Biblical Hermeneutics
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PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL HERMENETICS ; M. M. NINAN<br />
Some scholars distinguish "allegory," defined as a method in which earthly realities are<br />
interpreted symbolically to refer to heavenly realities, from "typology," in which historical<br />
reality is interpreted as foreshadowing another, especially the person and work of Christ.<br />
The word "type," tupoi in Greek has its basic meaning, ‘something struck out; a print,<br />
impression of a seal.’ The seal is the New Testament event, which has struck out a prophetic<br />
impression of itself in the pages of the Old Testament.<br />
J.N.D. Kelly gives a base for the distinction between allegory and typology, saying,<br />
... the word (allegory) led to confusion even in the patristic age, and its accepted meaning to<br />
day denotes a somewhat different type of exegesis from typology. Since the fathers<br />
employed both typology and allegory (in its modern sense), the distinction between the two<br />
methods needs to be clearly brought out...<br />
In allegorical exegesis the sacred text is treated as a mere symbol, or allegory, of spiritual<br />
truths. The literal, historical sense, if it is regarded at all, plays a relatively minor role, and<br />
the aim of the exegete is to elicit the moral, theological or mystical meaning which each<br />
passage, indeed each verse and even each word, is presumed to contain...<br />
Typological exegesis works along very different lines. Essentially it is a technique for bringing<br />
out the correspondence between the two Testaments: a technique where the Old reflects the<br />
New, i.e. prefigures and anticipates the events and personages of the New. The typologist<br />
takes history seriously; it is the scene of the progressive unfolding of God’s consistent<br />
redemptive purpose...<br />
Jean Daniélou also says, "The typology of the Fathers is based on the continuity which exists<br />
between the Old and New Testaments.<br />
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