A Biblical Vision, Part I: Mastering the Old Testament Witness to Christ

Session 3: The History of Israel as Type and Analogy in the Old Testament’s Witness to Christ 53

A. Principles in our study of the Old Testament

1. The study of types in the Old Testament in reference to Jesus Christ is a fruitful and important source of study, with great significance for our hermeneutics (i.e., process of interpreting) the Old Testament.

2. In Jesus Christ, the history of Israel and humankind is recapitulated: in him the stories of Adam and humanity are retraced and fulfilled, with all their stories brought to a head in himself.

3. Jesus of Nazareth represents the antitype of the major typological events, objects, and stories of creation, Adam, Israel, in his recapitulation of human history.

4. In the events of the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan and entering into the Promised Land, and the restoration of Israel from the Babylonian Captivity we see parallels with God’s work revealed in the person of Christ in the New Testament, and with his people, the Church.

B. Critical implications

1. The New Testament use of the Old Testament history of Israel shows that the Spirit saw the person and work of Jesus pictured forth and embodied in the history of Israel.

2. We ought to strive to see and recognize the person and work of Jesus in the stories, pictures, ceremonies, and events of Israel in the Old Testament.