When I read the Old Testament, I strive to grasp the “inspired Word” of the text I am reading (see Mary Baker Eddy, Manual of The Mother Church, p. 15). But how to do that has always been a mystery. It’s difficult to see what is inspired about all the war, hatred, and revenge recorded in the Old Testament.
Recently, I read a section from the book Rolling Away the Stone, by Stephen Gottschalk, that really helped (see pp. 125–128). These pages describe how Mary Baker Eddy interpreted and taught the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures. It was powerful, and I thought even a glimpse of what was said might be helpful to you as it was helpful to me. (For more detail on the related history, see Michael Davis’s explanation below.)
The book describes the helpful practice of identifying the “type” that different characters, places, or things represent in the Bible. At first I didn’t understand this, but then I started studying the Glossary in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy—and I began to get a glimpse of what was meant by “type.” Mrs. Eddy used the word many times to describe, in part, several biblical terms:
