Types and Symbols in the Bible: A Mystical Bible Commentary

by CHRISTOPHER LOCKWOOD

ypes and Symbols in the Bible is an Orthodox Christian commentary focusing on symbolic and typological interpretations. It shows how Old Testament themes relate to Christ as Creator, Son, Prophet, Priest, and King, and how all biblical stories are fulfilled in Christ and the Church.

MANY REGARD THE BIBLE TODAY as a book that records events which are already complete, which should only be interpreted literally or historically. Approaching Holy Scripture through types and symbols, however, reveals the hidden and infinite mystery contained in its pages. This transforms the faithful reader from a passive viewer of distant events into an active communicant of that eternal mystery, making it possible to find the living Christ on every page (Jn 5:39). Using this approach, the economy of salvation is no longer simply a static record, but a direct and living encounter. Holy Scripture then comes alive as a mystical story in which each and every believer is called to be a co-author and communicant together with the Lord, the great Author of our faith (Heb 12:2).

Divided into five thematic parts, Types and Symbols in the Bible explores the major themes of the Old Testament as they relate to the one eternal Jesus the Creator, Jesus the Son, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Priest, and Jesus the King. In doing so it shows how all of the Bible's stories, actors, offices, and events are fulfilled perfectly in Christ and in the Church. In this way, it provides a radically different way of reading the Bible. And yet this way is not new, for it is a way of reading and seeing that the Fathers and the saints of the Orthodox Church have used for centuries.

441 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2025

Reviews

[Nathaniel Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Types and Symbols in the Bible: A Mystical Bible Commentary is a typological hermeneutic 'par excellence.' Christopher Lockwood's prose is both authoritative and patristic in spirit. His writing elegantly reveals the symbolic continuity of the Old Testament to the New Testament and provides the reader with a kind of locksmithing toolkit to unlock - what is a continuous theme of the book - the Old with the New. While being a locksmithing toolkit, it is also an exegetical shield. The zeitgeist of the modern milieu is that of individuality, predicated on the false gospel of 'equality.' Accordingly, the spirit of our age is that of personal, relativistic interpretation of not just the Bible but of the world. In turn, one can read this book as an authoritative shield against the spiritual weapons of interpretive division and fragmentation. That said, one criticism worth mentioning is that the content can be at points repetitive, although this seems almost necessary so as to prove with absolute certainty the truth claims of Christ's Church.

While Dr. Lockwood is clearly well-studied on the topics discussed, he has not written a specialized book nor has he formatted and annotated it to the degree that it reads as a piece of scholarly literature. Certainly, this is intentional so as not to limit this book's reach. So then, who is this book for? Though Dr. Lockwood addresses his target audience in his written introduction, this book would be an excellent read to anybody learning about biblical symbolism and typology and would especially be suited for catechetical instruction.

Types and Symbols in the Bible by Christopher Lockwood is well-written and its publication was neither too soon nor too late, but at its right time.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book as a recommendation from Youtube. It’s an absolute shame that this book is not more widely recognized. I am finding myself stopping at nearly page, paragraph, and sentence to contemplate on the gravity of what is being said. While not inherently a novel on apologetics, the type and symbol analysis here does more here to grow confidence and understanding in my own faith than any other book I’ve ever read, outside of the bible itself. The author merely assists in revealing what has been known since the times of the early church fathers. I have never come across a more insightful piece of literature and I am already preparing myself for a second read through.