Editorial: Thinking about Typology
Typology allows us to know God’s Word better and to see how all of Scripture relates to Christ, and how, we, as God’s people, are the beneficiaries of all of God’s promises in Christ.
SBJT 21/1 (Spring 2017)
Biblical-Theological Exegesis and the Nature of Typology
As Doug Moo has noted, “typology is much easier to talk about than to describe.”1 Even among evangelicals, competing definitions of typology are legion. These matters are further complicated by related (and equally polarizing) issues such as the nature of biblical theology, the NT’s use of the OT, the structure of the canon, authorial intent,…
From Beelines to Plotlines: Typology That Follows the Covenental Topography of Scripture
Perhaps you have heard or repeated Charles Spurgeon’s famous axiom, “I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.” The trouble is Charles Spurgeon probably never said it.1 Worse, the simplistic axiom fails to account for the textual shape and biblical contours of the Bible, not to mention the infelicitous way it misjudges…
Typology and Allegory: Is There a Distinction? A Brief Examination of Figural Reading
Any study of typology in recent days must account for allegory and elucidate if any distinction should be maintained between the two. In this brief article, I will sketch out the recent emphasis on figural reading1 before critiquing this nomenclature and approach in the process of advancing four reasons that interpreters of Scripture should understand…
A True and Greater Boaz: Typology and Jesus in the Book of Ruth
Introduction The Book of Ruth is not the only Old Testament (OT) book with a genealogy, but it is the only one with a genealogy in its closing verses.1 In fact, the content of the genealogy may be the whole reason the Book of Ruth was written.2 The last word of the final verse is…
“Whatever You Ask” for the Missionary Purposes of the Eschatological Temple: Quotation and Typology in Mark 11-12
The beginning of the Gospel of Mark anticipates—right away—that the narrative will climax at the Jerusalem temple. This “gospel” of Jesus Christ in Mark 1:1 is “as it is written” (καθὼς γέγραπται; 1:2) in Isaiah. The meaning of “gospel,” therefore, should be sought in the first place in Isaiah, specifically in the context of Isaiah…
Searching for the Second Adam: Typological Connections between Adam, Joseph, Mordecai, and Daniel
Introduction Those who champion orthodoxy rightly eschew doctrinal deviations in favor of proven, tested theological conclusions, but also demand that each new generation of Christian thinkers read the Scriptures afresh. Conservative theologians live, readily and occasionally happily, in such a tension. It is, after all, part of what it means to receive, maintain and pass…
SBJT Forum
Joshua M. Philpot is Pastor for Worship and Administration at Founders Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. In addition to this role, he is adjunct professor at Houston Baptist University and The Expositors Seminary. He earned his PhD in Old Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Philpot has published articles and book reviews in…
Book Reviews
Spirit Hermeneutics: Reading Scripture in Light of Pentecost. By Craig S. Keener. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016. xxviii + 522pp., $48.00 Hardback. Craig S. Keener, known best for his New Testament (NT) exegetical commentaries, turns his attention in Spirit Hermeneutics to how Spirit-filled Christians should interpret the Bible today. Keener earned his Ph.D. from Duke…