The Epistles to the Hebrews

142  The Ep i s t l e to the Hebrews : Par t I

Typology Readings, continued

The Old Testament foreshadows find their fulfillment in the New Testament in several ways: (1) The moral precepts of the Old Testament become fulfilled or perfected in the life and teachings of Christ. (2) The ceremonial and typical truths were only shadows of the true substance to be found in Christ. (3) The Messianic prophecies foretold in the Old Testament were finally fulfilled in the history of the New Testament. In each of these relationships it can be seen that the Testaments are inseparably connected. The New is not only supplementary to the Old but it is the necessary complement to it. As the book of Hebrews puts it, “God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they [Old Testament believers] should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11.40). For what was contained in the Old Testament is fully explained only in the New Testament. The Way Paul and the Apostles Read Scripture As can be clearly seen, the hermeneutical procedure which Paul and the other New Testament authors use to interpret the Law in a spiritual sense is allegorical, in that a meaning other than the literal or immediate sense is perceived from the given text. The usual term which Paul employs to define the relationship between the two levels of meaning is typos = form, figure, symbol, or prefiguration (Rom. 5.14; 1 Cor. 10.6, etc.); but in Galatians 4.24, where he presents the sons of Hagar and Sarah as prefigurations of the Jews and Christians, he says ‘Now this is an allegory ( allegoroumena ), showing that he regarded ‘typos’ as synonymous with ‘allegory.’ In deference to Paul’s terminology, modern scholars call this kind of interpretation - which, as we shall see, enjoyed immense success and became the authentic Christian way of reading the Old Testament - ‘typology’ or ‘typological interpretation.’ In antiquity [i.e., in olden times] it was called ‘spiritual’ or ‘mystical.’ It was rooted in the firm conviction that the old Law was consistently directed towards the great Christ-event, and that, as a result, it would give up its true significance only to those who interpreted it in Christological terms. ~ Norman Geisler, To Understand the Bible Look for Jesus. (1979) 2002. p. 68

~ Manlo Simonetti, Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church . p. 11-12