A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Levi H. Moore
For several years now, typology has been a topic of discussion in biblical theology. The conversation continues with this contribution by Vern S. Poythress. Divided into seven parts, Poythress presents a method for interpreting types within the Old Testament and, as the subtitle says, how they point to Christ and all He will bring into fruition.
Summary
Parts One and Two provide an overview of how to read the Old Testament, giving special attention to Noah’s Flood and the Bronze Serpent of Numbers 21:4-9, and a theological approach to typology and responding to the Bible.
Part Three introduces an interpretative tool known as Clowney’s triangle. This is then applied in Part Four and expanded in Part Five. Part Six briefly examines types with four scopes: the Mosaic Administration, Redemptive Plots, Creation, and the Earthly Life of Jesus. Part Seven surveys analogies as similar to types and how to interpret them, particularly with Clowney’s triangle in view.
Poythress concludes his work with a generous Appendix (approximately fifty pages), wherein he covers five topics: Patrick Fairburn’s Principles for Typology, the Terminology for a “Type,” Distinctiveness in the Study of Typology, Clowney’s Triangle of Typology, and Christocentric Preaching.
Interaction
Arguably, the most influential concept within his work is Clowney’s triangle. This idea resurfaces numerous times as Poythress lays out the practice of interpreting types. Naturally, there are three steps in applying this triangle: ask and establish what the type symbolizes, how the truth of the type is later fulfilled, and how the truth of the type is to be applied (pp. 44-48). Poythress suggests the usefulness of Clowney’s triangle is in the “showing [of] what questions to ask” and in helping us to “avoid just seeing in a passage whatever truths arise in our imagination” (p 71). Now, it would be easy still to suggest that at this point Clowney’s triangle might be abused, but Poythress guards its use with the illumination and spiritual blessing of the Holy Spirit:
[T]hose who believe in Christ are united to him by the Spirit. Through this union they “have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). Therefore, what Christ did has applications, both to individual believers and to the church as a corporate body (p. 76).
It would seem, then, that the author is suggesting that part of the spiritual blessing and union by the Spirit in Christ is, in fact, the understanding of types within Scripture and the application of their truth to us today.
One jarring aspect of this text is separating the parts related to Clowney’s triangle (i.e., Parts Three and Five) by a part on the various ways to understand typological meaning. Whether this was the choice of the author or the publisher, one cannot say, but the flow would have been better had they put parts Three and Five immediately adjacent. While valuable and necessary, the discussion on meaning would have worked just as well following Part Five, especially when one considers that Part Six presents the practice of typological interpretation and Part Seven deals with interpretations of analogies and provides definitions, both of which depend on meanings.
In the middle chapters of Biblical Typology, Poythress distinguishes typology from allegory and other forms of symbolism. He readily admits that it is often difficult to discern how a passage should be categorized, whether analogy, symbol, type, or prophecy, because the boundaries between these categories are “fuzzy” (p. 117). Poythress designates each of these categories as being a matter of perspective. The perspective looks at the direction in which the passage and its potential meaning or interpretation points: not forward-pointing, indirectly forward-pointing, directly predictive (p. 114). Further, there is a distinction between one-level and two-level meanings. Symbols, types, and prophecies all have two levels of meaning, but analogies (and some prophecies) only have one level of meaning. There seems to be a degree of subjectivity in how Poythress defines these categories. He acknowledges this difficulty by plainly stating:
There are gray areas….But in one way it is actually an advantage. Being aware of limitations may encourage us to pay maximal attention to everything in the Bible, rather than simply subjecting each case to a general formula…and then ceasing to notice anything else—ceasing to probe for further riches and further nuances (p. 125).
He goes on to say that typology and allegorization are not to be confused because allegorizations, in his view, are “misuses of the Bible” (p. 129). Poythress does not altogether dismiss allegory and its usefulness, but he warns against it as a valid interpretative method. More clearly stated, “An allegory is a recognized literary device. Allegorization is a bad method of interpretation, in which unrelated meanings get carried into a text” (p. 131).
In the final parts and chapters, Poythress attempts to bring everything together. Part Six is supposed to give concrete examples of types in various contexts, but the reader is left unsatisfied by the brevity of the chapters (some are barely two pages) and examples. Part Seven aims to “adapt Clowney’s triangle to instances of analogy” (p. 185). The triangle is reimagined and reapplied to analogies, but the difference between analogies and types is still not well-defined enough to justify the additional chapters. Maybe I am missing something here.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I would consider Poythress’s work a helpful addition to the larger discussion of biblical typology. His work has at least four strengths. First, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and systematically applying typology. Second, it is sufficiently deep in its scholarly engagement. Third, it provides practical tools for use within a number of contexts. Finally, Poythress delivers on his subtitle by focusing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
While these strengths are present, two points may weigh against this book, particularly outside academia. First, the language used throughout may not lend itself well to the uninitiated in academia (i.e., the casual reader) or in-depth bible studies. While not impossible for the casual reader to grasp with sufficient attention, this title would likely be best suited for pastors, bible college or seminary students, and those within academia. Finally, the ordering of the content—inserting another part between two parts related to Clowney’s triangle—could be improved for better flow and ease of understanding. In the work, Poythress seems to try and straddle the fence between accessible but academic and something intended for use in the classroom.
Levi H. Moore