bridging the gap between the old and new testaments

8/13/2019 Bridging the Gap Between the Old and New Testaments

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Bridging the Gap

between the Old andNew TestamentsGreg Clarke

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This article is a follow up to Jumping the Gap (Joshua Ng)Christians often don't know what to do with the Old

Testament. We know that Jesus has 'fulfilled', 'abolished' and

'reinterpreted' its teaching; but we also know that "all

cripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and

training in righteousness" ! Tim #$%&. o how are the food

laws in (e)iticus going to train us in righteousness* What

kind of rebuke do we get from the elaborate temple

descriptions at the end of +ekiel* -uestions like these leadus to push the Old Testament aside. t's /ust too obscure, we

tell oursel)es, and stick with more familiar literature such as

the 0ew Testament epistles. We sense a huge gap between

the Old and 0ew.

n the article "Jumping the Gap" !1riefing 234, we concluded that

it is wrong5headed to feel there is an insurmountable cultural

gap between the world of the 0ew Testament belie)er andthe world of the twentieth centur6 Christian. 1iblical theolog6

shows us that we both li)e in the same age, the 'last da6s',

and our common faith outweighs our peripheral differences.

We also began to e7plore the wa6 8od's Old Testament

promises and purposes are fulfilled in the 0ew, and what that

sa6s for how we ought to treat the Old Testament. One of the

ke6 ideas which was raised was how the two Testaments are

related through t6polog6.

http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/208/bridging-the-gap-between-the-old-and-new-testaments

http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/207/jumping-the-gap




http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/208/bridging-the-gap-between-the-old-and-new-testaments



n this article, we look at what t6polog6 is, and how it can help

us to interpret the Old Testament with confidence. n fact, as

we shall disco)er, t6polog6 demonstrates that the temporal

and theological gap between the Old and 0ew Testament is

not a hindrance to our 1ible reading, but a help. n fact, it is

an essential part of understanding the 1ible as a whole.

The art of typology

9s we stated in :Jumping the 8ap', 8od's re)elation de)elops

and unfolds throughout cripture, culminating in Jesus Christ

and the 8ospel accounts. While Jesus is the pinnacle of

8od's plan and re)elation, the Old Testament gi)es us the

categories of thought we need in order to understand Jesus.

Old Testament e)ents, people and institutions ser)e as

e7amples and patterns so that when we reach the 8ospels,

we can clearl6 understand who he was and what he came to

do. These patterns and e7amples are also known as t6pes.

The6 function like )isual aids; the6 do more than tell us about

an historical e)ent or person 5 the6 suggest that the e)ent or

person is t6pical of certain characteristics. or e7ample, the

tabernacle and the whole sacrificial s6stem are t6pes. 9s well

as being 8od's instituted means of relating to his Old

Testament people, the6 also s6mbolise the truth that sinful

humanit6 cannot approach a hol6 8od, e7cept through a 8od

appointed human mediator, who offers an acceptable animal

sacrifice to cleanse mankind's sin. The6 are t6pical of how

human beings and 8od must relate.

The most important aspect of a t6pe is that it is incomplete. t

alwa6s points be6ond itself to some greater realit6; we often

call t6pes 'shadows', since the6 re)eal the form of realit6 but

aren't themsel)es complete. The sacrificial s6stem was ne)er

enough to establish hol6 relations between 8od and his

creatures; its inade<uacies are made ob)ious throughout the

Old Testament !e.g. =s >3$&5?; cf. @eb %3$A5%3, =s A%$%&5%B;

sa %$%35%B. 1ut without the t6pe, we wouldn't know that



something greater was re<uired. ince we know about the

sacrifices which 8od re<uired for atonement for srael's sin

!(e) %&5%B, we are prepared for the coming acrifice who

will atone for the sins of the world.

This kind of corresponding 0ew Testament fulfilment of a t6pe

!or shadow is known as an anti5t6pe !or realit6, where 'anti'

means not 'against' but 'in place of.

