The concept of types

An unknown poet has characterised the relationship between the Old and New Testaments as follows.

The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.
The New is in the Old contained; the Old is in the New explained.
The New is in the Old enfolded; the Old is in the New unfolded.
The New is in the Old latent; the Old is in the New patent.

Anonymous¹

This characterisation serves as a natural lead into the discussion on how the Old Testament prefigures and anticipates the New and how the New Testament clarifies, fulfills and amplifies the Old. Type is from the Greek word tupon, which means a stamp or an imprint. By this understanding, it is easy to understand what an antitype is: it is the corresponding shape that fits the imprint or mould created by the stamp—the type. Typology, the study and application of types, begun was used by Jesus and the New Testament authors who sought to explain current and future events by likening them to events in the Old Testament. The following examples illustrate the concept better.

The days of Noah and the coming of the son of man

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the son of man be lifted up

Melchizedek made unto us like the son of man

We have an antitype of baptism

The Bible is awash with typology, with it being the main framework for understanding the New Testament and reconciling it with the Old Testament.

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1 W. Graham Scroggie (The unfolding drama of redemption, page 75, 1994 Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, USA)^↩