ABSTRACT
Typos or ‘type’ – better known as a ‘prefiguration’ – proved to be a flexible vehicle of biblical exegesis that is known to have flourished since the early Christian period.1 Typoi were developed as exegetical tools that established Old Testament prototypes for the events recounted in the New Testament.2 A rich repertoire of typological correlations is found in exegetical literature and hymnography, as well as in biblical catenae, which deserve a special mention as they managed to convey methodically the allegorical and instructive character of the Scriptures. Finally, ecclesiastical homilies developed an articulate typological vocabulary, thus providing the Christian Fathers with an excellent medium for theological discussion and debate in response to the ongoing struggle for the definition and consolidation of Christian dogma. A group of such homiletic texts appropriated for oral delivery on established Christological and Mariological feast-days exerted a decisive influence in the development of the visual exposition of several typological motifs.3
