Biblical Typology: Basic Principles of Interpretation · Importance of biblical typology •Leonard Goppelt: typology “is the central ... typology •Hebrews 9:2-4 2 For a tabernacle

Biblical Typology: Basic

Principles of Interpretation

Richard M. Davidson, Ph.D.

Common reactions to typology

• 1. “Oh no!” -- Skepticism

• 2. “Give me more! – Enthusiasm

• 3. “What’s that?” -- Uncertainty

Importance of biblical typology

• Leonard Goppelt: typology “is the central

and distinctive NT way of understanding

the Gospel. . .it is the decisive interpretation

of Jesus, the Gospel, and the Church. . . .

According to its NT core typology is

theologically constitutive for an

understanding of the Gospel.” (TDNT

8:255).

Importance of biblical typology

• Robert M. Grant (church historian): “the

New Testament method of interpreting the

OT is generally that of typology.”

• E. Earle Ellis: “typological interpretation

expresses most clearly the basic attitude of

primitive Christianity toward the OT.”

Nature of biblical typology

• Mark W. Karlberg: “resolution of lingering

differences of interpretation among

evangelicals depends, to a large extent, on a

proper assessment of the nature and

function of Old Testament typology.”


Traditional Understanding: Typology is

the study of persons, events, or institutions

which God has divinely designed to

prefigure (point forward to) the

eschatological (end time) fulfillment in

Christ or the Gospel realities brought about

by Christ.


• Post-critical Understanding: Typology is

the retrospective recognition of parallel

situations between OT and NT, based upon

common human way of analogical thinking

or the consistent activity of God in history,

with little or no predictive element

• E.g.: Napoleon’s Battle of Waterloo


• How does one determine which view is

correct?

– Without imposing one’s definition upon the

Biblical text

– Allowing the definition to emerge from the text

– Personal experience


• Key term: typos = English term “type”

• Typos appears 20 times in the NT

• Typos used in five NT passages where the

NT writer is interpreting the OT, and labels

his interpretation as typos (or antitypos)

• Here we can be sure typology exists,

because the NT writer identifies it as such


5 passages about – typos!

1. Romans 5:14

• Typos – The typos of Christ was Adam.


• 5 passages about – typos!

• 2. 1 Cor. 10:6, 11

• Typoi – Exodus events are “types” of the

church.



• 3. 1 Pet. 3:21

• Antitypos – antitype (anti in Greek can

also mean “corresponding to” –

Therefore it is “corresponding to the

type.”) Baptism is corresponding to the

flood.



• 4. Heb. 8:5

• Typos – referring to the earthly/heavenly

sanctuary relationship.



• 5. Heb. 9:24

• Antitypos - referring to the

earthly/heavenly sanctuary relationship.

• The antitype is the fulfillment of the type.

Characteristics of Biblical Typology

• 1. Historical element

– Historical realities: persons (Adam), events

(Flood, Exodus), institutions (sanctuary)

– Historical correspondence of basic contours

between type and antitype

– Intensification between type and antitype


• 2. Prophetic Element

– Advance presentation or prefiguration

– Divine design

– “Must-needs-be” aspect (Greek dei and anagkē)


• 3. Christological/soteriological element

– Not just bare historical realities, but salvific

realities

– Fulfilled in Christ or salvation realities brought

about by Christ

– Christ is the ultimate orientation point of types

and their antitypical fulfillment


• 4. Ecclesiological element

– Individual worshipers

– Corporate community

– Sacraments (Lord’s Supper or Baptism)


• 5. Eschatological element

– Inaugurated (Christ’s First Advent)

– Appropriated (era of the Church)

– Consummated (“not yet”--Apocalyptic end

time)

The Basic Elements of Biblical

Typology: Illustrated by “Mr. Typos”

1. Typos and antitypos are historical realities.

2. The typos (hollow mold) isn’t the original, but based upon a previous design. Divine design.

3. The function of the typos is to be a mold that shapes the “end” product. Predictive element.

4. The basic contours of the typos and antitypos correspond. Can argue from type to antitype.

5. The antitypos (“end” product) transcends and is always greater than the typos. Intensification.

Definition of Biblical Typology

Typology is the study of salvation historical

realities (persons, events, or institutions)

which God has divinely designed to

prefigure (point forward to) the

eschatological (“end product”) fulfillment

in Christ or the Gospel realities brought

about by Christ.

Hermeneutical Controls for Biblical

Typology--1 • Identifying the types: the prophetic

control

• If the type is truly predictive (points

forward) then one should recognize before

the fulfillment that this is a type.

• E.g.: Moses – Deut. 18:18: God says: “I will

raise up a Prophet like you [Moses].”

Case Study: Sanctuary Typology

The Heavenly Sanctuary Before Sin

• Jeremiah 17:12— “from the beginning”

• Ezekiel 28:14— “covering cherub on the

holy mountain of God”

• Isaiah 14:13— “mount of the assembly”

The linkage between the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary

• Exodus 25:9

"According to all that I

show you, that is, the

pattern of the

tabernacle and the

pattern of all its

furnishings, just so

you shall make it.

The linkage between the earthly and

the heavenly sanctuary

• tynIb.T; tabnit: the pattern

• God says that He will show Moses on the

mountain the tabnit for the sanctuary.



• “And see to it that you make them

according to the pattern (tabnit ) which

was shown you on the mountain.” Exodus 25:40

• The LXX translates tabnit here as typos

which means “type” in our language.