The all5per)ading 0ew Testament anti5t6pe is Jesus. 9s =aul

puts it, all of 8od's promises are '6es' in him; he is our great

'9men' to all of 8od's plans !Cor %$ 3. @e is both the real

high priest and the acceptable sacrifice$ he enables sinfulhumanit6 to approach 8od in hea)en b6 offering himself on

the cross; his blood6 death cleanses us from all sin !@eb 45

%3. There is thus a strong connection between the t6pe and

the anti5t6pe. ost importantl6, while the anti5t6pe is similar to

the t6pe, it is 6et different and greater, /ust as a real plane is

greater than a plastic model. Thus the real @ol6 =lace is

hea)en itself !anti5t6pe, not an earthl6 tent !the tabernacle

t6pe; Jesus is a sinless and eternal high priest !antit6pe,unlike the sinful and mortal (e)itical priests !t6pe; Jesus'

death is effecti)e once for all !anti5t6pe, while animal

sacrifices were ultimatel6 ineffecti)e !t6pe 5 see @eb B5%3.

The t6pe is thus referred to as a 'cop6' or 'shadow' of the real

thing 5 recognisabl6 related, but lesser in meaning and

significance !@eb ?$A, %3$%.

Typology bridges the gap

T6polog6 bridges the time and theolog6 gap between the Old

and 0ew Testaments. t is a magnificent bridge, made with

intricate craftsmanship, and lanes running in both directions.

The Old Testament pro)ides the t6pes for the 0ew; the 0ew

re)eals the realit6 of the Old. This t6pological wa6 of reading

the 1ible is indicated too often and too e7plicitl6 in the 0ew

Testament itself for us to be in an6 doubt that it is the right



approach to interpreting it. n bridging the gap between the

Testaments, t6polog6 shows us which aspects of the Old

Testament are still appropriate for Christians to follow

!continuities and which aspects are no longer rele)ant

!discontinuities.

CONTN!T"#

irstl6, t6polog6 forges the lines of continuit6 between the

t6pe and the anti5t6pe 5 between 8od's word in the Old

Testament epochs and 8od's word in Christ. Thus the reason

wh6 8od's word to the e7odus generation can be applied so

directl6 to the Corinthian Christians is because the6 areundergoing the same e7perience. or /ust as the e7odus

generation had been sa)ed from sla)er6 in +g6pt, and fell

while en route to the promised land !% Cor %3$%5A, so

Christians ha)e been sa)ed from sla)er6 to sin, and face the

real danger of falling while en route to hea)en !% Cor 4$>

5%3$%>; compare @eb #5>. The e7odus e)ent is thus a t6pe of

the sal)ation e)ent which Christians e7perience. We are in

the same situation as the6 were 5 not because our culturesare similar, but because of the wa6 8od is fulfilling his

unfolding histor6 of sal)ation. Clearl6, our eternal sal)ation

from /udgement is greater than their earthl6 sal)ation from

+g6ptian sla)er6.

The relationship between 9dam and +)e in 8enesis is also

a t6pe. Just as 9dam had authorit6 o)er the woman, so Christ

is the head of his bride, the church !+ph A. Christ and thechurch is the anti5t6pe 5 the real marriage of which the

partnership between 9dam and his wife is merel6 a cop6 !+ph

A$#%5#. Det this does not do awa6 with human marriages,

nor with the need for the wife to be in submission to her

husband. 1ecause marriage is a t6pe, it must reflect the

structure of its anti5t6pe. The real meaning of marriage, as

+phesians A tells us, is to reflect Christ's relationship with the

church. t should then not surprise us that this authorit6



structure in the famil6 is reflected in the church, since one of

the ke6 images of the church is "8od's household" or famil6

!% Tim #$A, %A. t is within this conte7t that =aul applies 8od's

word in 8enesis 5# to the role of women in church. 9gain,

the 'hermeneutical gap' is bridged not b6 seeking to align our

cultural particulars with those of the 1ible, but b6 appreciating

how 8od re)eals himself through t6pes and their fulfilment.

$#CONTN!T"#

T6polog6 also e7plains the lines of discontinuit6 between

8od's word in the Old Testament and 8od's word in Christ.

Thus, it is because Christ's death !the anti5t6pe is the allsufficient sacrifice for sins, that the animal sacrifices of the

Old Testament !the t6pe ha)e become obsolete and are no

longer to be practised. This is an e7ample where in fulfilling

the t6pe, the anti5t6pe actuall6 replaces the t6pe. imilarl6, on

the issue of (e)itical food laws, t6polog6 holds the ke6 as to

wh6 the6 ha)e become outmoded. The laws regarding clean

and unclean food were t6pes s6mbolising the truth that

cleanliness !or holiness was crucial in approaching 8od.These laws marked out the Old Testament Jew as distinct,

hol6 and set apart from the pagan nations around them. With

the coming of Christ, there are no longer to be an6

distinctions between Jew and 8entile, for both are one in

Christ !9cts %3, 8al 5#. The kingdom of 8od is not about

what we do or don't eat, but righteousness, peace, and /o6 in

the @ol6 pirit !Eom %>$ %B. 9gain such Old Testament laws

ha)e become obsolete.

