Typology-Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns
Endorsements
“This book is an astonishingly rich exploration of the contours and textures of the overarching message of the whole Bible. Jim Hamilton painstakingly assembles a veritable mountain of evidence for the argument that the biblical writers, under God, knew exactly what they were doing, and that from the beginning, they were consciously paving the way for the Christ to come. Every page deserves careful study, for so much ground is covered in such stimulating (and sparkling) detail. Even where one disagrees with specific conclusions (and such is the scope of this book that this is almost inevitable), the depth of insight and nuance of the argument makes reading this book a delight.”
Gary Millar, principal, Queensland Theological College
“Jim Hamilton has written a clear and theologically rich work on typology, demonstrating how the scriptural story of redemption is anchored in God’s promises of the Messiah. Typology: Understanding the Bible’s Promise-Shaped Patterns shows forth both the unity of Scripture and the beautiful layers of its truths, and best of all it provides fresh lenses for beholding the glories of our Savior. Here readers may feast on the Bible’s teaching concerning the One who is the Last Adam, the Prophet like Moses, the Faithful High Priest whose work fulfills the Levitical Cult, the Royal Son of David, the Righteous Suffering Servant, and God With Us—read and rejoice!”
L. Michael Morales, professor of biblical studies, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
“In his previous work, Jim Hamilton convinced me that we need biblical theology in order to help disciples learn to think and live, in terms of the Bible’s symbolic universe. With Typology, Hamilton continues to help readers become biblically literate by sensitizing them to the micro-level clues as to the nature of what the Bible is all about. As God’s declaratives (“let there be”) shape the created order, so God’s promises shape redemptive history. Discerning typological connections between these promises and their fulfillment in Christ, and the meaningful pattern they create, is part and parcel of coming to have a biblical worldview–seeing God, God’s world, and God’s people from the perspective of the biblical authors. If theology is faith seeking understanding, coming to grips with the unique scriptural imaginary that typology is and creates is an essential theological task.”
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Why Write Typology?
"I wrote this book because I love the Bible. The more we read the Bible, especially in its original languages, the more interconnected we see it to be. The pervasively interconnectedness of the Bible is a fact. Facts, however, are not self-interpreting. Consider these two: (1) later biblical authors engage earlier Scripture, and (2) understanding how they do so is essential to understanding the message they sought to communicate. In this book I’m starting from the assumption that the biblical authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit, which ensured that they correctly interpreted earlier Scripture and truly communicated what God wanted them to say. The interpretations of the biblical authors, then, are valid. Further, I think later biblical authors meant to teach their audiences proper biblical interpretation, making their interpretations normative. Unlike the biblical authors, we are not inspired by the Holy Spirit. Still, we should try to understand and embrace the interpretive perspective of the biblical authors, and this book seeks to help readers develop both the scientific skill and the artistic sensibility necessary for interpreting the facts. I hope and pray this project will be used to provoke readers to a Psalm 119 style love of the Scriptures."
—James M. Hamilton Jr.
