ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS -- JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES EPISODE 4 PART 1 TYPOLOGY IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS

The Exodus is an event that foreshadows and parallels the ultimate act of redemption and revelation in Jesus Christ. The apostles, the early Church fathers, and the Church have always seen these spirit-inspired signs.

These are some of the most important events in Exodus that prefigure the redemption of Jesus Christ.

• Deliverance from bondage in Egypt prefigures Christians deliverance from the slavery of sin
• Crossing the Red Sea prefigures sacramental Baptism
• Passover feast celebrates the Exodus and the passing over of the Angel of Death, protecting all first borns of the Israelites.  The Passover meal foreshadows the Sacrament of the Eucharist. During the Last Supper, at a Passover meal,  Jesus initiated the Sacrament of the Eucharist, changing ordinary bread and wine into his own body and blood. Christ, the true Passover Lamb, delivers all of us from death into life.
• Manna in the desert, water from the rock, the bronze serpent, and many other details of the Exodus story, foreshadow the full revelation story that begins with the Incarnation of Jesus and is revealed in the New Testament.
• The tabernacle, housing the Ark of the Covenant, represents the humanity of Jesus, as well as the heavenly sanctuary, the Church, and the body of Christ.  Today in every Catholic Church there is a tabernacle that holds the consecrated bread, the living body of Christ.

Exodus is probably the most important book of the Bible.  In terms of the Israelites, it is in the Exodus that they become a nation.  For all mankind, it is in the story of Exodus where God begins a long-lasting, physical and personal relationship with His Creation through Moses and where he lays out the Law in which man learns how to follow in God's way.  Exodus influences the entire Old Testament, and it is in Exodus where quite a bit of the foreshadowing of the New Testament and God's final plan of man's redemption is foretold.

Exodus is the greatest redemptive event in the Old Testament to which subsequent revelation points to again and again.  An example of this is in the phrase from Hosea 11:1

"Out of Egypt I called my son."

In Exodus 4:22, the first reference for this phrase is to Israel.  God says, "Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, 'Let my son go.'" In the New Testament, (Matthew 2:13-15) Jesus is brought to Egypt by Mary and Joseph, escaping the wrath of Herod and then, after Herod's death, they eventually return to Israel.  This event fulfills the prophecy of Hosea 11:1 This establishes the Israel Typology, whereas the ultimate Israel is Jesus himself.  

Another precursor to this story is in the Book Of Genesis. It is in the final stories of Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) and his twelve sons, the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Pay special attention to the Genesis stories of Jacob's sons, how they sold Joseph into slavery where he eventually ended up in Egypt.  Joseph rises out of slavery and becomes an aide to the Pharaoh.  His position allowed him to bring his family to Egypt to help them survive the famine in the Promise Land.  And it was this event that resulted in the 400 years of the descendants of the 12 tribes to be in Egypt and enslaved at the time Moses appears on the scene. Joseph's act to save his brothers, the ancestors of Israel, foreshadows St. Joseph who brought Jesus (the ultimate Israel) to Egypt to survive the threat of Herod.  

It is clear that typology was noted very early in the history of the Church.  St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, refers to Christ as the Passover Lamb where he clearly links Jesus to the Exodus as the saving force.  Christ is also linked as the new Moses, as well as the Ultimate Israel, as He leads His People (the Church) to the new Promise Land.  

The earliest Gospel, written by Mark, also constantly refers indirectly to the Exodus of the Old Testament, by using the language of the Prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah picks up the Exodus theme again and again, sometimes referring to it in the past and sometimes using it as a way of talking about the impending Babylonian exile where the people are being cast out of the land again and will be drawn back by God.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mark is thinking profoundly, relating the Old Testament to the New Testament and clearly seeing that Isaiah's "living" prophecy not only refers to the past, but also to the time of Jesus.  Mark's writings, which will become the New Testament, are truly the fulfillment of the Old Testament.

