Let's give 'em something to talk about; a little mystery to figure out... -Bonnie Raitt
The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
– Saint Augustine
Break it Down Now
What is Typology?
A type is a particular person, thing, or event; ology means the study of such.
When we speak of typology in the Bible we mean specifically that which is found in the Old Testament as a prefigurement of that which is fulfilled in the New Testament.
Every Old Testament type must be fulfilled in the New Testament by something greater than the original type.
Here are a few examples of typology identified in the Bible:
- Paul tells us that Adam was a type of the one who was to come, Christ. -Romans 5:14
- Peter makes the connection between Noah’s ark and Baptism.
- Jesus uses the bronze serpant as a type of his Crucifixition.
Each of these “types” i.e. Adam, Noah’s ark, and the bronze serpent are fulfilled in the New Testament with something greater.
“The Church, as early as apostolic times, and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God’s works of the Old Covenant prefiguration of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son”.
CCC 128
Let’s Ark About it
Let’s look at the Ark of the Covenant and what it contained and then we will uncover how each prefigured that which is contained within the New Ark of the New Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant contained three sacred items:
- The Word of God written on two tablets of stone by the finger of God i.e. The Ten Commandments.
- The Manna from Heaven: food miraculously given to the Israelites during their journey in the desert with a taste like bread tempered with oil.
- The rod of Aaron which indicated Yahweh’s choice was upon Aaron whose rod had been brought back to life and budded then bloomed blossoms even producing almonds.
Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant carried within her womb Jesus who is:
- The living Word of God – John 1:1
- The Bread of Life – John 6:48
- The High Priest who will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Revelation 12:5
Mary Traveled to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah in the hill country of Judea just as the OT Ark of the Covenant traveled to Obed-Edom in the hill country of Judea.
John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb at the approach of Mary as did David who danced and leapt before the Ark.
Elizabeth asks “who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” ; David asked “who am I that the Ark of my Lord should come to me?”
Elizabeth cried out in the presence of Mary and David shouted in the presence of the Ark.
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”; the house of Obed-Edom was blessed by the presence of the Ark, indicating that both houses were blessed by the presence of the Arks of the Old and New Covenants.
“And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold. . .”
Throughout history and all over the world, gold symbolizes something of value and great worth. The temple of God where the Ark was to be housed was entirely overlaid with gold “in order that the whole house might be perfect” .
Mary, the Mother of God, who held within her womb Jesus, was born without the stain of original sin and rightly so. God having given such specific instructions on how to build the Ark of the Old Covenant would take much greater care when choosing to house His Son Jesus in the body of a virgin.
She would be no average virgin; she was set apart from the beginning. The angel greeted Mary “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women.” – Luke 1:28 Mary was “full of grace” nothing lacking, no stain of sin.
Mary is the House of Gold
The temple that Solomon built was indeed the prefigurement of Mary the House of Gold who held within her womb Jesus. All types in the Old Testament can only be fulfilled with something greater in the New Testament.
Mary, born without stain of original sin, full of Grace, and who those that greeted her were filled with the spirit to proclaim her blessedness, is more valuable than all of the gold in the world.
We all love our earthly mothers and God who is love and through whom we know what it is to love, certainly loves the woman he chose to be his mother.
We do not stop loving our mothers once they have done something we asked; God has not stopped loving his mother once she fulfilled the first part of what He asked of her by bearing His Son.
He has set her apart and honored her more highly than any of his other creation and continues to love her and honor her. Mary has spoken truth when she proclaimed “my soul doth magnify the Lord” she is the vessel through whom God is magnified to us and the world.
The Prayer Of Mary
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Luke 1:46-55