Typology in
Christian theology and Biblical
exegesis is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Events, persons or statements in the
Old Testament are seen as
types pre-figuring or superseded by
antitypes, events or aspects of
Christ or his revelation described in the
New Testament. For example,
Jonah may be seen as the
type of Christ in that he appeared to have emerged from the whale's belly and from death. In the fullest version of the theory of typology, the whole purpose of the Old Testament is viewed as merely the provision of types for Christ, the antitype, or fulfillment. The theory began in the
Early Church, was at its most influential in the
High Middle Ages, and continued to be popular, especially in
Calvinism, after the
Protestant Reformation, but in subsequent periods has been given less emphasis. One exception to this is the Christian Brethren of the 19th and 20th centuries, where typology was much favoured and the subject of numerous books. Notably, in the
Eastern Orthodox Church typology is still a common and frequent exegetical tool, mainly due to that church's great emphasis on continuity in doctrinal presentation through all historical periods. Typology was frequently used in early Christian art, where type and antitype would be depicted in contrasting positions. The usage of the terminology has expanded into the secular sphere, as in for example "
Geoffrey de Montbray (d.1093),
Bishop of Coutances, a right-hand man of
William the Conqueror, was a type of the great
feudal prelate, warrior and administrator".