• tynIb.t; tabnit: the “pattern”

• It is a copy of the original that

serves as a model for another copy.


the heavenly sanctuary • Illustration: 2 Kings 16:10-11, the story of Ahaz.

• “Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet

Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar

that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to

Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its

pattern [tabnit], according to all its workmanship.

Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to

all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus.”



• This tabnit was a miniature model. It was

used to make a copy of it in Jerusalem.

This is the word that is used in Exodus 25:9,

40. Moses was told to make everything

according to the tabnit.

• He saw on the mountain a miniature model

of the heavenly sanctuary!


the heavenly sanctuary • God presented Moses with a miniature model.

• “He presented before Moses a miniature model of

the heavenly sanctuary, and commanded him to

make all things according to the pattern showed

him in the mount. Moses wrote all the directions

in a book, and read them to the most influential of

the people.” (Spiritual Gifts Volume 4, page 5 )



• Moses also saw the original heavenly

sanctuary:

• PP 343 – “God presented before Moses in

the mount a view of the heavenly sanctuary.”


the heavenly sanctuary • Exodus 24:10

• “and they [Moses and the 70 elders] saw the God

of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a

paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the

very heavens in its clarity.”

• Moses saw as much of the vastness and glory of

the heavenly sanctuary as it was possible for him

to grasp

The linkage between the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary

• Ezekiel 1:26 and 10:1 indicates that God’s throne was made out of sapphire.

• Ezekiel 28:14 refers to the “stones of fire” in the heavenly sanctuary, one of which was no doubt sapphire (see v. 13).

• Maybe Moses on the mountain (Exod 24:10) is seeing one of the pavement stones in the heavenly temple.


Typology--2

Extent of typological correspondence:

Focus on the basic contours, not every

minute detail of the type.

• How does one apply this to the sanctuary

typology?

The “basic contours” of Sanctuary

Typology

• Those features that

are consistent with

the different earthly

sanctuaries are the

“basic contours”

that parallel the

heavenly sanctuary

“Basic Contours” of Sanctuary

typology

• Four main earthly OT sanctuaries/temples:

• 1. Mosaic tabernacle

• 2. Temple of Solomon

• 3. Second temple (built by Zerubbabel)

• 4. Ezekiel’s temple (described in Eze 40-48

but never built)

The “basic contours” of sanctuary

typology • All OT sanctuaries

had:

1. Three spheres of holy

space – courtyard,

holy place, most holy

place

The “basic contours” of sanctuary

typology

2. Same proportions (not dimensions),

with cube-shaped Most Holy Place.

The “basic contours” of sanctuary typology

3. Same kinds (not number) of articles of furniture


• 4. Same order of

priests.


• 5. Same

kinds of

sacrifices


• Hebrews 9:2-4 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the Holy Place; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;

• Heb 8:1-5: priests and sacrifices


Typology--3

The three-phase NT fulfillment of

the OT types

• The basic ground-plan of NT eschatology :

• 1) Hebrews 1:1, 2 says that the “last days” started

(the eschatological fulfillment began) at Jesus’ first

advent. He was “the already”, the inaugurated

eschatology.

• This is “D-Day.”

The three-phase NT

fulfillment of the OT types

The basic ground-plan of NT eschatology :

2) The Second Advent is the “not yet”, the

consummated eschatology, the “end” (1 Pet

4:7; 1 Cor 15:24)

• This is V-E Day.

The basic groundwork of NT eschatology :

• 3) The time of “tension” between the

“already” and the “not yet.” It is the time of

appropriated eschatology in which we

appropriate to ourselves what He has worked

out by Him.

• This is the time of the church, where we live

today.

The three-phase NT


The three-phase NT


Sanctuary Typology:

1. Inauguration— Jesus is the antitypical

temple (Matt 12:6; John 2:21).

2. Appropriation--the church is the temple of

God (1 Cor 3:16, 17; 2 Cor 6:16).

3. Consummation—the heavenly

temple/tabernacle is with men (Rev 21:3)

The three-phase NT


• All sanctuary typology has its basic fulfillment in Christ. Our evangelical scholars usually stop at this foundational point. But it is also true that what happened in Jesus is to be fulfilled spiritually in us. We are the body of Christ, our bodies are the temples of God, we are to be His priests, we are to be the light of the world, etc.

The three-phase NT


• Some non-SDA Christians understand appropriated sanctuary typology but almost all fail to take the third step—consummated sanctuary typology.

• . In Heaven there is a real heavenly sanctuary, which overarches all sanctuary typology. Sanctuary typology has a vertical dimension that has been there all along.

The three-phase NT


At the end of time, there will be the apocalyptic fulfillment of the sanctuary typology.

The “tension” between earth and heaven, between the “already” and the “not yet,” will be resolved.

• We will enter God’s temple forever!

The three-phase NT


• The modality of these phases of NT

fulfillment, based on the presence of

Jesus:

• Inaugurated: literal and local

• Appropriated: spiritual and universal

• Consummated: glorious, final, universal,

literal

Conclusion

• SDAs have the privilege to preach with

joy the full orb of sanctuary typology. It

is not only dealing with the “already” but

it focuses on the appropriated (the time of

the church now) and the “not yet” (God’s

people united with Jesus in the heavenly

sanctuary at the Second Advent and

beyond).

Documents

Biblical Typology: Basic Principles of Interpretation · Importance of biblical typology •Leonard Goppelt: typology “is the central ... typology •Hebrews 9:2-4 2 For a tabernacle