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

by Vern Sheridan Poythress

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  Teaches pastors, Bible study leaders, and thoughtful lay people how to effectively study biblical typology in the Old Testament Practical  Not only examines Scripture for examples of Christ in the Old Testament but teaches how readers can find types for themselves  Uses Helpful  Introduces a practical framework and diagram to effectively interpret typology within the Old Testament Academic yet  Written by scholar, professor, and author Vern S. Poythress 

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 12, 2024

About the author

Vern Sheridan Poythress was born in 1946 in Madera, California, where he lived with his parents Ransom H. Poythress and Carola N. Poythress and his older brother Kenneth R. Poythress. After teaching mathematics for a year at Fresno State College (now California State University at Fresno), he became a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he earned an M.Div. (1974) and a Th.M. in apologetics (1974). He received an M.Litt. in New Testament from University of Cambridge (1977) and a Th.D. in New Testament from the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa (1981).

He has been teaching in New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which has now merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.

More information about his teaching at Westminster can be found at the Westminster Seminary website.

Dr. Poythress studied linguistics and Bible translation at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Norman Oklahoma in 1971 and 1972, and taught linguistics at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1977. He has published books on Christian philosophy of science, theological method, dispensationalism, biblical law, hermeneutics, Bible translation, and Revelation. A list of publications is found on this website.

Dr. Poythress married his wife Diane in 1983, and they have two children, Ransom and Justin. He has side interests in science fiction, string figures, volleyball, and computers.

The family lived on a farm until he was five years old. When he was nine years old he made a public commitment to Christ and was baptized in Chowchilla First Baptist Church, Chowchilla, California. The family later moved to Fresno, California, and he graduated from Bullard High School in Fresno.

He earned a B.S. in mathematics from California Institute of Technology (1966) and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University (1970).

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my introduction to "Clowney's Triangle." Having had no familiarity with this typological method, I found this very helpful. Clowney's Triangle is a helpful method into understanding the symbols and typology in the Bible. I've been doing this kind of thing instinctively for years, having steeped myself into James B. Jordan's "interpretive maximalism." This method can tend to an overly imaginative or even forced symbolic reading of Scripture.

Clowney's Triangle helps setup fences, so to speak, that can help ground typology in a way that I find helpful.

[Thomas Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth but informative read on the study of biblical types

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good and very clear in the beginning, but got repetitive and fell flat half way through. He lost me a bit with the countless examples and the extensions of Clowney's triangle. Perhaps it was my limited capacity for understanding, but I definitely got lost a bit in the middle of the book. overall though, the message was good and a helpful reminder on how to rightly interpret scripture.

[Heinrich DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, readable exploration of looking for Christ in the Old Testament. Poythress includes many examples and provides a rubric (Clowney's triangle, with some expansion) to use in your own study.

[David Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is easy to read and provides a valuable method for interpreting biblical types. Poythress explains and modifies Edmund Clowney's triangle, and he provides numerous examples of using the modified triangle to interpret biblical types. In my opinion, he includes material that lengthens the book and clouds its focus, namely, the material on interpreting analogies and the numerous appendices. Even with this extra material and focus, he provides a valuable resource for understanding and interpreting biblical types.

[Brenden Wentworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a solid book on typology

The best part was his delineating on Edmund Clowney’s typology triangle as a model for typological exegesis. Second best apart was his chapters on discussions the nature of meaning and theological presuppositions in the task of exegesis.
Other chapters were hit or miss 🤷🏼‍♂️

[David Jamison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Clowney’s triangle is one of the most important and helpful hermeneutical tools for understanding types. That alone makes this book worth reading. It could have been about half the length while still delivering the same benefits, though.

[Ryan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good content, expanding on Clowney’s triangle was helpful. Writing is clinical.

[Ellie (elliehojreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis: when studied in detail, the Old Testament reveals Christ as the center of God’s plan for redemption. Biblical typology examines how the OT foreshadows Christ, the church, the consummation through types (symbols) pointing towards fulfillment.

This is a tough one for me to review because I read this for a women’s study at my church. It wasn’t a great pick for a discussion-based group (I can say this because I picked it 😅).

However, it was valuable for me to become familiar with the types in the Old Testament and to our verbiage around how they point to Christ. The material felt very repetitive and intellectual at times (lots of charts), but overall this is a great place to start if you’re asking yourself how the OT points to Christ!

My rating: 3.5/5

Thank you to @crosswaybooks for the free review copy!

[Caleb Plattner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very approachable introduction to interpreting typology in the Bible - clowney’s triangle being a particularly helpful framework discussed in length.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poythress’ introduction to Clowney’s Triangle and numerous examples was really helpful in laying the foundation for identifying types throughout Scripture. It’s not the easiest read as it is more academic in nature/style; however, it’s worth the time if you’re interested in the topic.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book. It seems like it is trying to provide a uniquely modern approach to typology/spiritual interpretation of the Bible. Ironically, it just turns out to be more of what the Church has always done, just with more dryly defined steps.

My biggest gripe with this book is that he fails to consider interpretation throughout the history of the Church. In a book about typology, Church Fathers do not come up at all. For us to really reclaim a method of typological interpretation, our history must be reckoned with. A true, classic, book of typological/theological/spiritual interpretation will do so. In the meantime, this book provides some good examples, and it may be fruitful in convincing some modern interpreters of the Bible, though this type of interpretation seems to me to be something which requires a particular faith, not argument.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vern Poythress' “Biblical Typology” is an outstanding read, combining Poythress’ signature academic rigor with deeply personal and practical insights. Every word felt relevant for my own daily ministry.

