What Is Biblical Theology?

James Hamilton answers in his terrific What Is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns : Biblical theology is “the interpretive perspective of the biblical writers (15). This includes the way later writers interpret and reapply earlier Scriptures, the way biblical writers interpret world history, and the way they interpret the events they record (15).

We gain access to this interpretive framework, Hamilton argues, by paying attention to the setting, characters, and plot of the biblical story; by grasping the symbols, imagery, types, and patterns of Scripture; and by discovering the church’s role in the story.

This is not an abstract or academic treatment of hermeneutics. It is stuffed with specific examples of recurring plots (exile, exodus, cross, salvation by judgment), symbols (trees and temples), and figures (Moses’ life foreshadowing the life of Jesus). Though the book is barely over a hundred pages, he finds a way to include a fascinating detailed examination of how Psalms 18 and 34 make use of the exodus (82-85).

Hamilton makes this attention to literary details seem perfectly normal, which of course it is. His homey definition of “typology” is, shall we say, “typical”:

“The repetition of . . . patterns creates a kind of template that represents the type of thing God does or the type of thing that happens to the people of God. When we start thinking about what typically happened in the past, we begin to expect that this is the type of thing God will do in the future. That is, the type is prospective, forward looking, as it points beyond itself to its fulfillment” (44). This is behind the principle that “Israel’s prophets used the paradigm of Israel’s past to predict Israel’s future” (38).

Hamilton is aware that biblical theology is supposed to be practical. He repeatedly emphasizes the role of suffering in the lives of biblical characters, and its paradoxical relationship with victory. He writes, “Biblical symbols are given to us to shape our understanding of how we are to live. Jesus is our paradigm, our pattern, our example. The symbols summarize and interpret the story, and they inform who we are in the story and how we are to enact our role in the outworking of its plot” (90).

I have a quibble here and there, but stating them would be cranky. Readable, clear, simple yet profound, this is an ideal introduction to reading the Bible for Sunday Schools, Bible studies, high school classes. I hope it gets the very wide distribution it deserves.