Mark was a disciple of Paul who frequently taught using typology.  Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a leading authority of the Sanhedrin, and as a result, St. Paul had a deep understanding of the Old Testament. Many of Paul's letters refer to the sins of the Israelites during the Exodus and used them as examples for Christ's Church, teaching the early Christians, as well as present day Christians, what we must avoid in order to reach the New Promise Land.

TYPOLOGY OF EXODUS EXPLAINED BY ST. PAUL

Typology is one method of revelation in Divine Teaching.  Through this method, God orchestrates the people, places, and events of the past to foreshadow future situations.  God gives us deep truths if we can recognize the connections.  

St. Paul’s writings also teach us through typology (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 128-129).  He highlights the Exodus from Egypt by teaching us that this foreshadowing is intended to instruct and exhort God’s people. The Church has used this method since the very beginning of its preaching.  Paul exhorts all Christians to not repeat the sins of the Israelites because, as a result of their sins, many did not inherit the Promised Land and he did not want that outcome for the early Christians.  Paul only mentions the Old Testament references in brief.  But, by introducing this typology, Paul wants us to contemplate these events even more deeply. 

Paul teaches the meaning behind the supernatural food and drink God gave the Israelites during their years of wandering in the desert.   Every day the Israelites woke up to find manna (which looked like a white wafer) on the ground and their water was miraculously provided from the rock that Moses struck each day.  This is the prefiguring of the Body and Blood of the Eucharist. The progression of this story starts with the first miracle Jesus performs which was to turn Water into Wine -- his last miracle, at the Last Supper, was to turn Wine into his Blood. The miracles of feeding the crowds from a few loaves of Bread progresses to the Bread at the Last Supper which is changed into his Body.  The supernatural food and drink of Exodus prefigures the supernatural food we have today in the Holy Eucharist.

Paul recalls other events of the Exodus as a foreshadowing of our Christian experience.  As the Israelites passed from slavery to freedom through the Red Sea, we pass from the slavery of sin into freedom in Christ through the waters of Baptism.  We begin our earthly pilgrimage as members of God's covenant family and the goal for us is the promise land of heaven.  Throughout this journey, Christ (the new Moses) is our guide and God is always with us. Our earthly pilgrimage will be like the Exodus of Egypt, our supernatural food is the Eucharist, which gives us the supernatural power that enables us to have faith, be obedient and to love God.  Even though our journey will be arduous, we must learn from the mistakes of the Israelites to never give up on God.  Even though we have struggles and sufferings to endure, we must place our full hope and trust in our heavenly Father.  We must learn from the sins of our ancestors to remain faithful even amid our hardships.  Our goal is heaven, but entry into this promise land is not guaranteed. As Paul writes, "Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction... therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 19: 1-12)

The Typology in the Book of Exodus

 will continue in

 Episode 4 Part 2 of Jesus Explains the Scriptures.

ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS --JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES -- EPISODE 3 - Part 2 --TYPOLOGY IN THE BIBLE

Typology in the Bible 

The story of Abraham’s faith in Part 1, is a perfect example of typology in the Bible.  Typology is the study of persons, places, events and institutions in the Bible that foreshadow later and greater realities made known by God in history.  The basis of such study is the belief that God, who providentially shape and determines the course of human events, infuses those events with a prophetic and theological significance.  Typology thus reveals the unity of salvation history as a carefully orchestrated plan that God unfolds in stages of ever-increasing fulfillment.   The movement from “types” to the realities they signify, called “antitypes,” is always a movement from the lesser to the greater.   (Adam is a “type” of Jesus; Jesus is the “antitype” of Adam.) 

Typology can be understood in prophetic (promise/fulfillment), Metaphysical (matter/spirit), eschatological (time/eternity), or anagogical terms (earth/heaven).  Typology is not simply applied to the Bible; it is something applied within the Bible.  Typology was used by the authors of the Bible.  Studying the Bible in terms of typology is a valid approach to understanding salvation history.   Typology is first and foremost grounded in the Semitic world of Scripture, because the biblical authors themselves made extensive use of typology in explaining the actions of God in history (CCC 128-30) For example, the story of Joshua is deliberately worded to evoke memories of the story of Moses and to suggest that Joshua himself was a new Moses who acquired for his people what his forbearer could not, possession of the Promise Land. For example, Joshua parted the waters of the Jordan so that Israel could cross over on dry ground (Jos 3:14-17; 4:23) just as Moses had done at the Red Sea (Ex 14:16).

