Typology after the Bible: The Qurʾān and the Book of Mormon as Post-Biblical Scripture

Typology once occupied a central place in biblical literary criticism, though the term itself has receded as scholars have turned toward approaches emphasizing historical particularity and intertextuality. Yet the phenomenon typology describes—the recognition of recurring narrative patterns across sacred history—remains central to the way many scriptures present themselves. This paper examines typological reasoning in two post-biblical scriptures, the Qurʾān and the Book of Mormon, and compares their use of biblical figures and narrative templates. The Qurʾān repeatedly invokes figures such as Abraham and Moses as paradigms of prophethood, presenting a recurring pattern of revelation, proclamation, rejection, and vindication that culminates in the Qurʾānic message. For its part, the Book of Mormon embeds biblical types within a cumulative covenantal history that anticipates and culminates in Christ. By comparing these two texts, the paper clarifies the Qurʾān’s distinctive non-linear typological logic within a broader late-antique context of biblical reception.