Biblical Typology: How the Old Testament Points to Christ, His Church, and the Consummation

by Vern Poythress

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2024

Overview

How to Study the Old Testament for Signs of Christ

Believers read Scripture to follow Christ and deepen their relationship with him. But since a majority of the Bible was written before Jesus’s life and death on the cross, many people rely on the Old Testament for historical context and moral guidance alone. However, when studied in detail, we see how even the Old Testament reveals Christ as the center of God’s plan for redemption.

Biblical Typology examines how the Old Testament foreshadows Christ, the church, and the consummation through types—or symbols—pointing toward fulfillment. Well-known for his academic yet accessible writing, Vern S. Poythress not only provides examples of types and analogies found in God’s word but also teaches readers a practical framework and diagram for effectively examining them throughout Scripture. Readers will learn how to identify and interpret biblical typology for themselves as they deepen their understanding of the Bible and the wisdom of God.

Great for Bible Teachers: Teaches pastors, Bible study leaders, and thoughtful lay people how to effectively study biblical typology in the Old Testament

Practical How-To: Not only examines Scripture for examples of Christ in the Old Testament but teaches how readers can find types for themselves

Uses Helpful Tools: Introduces a practical framework and diagram to effectively interpret typology within the Old Testament

Academic yet Accessible: Written by scholar, professor, and author Vern S. Poythress

Key Features

• Examines Scripture for examples of Christ in the Old Testament
• Teaches how readers can find types for themselves
• Introduces a practical framework and diagram to effectively interpret typology within the Old Testament

Contents

• Part 1: Introducing the Challenge of the Old Testament
• Part 2: A Framework for Typological Interpretation
• Part 3: Introduction to the Practice of Typological Interpretation
• Part 4: Deepening Our Understanding of Typological Meaning
• Part 5: Enrichment of Clowney’s Triangle
• Part 6: The Practice of Typological Interpretation
• Part 7: Interpretation of Analogies

Praise for the Print Edition

I am delighted to see Vern Poythress’s book on biblical typology. His knowledge of the Scriptures and the interpretive principles necessary to handle them responsibly is unsurpassed. He presents the complex topic of biblical types clearly and simply so that laypeople and scholars alike will benefit. This is a book that you will not want to miss.

—Richard L. Pratt Jr., President, Third Millennium Ministries

As readers learn how the New Testament relates to the Old, they will encounter the subject and language of typology. I’m grateful for Vern Poythress providing this accessible resource so that interpreters can think about how the patterns and shadows of the Old Testament point to Christ, the church, and the new creation. The divine author of Holy Scripture is summing up all things in his Son. Let Poythress help you identify key symbols and types along the storyline of redemption.

—Mitchell L. Chase, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Short of Glory: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of the Fall

Product Details

• Title: Biblical Typology: How the Old Testament Points to Christ, His Church, and the Consummation
• Author: Vern Poythress
• Publisher: Crossway
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 294
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Typology (Theology); Theophanies; Bible. O.T. › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9781433592423, 9781433592447, 9781433592430, 1433592428, 1433592444, 1433592436
• Resource ID: LLS:BBLCLTYPCNSMMTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-02T16:43:52Z

About Vern Poythress

Vern Sheridan Poythress (b. 1946) is an evangelical philosopher, theologian, and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary where he has taught since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which later merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.