The heart of the book engages with a paradigm initially established by Ed Clowney on typology. While Poythress fundamentally agrees with Clowney, he extends the discussion by introducing several new dimensions, enriching Clowney's approach. Throughout, Poythress provides tangible examples that help readers grasp and apply this method. Though the content certainly leans toward being heady, these examples make the book accessible and invaluable to lay readers as well.

A particularly helpful section addresses the boundaries of typological interpretation, offering wise counsel on the dangers of taking this method to harmful extremes. Poythress demonstrates a careful balance between doing theology in these abstract ways and restraint.

The book also includes a concise section on lesser known Old Testament typologies, which are incredibly practical and would serve well as a reference tool. And then, the work concludes by examining whether analogies can or even should be considered typological.

Poythress rounds out the book with several appendices, where he presents additional research to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic. Particularly noteworthy is the appendix on incorporating typology into preaching, which I found especially helpful.

As for the physical book, Crossway delivers their signature thick paper stock, which invites note taking, though in typical fashion, they didn’t give us the margin space to use it. Fortunately, they included several blank pages at the end. The typeface is as gorgeous as ever, maintaining Crossway’s high standard of design.

On a lighter note, I always find it amusing how often Poythress references himself in his work. It's not unwarranted, but it does seem like every Poythress book I pick up dedicates a substantial portion of its citations to himself. However, in this particular volume, I appreciated Poythress’ engagement with a broad spectrum of church history.

Overall, “Biblical Typology” is a great read, and I anticipate referring to it frequently in the future.

[Lynda Bennett Valladares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book to be read for relaxation and pleasure. It is an incredibly dense book of scholarship. It basically asks what are the types and symbols used in the Bible more specifically those that transfer from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The author uses throughout a diagram called Clowney’s triangle to demonstrate how a type works to fulfill the work of God and thus how it applies to us. Near the end of the book he points out how the triad for Lordship consist in three attributes of God: authority, control, and presence. This was very enticing to me after years of studying literary analysis and language analysis. As I said initially, this is not a book to relax with but to study. The appendices were much more my type of reading.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's often hard to find the meat with Poythress. This is no different. He describes ably how one goes about understanding types in the OT and their fulfillment in the NT (with a huge assist from the late Ed Clowney). The key takeaway is not to rush. Understand the OT on its own terms first, then seek to find the NT antitype.

But he sure spends a lot of words to make this rather simple point. And a good number of those words are dry. I like his approach better than Jim Hamilton's, even if Poythress is the inferior writer. But really, it's hard to complain about spending time thinking about the glories of the gospel as revealed in the old covenant and maximized in the new!

[Emily Waits (emilylovesreading_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{Thank you @crosswaybooks for my gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.}

I found this book to be incredibly helpful but also a bit hard to get through, as the writing is extremely academic and technical.

If you are interested in learning more about biblical typology and how to better examine the Old Testament and understand how it points forward to Christ throughout, then I would definitely recommend this book to you!

One of the most helpful things about this book is the author’s discussion of Clowney’s Triangle and how to use it to examine types in the Bible and understand their biblical meaning in the correct context.

Recommend!

[Rachel Shallenberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly was majorly bored with this book. It felt like an obligatory research paper written by a student who is meeting a word count. I learned very little.

It was mostly about Clowney's triangle, so if you like stepwise ways of interpreting Scripture, good for you! I felt it was missing a lot of the gold in typology.

It honestly seemed like I already knew more about typology going in. Clowney's triangle is unhelpful to me, the process of interpreting typologies doesn't seem hard... and I honestly expected him to give us some real typology examples instead of just a cursory, repetitive glance at the same ones. He even waited until halfway through the book to define typology formally. Ugh.

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty technical book, but I rather enjoyed working through passages in the analytic depth that the author took this. The bible is obviously full of types but figuring out the right way to interpret them that finds that balance between seeing everything as a type and seeing nothing as a type can be tricky. This book lays out a helpful framework for finding that balance in a faithful way and also works through a lot of examples which I found very helpful. It's a actually a fairly concrete book despite being about a more abstract concept.

[Christian Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5; Vern does provide some very good examples of typological occurrences in the Bible, and also provides some very practical tools for pointing types and analogies in scripture. It's a great tool for helping the reader to find Christ in the Old Testament and how that applies to us today. However, i felt as if the book was a bit disorganized at times and some topics seemed like Vern kind of just droned on a bit too long or was rather repetitive.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a vast literature on biblical typology. Some of it is highly technical and academic. Some of it is simplistic. Poythress here provides a solid introduction to the area and clear guidance on how to do (and not do) biblical typology. Recommended for both the student and the pastor, and any who are interested in this area of biblical study.

[Emily Madison]

I don't feel rating this book is appropriate as it really is a good resource, but not quite what I was looking for. I thought this would walk through the Bible more than it did. This book is excellent for those seeking out how to understand typology.

[Saul W · Rating 4 out of 5]

We can’t stop till we get to Clowney’s pentagon.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and helpful introduction to biblical typology, but the book would have been much tighter and more focused without the final section (ch. 25-29) on analogies.

[Shaun Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found that what he is teaching may be helpful but I’ve read others that explain similar methods in a much more readable way.

[Erik Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great intro to the topic for those new to Biblical interpretation. Some sections were 5 stars but could have benefited greatly by a 30% reduction.

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and helpful guide that wisely spends a good deal of time unpacking the "Clowney Triangle."

[Nate Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written piece on the introduction to a form of study that is either under-utilized or highly abused. Though the book primarily is a text piece on the use of Clowney's Triangle, it works in such a manner that one is confident to be able to use it for personal study while also noting that not all of Scripture falls into the definitions of type or analogy. Good reference piece for the preacher who is looking to expound further into the depths of Scripture or for the academic who is in development of Systematics.