Typology For Beginners

A Catholic Guide to Biblical Typology, Scripture Study, and Salvation History

Why did the first Christians recognize Jesus as the Messiah so quickly?
Because they read the Old Testament the way the Church intended – typologically.

The earliest Jewish converts to Christianity understood that Jesus fulfilled what had been foreshadowed in their Sacred Scriptures. Reading from the Greek Septuagint, they easily recognized Christ as the true Paschal Lamb, the Last Supper as the new Passover, and even Mary as the Ark of the Covenant. For them, the Bible was not a collection of disconnected stories, but one unified, Christ-centered narrative.

In this beginner-friendly Catholic guide, you will discover how the Old Testament consistently points forward to Christ, the Church, and the Sacraments. Familiar biblical figures and events – Jonah and the great fish, Noah’s Ark, Rahab, Ruth and Boaz, the crossing of the Jordan, and the water from the Rock – take on new depth when read through the lens of biblical typology.

Sadly, many Catholics today read Scripture without seeing these connections. The Church herself, in Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council, encourages us to read the Bible typologically – but few are ever shown how. As a result, the unity of Scripture is often missed, and the Old Testament can feel distant or confusing.

This book bridges that gap.
Typology for Beginners introduces the patterns early Christians recognized and explains them clearly, faithfully, and accessibly. Without academic jargon, it opens a richer way of reading the Bible – one that reveals salvation history unfolding across both Testaments.

This book is ideal for:

• Catholic teachers and catechists
• Theology and religious education students
• Bible study leaders
• Lay Catholics seeking a deeper understanding of Scripture

If you want to read the Bible as the early Christians did—and see how the Old Testament truly prepares the way for Christ—this book will transform how you approach Sacred Scripture.