The silkworm is a remarkable type of Christ, which, when it dies, yields us that of which we make such glorious clothing. Christ became a worm for our sakes and by his death finished that righteousness with which believers are clothed, and thereby procured that we should be clothed with robes of glory.
--Jonathan Edwards, "Images of Divine Things," in Typological Writings
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Silkworm as a Type of Christ
Over the holidays, I have been enjoying Douglas Sweeney's biography of Jonathan Edwards (and quoted from it earlier this week). One of the things I have found interesting (and helpful) about Edwards was his refusal to limit typology to the text of sacred Scripture; he saw divine images and patterns imprinted in all things God had created and formed. He even saw a glimpse of the gospel in such things as silkworms:
