Typology: Part 7 The New Testament, Pitfalls and Practice
This is the final part in the series on typology. Over this time, we’ve looked at what typology is, how the early Church used it and how it is a useful tool to unpack Scripture.
Typology and the Book of Acts
St Luke continues to use typological motifs in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. When I wrote my series on Barnabas last year, I was surprised how much Luke includes.
For example, Jesus sending out the disciples is a type of Adam and Eve being sent out of the Garden of Eden. Mathias replacing Judas is a type of Seth replacing Abel and Pentecost is a type of the Tower of Babel. The types continue throughout the book. It’s as though Luke is mapping the Old Testament onto the Book of Acts.
Book of Revelation
John’s Book of Revelation is a complex text. Many theories about eschatology have been developed from its pages. I’m not going to touch on them here, but only point out that there are ‘types’ that appear throughout the text. John draws heavily on these motifs.
A good typological thread is the link between Revelation and Exodus.
Egypt is a type of Babylon in Revelation.
Suffering is brought upon the Christians, like upon the Hebrew slaves.
The Two Witness are typologically linked in Revelation to Moses and Aaron.
Plagues come on the Earth, like the 10 plagues which visit Egypt.
And in Revelation 15, we read;
Revelation 15 v 1-3
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.
After the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, a song was sung. The song of Moses and the Lamb from Revelation is typologically linked to this Song of the Sea in Exodus 15.
Pitfalls of Typology
The main issue with typology is when we take it too far. We then become confident in tentative connections. When we see one of these links, we must always refer back to the whole Biblical narrative and the traditional interpretations of the early Church. This will ensure we don’t lurch down an avenue which leads to heresy.
Symbolism and Typology
Typology is based within a narrative structure but symbolism isn’t. Not every tree in the Bible is the a type of the Tree of Life or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
But every tree connects with the biblical symbolicism of a tree. Symbolically, a tree gives shade, is used in building and can provide food. But not all trees in the Bible are typologically the Cross.
It’s clear the New Testament authors were aware of typology and thread it through the narrative and their theology. And it’s a useful tool for us Modern Christians, to help us better understand Scripture.