
• Jesus Led the twelve disciples
• Joseph Hated, rejected, slain by his brothers
  (Gen. 37)
• Jesus Rejected, hated, slain by countrymen (Jn
  111, Mk 64, Ac 223)
• Joseph Saved his brothers and family
• Jesus Saviour of His countrymen
• Joseph They wept at sight of their brother
• Jesus His countrymen weep bitterly (Zec 1210)
• Joseph Brothers bow before him (Gen 377)
• Jesus Countrymen will accept and bow before Him
• Joseph Blessing to Gentiles (Egyptians)
• Jesus A light to the Gentiles

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• Identify and do typology using
  explicitly-stated types/patterns first
• Learn how typology works
• before identifying patterns and types which are
  not explicitly stated in Scripture as such

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DOING (identifying) TYPOLOGY

• Typology is generally Christocentric
• (Note all egs cited so far).
• Bible points to Christ Lk 2427, 44, Jn 539
• Usually, typology is explicitly stated in
  Scripture
• (Again, note all the examples cited so far)
• Arguably some exceptions, notably Joseph and
  Jesus.
• Typology can involve people, institutions,
  events.
• But it is always a lesson from history.
• Typology is not allegory.
• Therefore, it does not seek a sensus plenior.
• As such, never build a doctrine on typology.
• It is for illustration purposes only
  (illustrative, not prescriptive)
• Typology is for our instruction.
• Identifying types helps us to learn from
  Scripture.

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