Mitchell Chase’s 40 Questions about Typology and Allegory brings together a series of questions that aim to "orient Bible readers to the subjects of typology and allegory, that we might be more faithful readers of Scripture" (page 12). This book is an invitation to a kind of reading that has been at the heart of Christian biblical exegesis from the earliest days of the Church. Both typology and allegory have fallen out of use over the recent decades -- particularly under the joint pressures of fundamentalism and historical criticism. But Chase is right to highlight the importance of both: "typological exegesis discerns organic connections and development across redemptive history and through progressive revelation ... Allegorical interpretation views the text under consideration as having a deeper meaning, understanding the text too 'say other' than what the words read" (page 197).
This is an excellent collection that turns these issues over for examination in a variety of ways, from nearly every vantage point of seeing the biblical text. Reading Scripture with an eye for allegory and types is not only a valid way of reading Scripture -- it is at the heart of the apostolic way of reading Scripture itself.
This is an important book that should not be overlooked.
______________________
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review here.