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Study & Method

Typology

ty-POL-uh-jeenoun

Reading earlier persons, events, and institutions as God-intended patterns (“types”) that foreshadow Christ and the gospel.

Not To Be Confused With

Typology sees real, divinely-intended foreshadowing rooted in history (Adam as a type of Christ, Rom 5); allegory tends to assign hidden meanings loosely. The line can blur, so typology is disciplined by the New Testament's own examples.

From Greek typos, “pattern, imprint.” The New Testament reads Adam, the Passover lamb, the bronze serpent, the temple, and the exodus as types fulfilled in Christ. Sound typology stays anchored to patterns Scripture itself draws, not free association.

Related Terms

Typology — Definition | Theologos Media