Typology comes into its fullness in the New Testament in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.  It is more pervasive in the NT than in the OT and reaches a crescendo of fulfillment as typological themes of the Hebrew Scriptures give way to the definitive antitypes that God had intended to prefigure from the beginning in the person and work of Jesus Christ.   This can be seen in Matthew 12 where Jesus claims “something greater than the temple is here” (Mt 12:6), and something greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:41) and “something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt 12:42) His words state what is true for all typology, that is, antitypes resemble the types that foreshadow them, yet they also surpass them because they are something greater than the original.  Christ is a new and living temple, for in him dwells the divine presence more intensely than in the sanctuary.  He is a new Jonah (who was in the belly of the whale for 3 days), for his Resurrection after three days in the grave would be the one miracle that outshines all others, and, as the New Solomon, he is a king of the royal line of David and a man of legendary wisdom who will draw the world closer to His Father.

All Scripture speaks of Christ and the Church and is found hidden in the text and foreshadowing of what is fully revealed in the New Testament.  The Church has illuminated the unity of scripture through typology which reveals God’s work in the Old Testament and prefigures his accomplishments in the fullness of time in the person of Jesus Christ.  Some “types” of Christ in the Old Testament are Adam in his original and intended holiness; the high Priest Melchizedek; Joseph, the son of Jacob; Moses, as well as the prophecies of the suffering servant proclaimed by Isaiah. 

Adam a Type of Christ

ADAM AND CHRIST ARE ALIKE	ADAM AND CHRIST ARE UNALIKE
Both had an effect upon the whole human race	Sin and death came from Adam while righteousness and life came from Christ
Both endured the temptation of Satan	Adam failed and Christ was victorious
Through both humanity receives an inheritance	Through Adam’s failure humanity inherits death and original sin. Personal sin becomes a plague on mankind.  Through Christ’s victory humanity inherits adoption into God’s family and the promise of eternal life.
Both were human men	Christ was both human and divine
Both the acts of Adam and Christ invoke a divine verdict	Satan stood behind the act of Adam while the grace of God stood behind Christ; the verdict behind Adam’s act is judgement while the verdict behind Christ’s is acquittal
Both Adam and Christ  exercised their free will	Adam willingly fell from grace; Christ willingly laid down his life in sacrifice for all mankind
Both were born into the world as sinless and immortal beings	Adam lost his immortality when he fell from grace while Christ remained pure and sinless and through his sacrifice and resurrection has made God’s gift of immortality once again available to man.

The Trinity in Genesis

The reference of “three” has its own interesting study with regards to Typology.  Whenever the number three appears it usually signifies something of great importance.  For example, in the Bible, the phrase “on the third day” is used many times and it signifies something important is about to happen; the first two days don’t tell the whole story—the third day is the conclusion.

The Bible makes great use of the number three.  On the third day, Abraham reaches Mount Moriah (the future Temple mount of Jerusalem) where he is to sacrifice his son Isaac.  (Gn 22: 4-5) On the third day, Pharaoh releases the chief cupbearer from death row (Gn 40:20-21) as Joseph correctly interpreted his dream which would eventually lead to Pharaoh learning that Joseph can interpret dreams.   On the third day, Joseph releases his brothers from prison in Egypt (Gn 42:17-18) On the third day, God descends to Mount Sinai and reveals the 10 Commandments.  After three days, Jonah is expelled from the belly of the whale. (Jonah 2:11).   On the third day, Jesus performs his first miracle at the Wedding feast in Cana. On the third day, Jesus rises from the dead. The number three is significant as it plays out in important events as well.  In the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham brings Isaac and two servants.  At Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus is crucified with two other men.  Noah has 3 sons to repopulate the world.