@owe)er, this does not mean that we no longer need to read

the Old Testament laws regarding animal sacrifices or food

laws. The6 are not irrele)ant to us, for the6 still function as

patterns so that we can full6 understand Christ and what his

death has achie)ed. The6 ha)e instructi)e )alue for us, but

there is no )alue in obser)ing them. The6 are not part of the

wa6 we now relate to 8od; the6 do, howe)er, educate us



about how we relate to 8od. or instance, while we are no

longer to make sacrifices for sin, we are to offer our whole

sel)es as a li)ing sacrifice to 8od, worshipping him with the

sacrifices of praise and good deeds !Eom %$%5, @eb %#$%A5

%&. 9nd while food laws are no longer applicable, we are still

to "be hol6 as he is hol6", being different from the pagans 5

not in what we eat, but in our godliness of life !% =et %$%#5%&.

The <uestion is begged at this stage$ @ow do we know which

t6pes ha)e become obsolete and which continue to ha)e

)alue* Wh6, for instance, did we mention 8alatians #$?

without suggesting that the t6polog6 of male and female has

also become obsolete, since =aul mentions this alongsideJew and 8reek, sla)e and free* The answer is that the 1ible

tells us which t6pes continue and which don't. We are told

that food laws no longer appl6 !e.g. k B$%4; that di)ision

between Jew and 8entile no longer applies !e.g. 9cts %35%%;

that structured relationships between men and women and

parents and children do still appl6 !e.g. % Cor %%$%5%&; +ph

A$5##. We need to use cripture itself as our guide to how

an anti5t6pe fulfils its t6pe, and not appl6 e7ternal criteria towork out what li)ing in the age of fulfilment ought to in)ol)e.

%ritten for us

or t6polog6 to pla6 its role in an unfolding stor6, there must

be a significant passage of time between the displa6ing of the

t6pes and the re)elation of the anti5t6pes. Time and reflection

are re<uired to show how the t6pes operate, their structures

and significance, and their incompleteness 5 the wa6 the6point towards future fulfilment. The passing of time from Old

Testament to 0ew Testament is, therefore, not a hindrance to

comprehending the 1ible, but an aid to understanding. The

passage of srael from the da6s of the patriarchs, through

sla)er6 and e7odus, promise and prophec6, blessing and

curse, pro)ides for the 0ew Testament reader a whole series

of ideas and images and s6mbols with which to understand

the work of Christ.



9nd what a rich storehouse it isF There is almost no aspect of

the gospel which does not call upon an Old Testament t6pe

for its meaning$ Jesus as temple, Jesus as sacrificial (amb,

Jesus as Word of 8od, the e7odus of sinners from spiritual

sla)er6, the =romised (and of the 0ew Jerusalem, and so on.

t is legitimate e)en to look closel6 at particular e)ents and

see them as anti5t6pes of Old Testament t6pes. or e7ample,

the beginning of atthew's 8ospel tells of Jesus' birth and

earl6 ministr6 in terms of a new e7odus. 9s a bab6, he is

e7iled to +g6pt due to @erod's slaughter of the children, and

later returns to his homeland !att . @e undergoes

temptation in the wilderness, and remains firm where srael

failed !att >. uch t6polog6 is t6pical !of course andcomprehensi)e in the 0ew Testament.

The complaint might be made at this point that we are not

letting the Old Testament speak for itself 5 that we are

imposing interpretations upon it that could ne)er ha)e

occurred to its authors or original readers. To this charge, we

must plead guilt6. or Christians, the Old Testament does not

stand alone. ts true meaning is not found outside ofreference to the 0ew Testament. n fact, the original readers

of the Old Testament are not e)en its intended readership.

