Typology
The reading of Old Testament persons and events as prefigurations (types) of New Testament or ecclesial realities. Moses presented as a type of the bishop-prince; Nazirites read as types of Christian monasticism; Basil called "the Moses of cenobitic monks." Lapide describes his exegetical approach as partly "typological, adorned with beautiful figures and symbols."
Preliminaries
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Moses presented as a type of the bishop-prince who governs both sacred and civil affairs, as did Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
"In Moses therefore, just as in Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the other ancient patriarchs, both supreme powers — that is, of the prince and of the priest — were held in conjunction"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Van der Burch urged to be "our Moses of the Low Countries" and to express Moses in his life.
"Be therefore, Most Illustrious Lord, our Moses of the Low Countries; look upon this Moses of ours, and, as you already do, more and more express him in your life and conduct"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— The Nazirites read as a type of Christian monasticism.
"Moses instituted the Nazirites and dictated laws for them in Numbers v. Saint Basil, the Moses of cenobitic monks, raised up monasteries throughout the whole East"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Lapide describes his exegetical approach as partly typological.
"other parts typological, adorned with beautiful figures and symbols"
Pope Clement VIII, Jerome's Prefaces, On Worship
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— Joshua bears the type of the Lord not only in deeds but in his name, and through his conquests describes the spiritual kingdoms of the Church and the heavenly Jerusalem.
"I come to Joshua son of Nave, who bears the type of the Lord not only in his deeds but even in his name; he crosses the Jordan, overthrows the kingdoms of the enemies, divides the land for the victorious people"
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— In Judges, as many princes as there are, so many types there are.
"In the book of Judges, as many princes of the people, so many types there are."
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— Samuel shows the old law abolished in the death of Eli and slaying of Saul, and attests the mysteries of new priesthood and kingdom in Zadok and David.
"Samuel, in the death of Eli and the slaying of Saul, shows the old law abolished. Furthermore, in Zadok and David, it attests the mysteries of a new priesthood and a new kingdom."
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— Deuteronomy is the prefiguration of the Gospel law: everything prior is made new from the old.
"Deuteronomy also, the second law and prefiguration of the Gospel law -- does it not contain the things that are prior in such a way that yet all things are new from the old?"
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— Esther, in the type of the Church, frees the people from danger.
"Esther, in the type of the Church, frees the people from danger"
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II. JEROME TO PAULINUS.
— Christ was predestined and prefigured in the Law and the Prophets; the Prophets are called seers because they saw him whom others did not see.
"he who was hidden in mystery was predestined before the ages; but predestined and prefigured in the Law and the Prophets. Whence the Prophets are also called seers, because they saw him whom the rest did not see."
Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture
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IV. The Old Testament Surpasses the New in Allegorical Richness
— Since Christ is the end of the law, all things in the Old Testament pertain to Christ; it everywhere has an allegorical sense besides the literal. Paul: "these things happened as figures of us."
"since Christ is the end of the law, all things said in the Old Testament pertain to Christ and Christians, either in the literal or allegorical sense; and in this the Old Testament surpasses the New, because the Old everywhere has, besides the literal sense, an allegorical sense"
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VI. The Old Testament as Forerunner to the New
— The Old Testament was a prelude to the New, bearing testimony to it like John the Baptist to Christ; at the Transfiguration Moses and Elijah appeared to bear witness.
"the Old Testament was a prelude to the New, and bore testimony to it, just as St. John the Baptist did to Christ the Lord"
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VI. The Old Testament as Forerunner to the New
— Christ appeals to Moses: "if you believed Moses, you would also believe Me: for he wrote about Me." Philip to Nathanael: "Him whom Moses wrote of in the law, and the prophets, we have found — Jesus."
"if you believed Moses, you would perhaps also believe Me: for he wrote about Me; but if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
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Moses and Christ: Nineteen Parallels
— Moses was an express sign and type of Christ: as the sun illuminates the day and the moon the night, so Christ illuminated Christians and Moses the Jews.
"Moses was an express sign and type of Christ; and therefore just as the sun illuminates the day, and the moon the night, so Christ illuminated Christians in the new law, and Moses the Jews in the old"
Commentary on the Pentateuch of Moses
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Canons Bearing a Torch Before the Pentateuch
— Canon 35: Scripture simultaneously embraces both type and antitype, producing a twofold literal sense
"Scripture, especially in the prophecies, from time to time simultaneously embraces both the type and the antitype"
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Canons Bearing a Torch Before the Pentateuch
— Canon 39: One thing can be a type of two contrary things in different respects (the flood as baptism and punishment)
"One thing can be a figure of two even contrary things, but in different respects."
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Canons Bearing a Torch Before the Pentateuch
— Canon 40: In the literal sense all words must be applied to the thing signified; in the allegorical sense this is not necessary
"In the literal sense, all sentences and all words must be explained and applied to the thing signified; but this is not necessary in the allegorical sense."