From the very beginning of the Bible we can see the significance of the Holy Trinity.  In the first chapter of Genesis there are hints of the Trinity:  In Gen 1: 1-3, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth -- And the earth was without form, or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters…  (Wind is symbolic of the Spirit of God = Holy Spirit)   Then God spoke… (God spoke words, the Word of God = Jesus)

From the very beginning of God’s revelation we can see the suggestion of the three Persons of God.  Often when God speaks or does something the singular and plural is interchangeable.  Plural indicates the three persons; the singular indicates the one God.

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.

Genesis 3:22 - When expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God also speaks in the plural: "Then the LORD God said, 'See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil...' "

Genesis 11:7 - Seeing the Tower of Babel, God again speaks in the plural: "Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

In Genesis 18:1-3 - The Lord appeared to Abraham near the oak of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent. … Looking up, he saw three men standing near him.  Abraham addresses them as The Lord.

...Coming soon

 ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS --JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES 

   EPISODE 3 - PART 3

Bible Basics part 2-- The Difference Between Catholic and Protestant Bibles and the new Hebrew Canon of 2nd Century A.D.

The Old Testament was written over the course of approximately 1000 years.   The stories in the Bible were handed down orally before the written word. Most of the Old Testament was written at the time of the Babylonian Exile.  The collection of the books of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) are divided into three parts:

     1.  The Law (TORAH) which are the first five books of the Bible also known as the Pentateuch:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

     2. The Prophets (Nevi'im) consisting of the "former prophets" (the historic books running from Joshua to Kings) and the "latter prophets," (the prophetic books from Isaiah to Malachi).

     3. The Writings (Kethubim) [Kethuvim] Psalms, Wisdom Literature, (such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Job) prophetic writings, (such as Lamentations and Daniel) and Historical books, (such as Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and Esther).

This collection of books in the Jewish Cannon is called the TaNaK shorthand for Torah (Law) Nebi'im (Prophets), and Ketubim (Writings).

The Law and the Prophets sections of the Bible were accepted in First Century A.D. Judaism (the time of Jesus Christ), but the Writings were more loosely accepted.  Jesus referred to this third group as "The Psalms." (Luke 24:44)  The Essenes, a first century sect of Judaism, had an even more broader collection of sacred books which includes Tobit, Sirach, parts of Baruch (known as the Letter of Jeremiah), and other ancient (non-biblical) writings such as Jubilees and 1 Enoch.

In the third and second century B.C., The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture)  was widely used, especially by the Jews of the Diaspora.  (Dispersed Jews who were exiled from the kingdoms of Israel by Assyrian forces (721 B.C.) and from Judah as Babylonian captives (587 B.C.) who never returned to their homeland.)  The Septuagint contained 39 protocanonical books (First canon--books of the Bible accepted early into the biblical canon without serious controversy) as well as seven deuterocanonical books (Second canon--books and passages of the Christian Old Testament that are not part of the Hebrew Canon which was formed at the end of the first century A.D.) .  The Scriptures Jesus  and the Jews of his time used were the Septuagint.  As a matter of fact, two thirds of the Old Testament passages that are quoted in the New Testament are from the Septuagint.  The Catholic Church (called Christians at that time) had already been in existence and using the Septuagint Scriptures in its teachings, preachings, and worship for almost 60 years, just as the Apostles had done.  The Septuagint was embraced by Jesus and his Apostles which is why the Roman Catholic Church clings to that version of the Old Testament.   

In 90 A.D.,  the Hebrew Canon was formed, after the Council of Jaminia, by remaining Jews from Palestine who survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D.  This was the first time the Jews settled on an official canon.  Debate continued on whether some of these books belonged, (Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes) well into the second century A.D. By the end of that century, a definitive Hebrew Canon (TaNaK) consisting of only 39 books  was formed and they had to follow this criteria:
1. The books had to conform to the TORAH
2.They could not have been written after the time of Ezra ~400B.C. (Ezra led a group of Jewish Exiles living in Babylonia back to Jerusalem after the captivity, where he reintroduced the TORAH in Jerusalem.)

