What is Biblical Theology? The Bible References Itself

Andy has traced the fundamentals of biblical theology by considering what it means to believe that the Bible is a human book, and a divine book. Here, he explores another essential aspect of doing biblical theology.

The Bible References itself

The Bible is a network of quotations, allusions, references, repeated actions, repeated phrases, moments of striking similarity across time, and surprising reversals and ironies. Things in the Bible are connected in such a way that one that is chronologically first “signifies not only itself, but also the one that comes later. And the one that is chronologically later involves and fulfills the first” (even working backward and changes its meaning of the first event). In short, the meanings in the Bible are cumulative; they increase as you go through the pages from Genesis to Revelation. 

Richard Hays uses the analogy of a theater stage to describe the way the Bible references itself: 

“It is as though the primary action of the Gospel is played out on center stage, in front of the floodlights, while a screen at the back of the stage displayed a kaleidoscopic series of flickering images from Israel’s scripture… If the viewer pays careful attention, there are many moments when the words or gestures of the characters onstage mirror something of the shifting backdrop (or is it the other way around?) ... Sometimes the correspondence can be discerned only after the second event has occurred, and imparted a new pattern of significance for the first.” 

Let’s practice with this analogy. Imagine yourself in a theater watching a play on the life of Jesus. Onstage, you see Jesus taking his disciples up the Mount of Transfiguration. There is a flash of light and smoke and the ethereal figures of Moses and Elijah appear. The theater fills with the sound of the voice of God. While all this is happening, images flicker on the screen at the back of the stage. You see Moses there too as he also walks Mt. Sinai to hear the voice of God and see his glory. And you start to wonder: how are these two events connected?