Catholic Dictionary




A biblical person, thing, action, or event that foreshadows new turhts, new actions, or new events. In the Old Testament, Melchizedech and Jonah are types of Jesus Christ. A likeness must exist between the type and the archtype, but the latter is always greater. Both are independent of each other. God's call for the return of the Israelites from Pharaoh's bondage typifies the return of Jesus Christ from his flight into Egypt. In the New Testament his the destruction of Jerusalem, foretold by Christ, was the antitype of the end of the world.