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Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics. Types and Symbols. Definition of a Type, as Typically Understood.

vaughan-best
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Hermeneutics

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  1. Hermeneutics Types and Symbols

  2. Definition of a Type, as Typically Understood • “A type may be defined as an Old Testament person, event, or thing having historical reality and designed by God to prefigure (foreshadow) in a preparatory way a real person, event, or thing so designated in the New Testament and that corresponds to and fulfills (heightens) the type” (Zuck, p. 176). • The concept is complicated by the fact that the term tu,poj can be used in the NT in ways other than that spelled out by this definition (i.e. Romans 5:12-19 and 1 Cor 10:6).

  3. Extremes of Typology No types at all. Types all over the OT! Note: Typology is appealed to much more in covenantal theology than in dispensational theology.

  4. Zuck’s Necessary Criteria for a Type • Correspondence – should be genuine and substantial, natural and not forced. • Historical Reality – The OT type is real, not imagined or allegorical. • Prefiguring – Must possess some predictive or foreshadowing element. Here is the rub! • Heightening – The antitype in the NT is greater than and superior to the type in the OT. • Divine Design – Types are not just observed similarities; they are resemblances planned by God. Such types demonstrate the unity of the Bible as a whole. • NT Designation – This provides a necessary control for legitimate types.

  5. An Important Observation from Walton’s Article • “Typology is the identification of a relationship of correspondence between New and Old Testament events or people, based on a conviction that there is a pattern being worked out in the plan of God. • Since this correlation is not identifiable until both type and antitype exist, typology is always a function of hindsight.One thing is never identified as a type of something to come. Only after the latter has come can the correspondence be proclaimed. As a result, one will never find confirmation of the typological value of the type in its initial context” (Master's Seminary Journal, Volume 13:1, p. 69). • On what basis do the NT writers identify types from the OT?

  6. Guidelines for Interpreting Types(in slightly different order from Zuck) • Note the direct assertions in the NT that verify the typological correspondence. • Determine the sense of the type in its original context. • Note the specific point or points of correspondence or resemblance between the type and the antitype. Do not press the correspondence beyond what is legitimate.

  7. Definition of a Symbol • “A symbol is some object (real or imagined) or action which is assigned a meaning for the purpose of depicting rather than stating the qualities of something else” (Zuck, p. 188). • A symbol is distinguished from a type in that a type represents something to come, but a symbol has no such time reference.

  8. Principles for Interpreting Symbols • Note the three elements in any symbolic interpretation: • The object which is the symbol • The referent • The point(s) of resemblance between symbol and referent • Remember that most symbols have their base in reality. • Exceptions? • Determine what meaning or resemblance, if any, is explicitly assigned by the text to the referent. Context strikes again! • If the passage does not make explicit identification of the symbol, consider the symbol’s use in other contexts. • Example: Christ as “the lamb of God” in John 1:29.

  9. Principles for Interpreting Symbols • Be careful to assign the intended meaning to a symbol. • A lion is used to depict both Christ (Rev 5:5) and Satan (1 Peter 5:8). What is the significance in each case? • Do not assume that because a prophetic passage contains symbols, the entire passage is symbolic in meaning. • And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army (Rev 19:19). • In prophetic literature, do not symbolize that which should be taken literally. • A third of the sun, moon, and stars being struck so as not to give their light (Rev 8:12). • 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

  10. Symbolic Numbers, Names, and Colors • Certain numbers are associated with similar concepts in different contexts: • 7 is associated with completeness or perfection • 40 is associated with testing or difficulty • Yet such numbers should still be understood literally first. • Names in Scripture are often tied to the circumstances, or to characteristics of an individual, at the time of naming. • Colors can also be associated with certain qualities. • Purple = royalty • White = purity, holiness • Red = anger, wrath • Again, caution should be exercised not to press these beyond what is legitimate.

  11. Next Week Parables and Allegories

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