he Old Testament Fulfilled
Typology is the study of how persons, events, and institutions of the Old Testament prefigure and find their fulfilment in Christ and his saving work.
The New Testament is hidden in the Old; the Old is made manifest in the New.
The Typological Method
Typology is a mode of scriptural interpretation with deep roots in the New Testament itself and the writings of the Church Fathers. It reads the Old Testament not merely as historical record, but as a divinely ordered preparation for the coming of Christ. A type is a person, event, or institution that genuinely prefigures a greater reality — its antitype — fulfilled in the New Covenant. Adam prefigures Christ; the Passover Lamb prefigures the Eucharist; Jonah's three days in the deep prefigure the Resurrection. This is not allegory imposed from without, but the internal logic of salvation history, recognised by the Church from her earliest days.
Featured Studies
Typological Pairings
Genesis 2–3 · Romans 5
Adam & Christ
As through one man sin entered the world, so through one man came the redemption of all — the first Adam as type of the last.
Exodus 12 · John 6 · 1 Corinthians 5
The Passover Lamb & the Eucharist
The blood of the lamb on the doorposts of Egypt finds its fulfilment in the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, offered once for all.
Jonah 1–2 · Matthew 12
Jonah & the Resurrection
Christ himself names Jonah as a sign: three days in the belly of the great fish prefigure three days in the heart of the earth.
For Catechists
For Those Who Teach the Faith
Typology Study is designed to support catechists in their preparation for parish teaching. The typological reading of scripture is not an advanced speciality — it is the native grammar of Christian interpretation, and it opens the Old Testament to those being formed in the faith with extraordinary depth and clarity.
What you will gain
- A systematic introduction to the typological method and its scriptural foundations
- Thematic studies pairing Old Testament types with their New Testament antitypes
- Reflection prompts and commentary suitable for personal study or group preparation
- A body of knowledge that integrates with RCIA, Confirmation, and adult faith formation programmes
- Free, self-paced access — no registration required to begin
Open the Scriptures with New Eyes
The course library is freely available to all. Begin with a single theme, or follow a structured path through the whole of salvation history.
Explore the Course Library