Certainl6, 8od did speak to the sraelites in the Old

Testament; certainl6 the6 learnt true knowledge of 8od

through his law and prophets; certainl6 the6 understood

something of the truths which their t6pes represented. 1ut

the6 also knew that their understanding of what the6 were

hearing or speaking or writing was far from complete$

Concerning this sal)ation, the prophets, who spoke of the

grace that was to come to 6ou, searched intentl6 and with the

greatest care, tr6ing to find out the time and circumstances to

which the pirit of Christ in them was pointing when he

predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would

follow. t was re)ealed to them Gthe prophetsH that the6 were

not ser)ing themsel)es but 6ou, when the6 spoke of the



things that ha)e now been told 6ou b6 those who ha)e

preached the gospel to 6ou. % =eter %$ %35%

While the Old Testament people were the first to hear 8od's

word, that word to them was but the preparator6 part of what

8od was intending to sa6 to us who li)e in the age of

fulfilment, the age of the anti5t6pe, the age of the gospel of

Jesus. Those who hear the first four parts of a fi)e5part /oke

might ha)e heard it first, but if the punch line has been

withheld from them the6 can hardl6 be )iewed as the intended

audience. t is we who are pri)ileged to hear the punch line

who are the real intended audienceF

The 0ew Testament is )er6 e7plicit about the purposes of Old

Testament e)ents. or instance, the wilderness /udgements

on the e7odus generation "happened to them as t6pes and

were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment

of the ages has come" !% Cor %3$%%. =aul is at least

asserting that those /udgements are still rele)ant for us. 1ut

he is sa6ing more than that. The /udgements upon them were

but t6pes which pointed forward to the potential anti5t6pe,namel6 the /udgement that will come upon us in the age of

fulfilment if we too fall into idolatr6. While those /udgements

ser)ed as a warning sign for the Old Testament people !0um

&$ %3; =s 4A, the6 were preparator6, written down in

preparation for the warning that 8od is now gi)ing to

Christians. t is not /ust that the Old Testament record of

these e)ents is still rele)ant for us, but in 8od's re)elator6

plan the6 were primaril6 intended for us.

inall6, it is onl6 in the age of the gospel that the Old

Testament itself is acti)ated to re)eal what had pre)iousl6

been hidden in it. Consider =aul's do7olog6 at the )er6 end of

Eomans$

0ow unto him who is able to establish 6ou b6 m6 gospel and

the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the re)elation



of the m6ster6 hidden for long ages past, but now re)ealed

and made known through the prophetic writings b6 the

command of the eternal 8od, so that all nations might belie)e

and obe6 him5to the onl6 wise 8od be glor6 fore)er through

Jesus ChristF 9men. Eomans %&$A5B

There is a m6ster6, a secret, that has been hidden from Old

Testament times, and is now re)ealed in the gospel age. f we

had been writing to the Eomans, we most likel6 would ha)e

said the m6ster6 had been re)ealed 'in the gospel'; =aul

writes that it was "made known through the prophetic

writings" 5 through the Old Testament itself. 16 8od's

command, the Old Testament now re)eals things that werethere pre)iousl6, but hidden. The light of the gospel illumi5

nates the shadow6 e)ents and figures of the Old Testament;

through the anti5t6pes, we recognise the t6pes.

The implications of this are profound. 8od used the passage

of time in order to de)elop a deep and far5reaching s6stem of

t6pes which would help us make sense of who Jesus is. @e

re)ealed himself graduall6, then ultimatel6 in Christ, themage and Word of 8od who brings together all of 8od's

promises and purposes. The 0ew Testament e7plains for us

the wa6s in which the Old Testament t6pes ha)e their anti5

t6pe in Christ. When we e7amine the Old Testament in the

light of this unfolding t6polog6, its application to Christians

toda6 becomes more apparent. We li)e in the age of

fulfilment, so we focus not upon the t6pes, but upon the anti55

t6pes. n them we ha)e true and liberating knowledge of 8od.

"ndnotes[1] =eter's )ision and his encounter with Cornelius is an

interesting multi5la6ered t6pe in)ol)ing food and race. ee

also 9cts %A for clarification of how law5abiding Jewish

Christians and 8entile con)erts are to relate. The fulfilment of

a t6pe can result in some comple7ities; it is rarel6 astraightforward abolition of the t6pe.

http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/208/bridging-the-gap-between-the-old-and-new-testaments#1

http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/208/bridging-the-gap-between-the-old-and-new-testaments#1

bridging the gap between the old and new testaments

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