You may have heard of Christ described as the second or last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) or the Holy Spirit indwelling in our hearts as a kind of Tabernacle (Hebrews 9:8-9). In other words, any time you’ve run into symbols twice in the Bible, you may have encountered something known as typology. Typology is just a fancy way of saying symbols, foreshadowing, or you guessed it, types of an object that represents something else.
We often talk about how the Bible is one overarching narrative, and like excellent literature, it foreshadows things to come, via types. Often, we’ll see a vaguer picture in the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New Testament. For instance, in the Jewish sacrificial system, they sacrificed a lamb at Passover. This was a type. In the New Testament, Jesus becomes the ultimate Passover lamb sacrifice.
What is the history of biblical typology? What are some more examples of biblical typology? What are the dangers of getting too invested in typology? And why should this matter to us? We’ll dive into these questions and more.
What Is the History of Biblical Typology?
Of course, symbols have always existed in the Bible since the Old Testament, but what we’re asking is when did the perspectives regarding typology and its influence on the Bible come to be?
It appears, as linked in the article above, that these viewpoints and the study of typology emerged sometimes in the 17th century. We do have to keep in mind there are a number of schools of typology that formed in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, respectively.
Nevertheless, we do have to keep in mind that although the study of typology may not have emerged in the academic sense, that those, especially in the New Testament, in Judeo culture would’ve placed a heavy emphasis on symbols (see the book of Hebrews for numerous examples). Symbols and types would’ve been well-known by Jews during the time of Jesus and beyond.
What Are Some Examples of Biblical Types?
Apart from the examples listed above, we can find some types in the Old Testament that represented something fulfilled in the New Testament.
As mentioned in the article above, a type must be explicitly mentioned in the New Testament. It’s slightly different from an illustration. We may be able to draw parallels between the lives of Jesus and the lives of Old Testament heroes such as Joseph or Daniel, but the New Testament never directly links the two.
It should come as no surprise that most of the “types” we find are related to Jesus.
For a listing of types (and something known as an antitype) check out this resource here.
What Are the Dangers of Typology?
As is the case with most schools of Christian thought or study, believers can fall into dangerous extremes. Typology is no different.
One such danger includes getting obsessed with types and believing that everything in the New Testament is some sort of type for something vaguely mentioned in the Old Testament. We run the risk of interpreting Scriptures the wrong way or uncovering something that isn’t there in the first place and missing the point of the passage.
Nevertheless, used wisely and with discernment, like any other methodology of Christian study and academia, typology can help us to see the bigger picture of the biblical narrative via the linking of the Old and New Testament via types.
Why Does This Matter?
Why should we care about typology?
First, this issue matters, because we need to understand that extremes do exist in any form of Christian study. We need to be wary of eisegesis (reading our own biases into the text or wanting the text to say something that it doesn’t).
Second, we can see God’s plan unfold through symbols. He doesn’t let anything go to waste. What may have seemed like an odd sacrificial system gets fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. Even figures like Melchizedek and Adam have lives that are mirrored (or anti-mirrored) through Jesus.
Finally, this shows that God is in control. If he fulfills his plan through even the smallest of details and has his fingerprints over the symbols throughout the Bible, we know that he will do what he says he will do and that he will take care of us.
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Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
