Bible is not limited to any one book of the Bible, nor to any one of the
b. A symbolical relation exists between the different spheres of life, in virtue of the fact that all life is organically related. The natural world is symbolically related to the spiritual: the life that now is, to the veiled glories of the life to come. Thus Paul in Ephesians 5, points to marriage as a mystery indicative of the relation between Christ and the Church.
c. History is characterized by dioramatic unity, in virtue of which analogous events often re-appear, though it be with slight modifications, and these repetitions are, more or less, typically related. Israel was a typical people, and the history of that ancient people of God is rich in typical elements. This is clearly proved by many Old Testament quotations in the New, by such passages as Gal. 4:22–31, and by the entire Epistle to the Hebrews.
d. A close connection between the individual and communal life clearly reveals itself in lyric poetry. In the lyric psalms, the sacred poets do not sing as detached individuals, but as members of the community. They share the joy and sorrow of the people of God, which is, in the last analysis, the joy and sorrow of Him in whom the Church finds its bond of union. This is evident from the psalms in which we listen alternately to the poet, the community, and the Messiah.
2. EXTENT OF THE MYSTICAL SENSE. The mystical sense of the Bible is not limited to any one book of the Bible, nor to any one of the fundamental forms of God's revelation, as, for example, prophecy. It is found in several biblical writings, and in the historical and poetical, as well as in the prophetical books. Its character can best be brought out in a brief discussion of: (1) The Symbolical and Typical Interpretation of Scripture; (2) The Interpretation of Prophecy; (3) The Interpretation of the Psalms.
D. The Symbolical and Typical Interpretation of Scripture