3.The Books had to be written in Hebrew, and inside Palestine.

At the Reformation, the Protestants chose to use the Hebrew Canon as the source for their Old Testament breaking away from the Roman Catholic Old Testament.

The 7 extra Septuagint books found in the Roman Catholic Old Testament are often called Apocrypha (Greek for "hidden, deep, obscure") by Protestants. However the newer term, deuterocanonical, is coming into use so as to not confuse them with other books such as Jubilees and  Enoch  that are not found in any contemporary canon and are called Pseudepigrapha by Protestants and Apocrypha by Roman Catholics.

This table clarifies the 3 different Canons and the Books they contain. 

Jewish TaNaK (Hebrew Canon)	Protestant Bibles (Hebrew Canon + New Testament)	Roman Catholic Bibles (Greek Canon + New Testament)
TORAH (PENTATEUCH)	PENTATEUCH	PENTATEUCH
Genesis	Genesis	Genesis
Exodus	Exodus	Exodus
Leviticus	Leviticus	Leviticus
Numbers	Numbers	Numbers
Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy
NEBI’IM (PROPHETS)	HISTORICAL BOOKS	HISTORICAL BOOKS
Former Prophets	Joshua	Joshua
Joshua	Judges	Judges
Judges	Ruth	Ruth
1-2 Samuel	1-2 Samuel	1-2 Samuel
1-2 Kings	1-2 Kings	1-2 Kings
Latter Prophets	1-2 Chronicles	1-2 Chronicles
Isaiah	Ezra-Nehemiah	Ezra-Nehemiah
Jeremiah		Tobit
Ezekiel		Judith
The Twelve (Hosea – Malachi)	Esther	Esther + Additions
		1-2 Maccabees
KETUBIM (WRITINGS)	WISDOM BOOKS	WISDOM BOOKS
Psalms	Job	Job
Proverbs	Psalms	Psalms
Job	Proverbs	Proverbs
Song of Songs	Ecclesiastes	Ecclesiastes
Ruth	Song of Solomon	Song of Songs
Lamentations		Wisdom (of Solomon)
Ecclesiastes		Wisdom of Ben Sira (Sirach/Ecclesiasticus)
Esther	PROPHETS	PROPHETS
Daniel	Isaiah	Isaiah
Ezra-Nehemiah	Jeremiah	Jeremiah
1-2 Chronicles	Lamentations	Lamentations
		Baruch
	Ezekiel	Ezekiel
	Daniel	Daniel + additions
	The Twelve (Hosea – Malachi)	The Twelve (Hosea – Malachi)
	NEW TESTAMENT (27 BOOKS)	NEW TESTAMENT (27 BOOKS)

Aside from the difference in the makeup of the 3 Canons, there are also many different translations; each newer one improving on the previous older translations.  For example, The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) (Catholic) went back to the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) that the books were written in to make its translation.  It also took into account a greater understanding of the history, culture, and language of the Near East as well as being faithful to the original text and to contemporary American English.  There are many excellent translations out there aside from the NABRE, for example, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) (Protestant) from the Revised Standard Version of the King James Version (KJV) of 1611; the Jerusalem Bible (French Catholic Bible translated into English); and the New English Bible, NEB not based on the KJV but a new translation based on the original languages and which also has a new revision (REB).

The revisions mentioned above are all examples of ecumenical cooperation, where the translation committees consist of Catholic and Protestant scholars working together.

The many varieties of translations make it easier for believers to find a bible that fits their needs as far as language and opening one's heart to new insights about God's presence in their lives.  Reading different translations opens up our wonder of God's works and his WORD.  In my own Bible studies, when someone would read a verse from another translation, we would find it opening up more meaning and better understanding of the Word of God to the whole group.  Through the ages, God has spoken to us in "partial and various ways," but God's Word has always remained "living and effective" (Heb1:1; 4:12).  Whichever Bible Translation we use, when we read devoutly with prayer, we will always be filled with the awesomeness of God and his Good News:

"The WORD became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (JN 1:14).

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