New Saint Thomas Institute

Exodus: Was Jesus Christ the God of Moses?

January 29, 2019/14 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Did Moses speak with Jesus at the burning bush? The Church Fathers of the Catholic Church did not believe that the mystery of Jesus Christ as the Son of God was an entirely new revelation in the New Testament. They identified many places in the Old Testament where they saw the Son of God operating and conversing with people. In this lesson, we examine the Patristic theology of "Malak Christology" and see how the Word of God was revealing Himself to Moses at the burning bush.

Genesis Part 3: Abraham and Joseph as a Prefigurements of Christ

January 22, 2019/14 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

We continue our study of Genesis by seeing Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph as prefigurements of the person and saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Isaac in mentioned in the Catholic Mass as prefiguring the sacrifice of Christ. Likewise, the Old Testament Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and placed into a pit. He rose from that pit and from slavery and came to rule all Egypt and "feed his people." We will continue our study of Christ in the Old Testament by exploring these and other types:

Genesis Part 2: The Flood of Noah and Baptism in Christ

January 15, 2019/14 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

God flooded the earth and saved eight persons including Noah and his family. Our first Pope Saint Peter related this miracle to baptism: "when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which is an antitype (ἀντίτυπον) of this, now saves you" (1 Peter 3:20-21). The eight persons relate to the eight days before circumcision, the "eighth day" of Sunday Eucharistic worship, and also the reasons why baptistries and baptismal fonts are built with eight sides. Just remember these theological terms in Greek:

"type" (τυπος) is a person, place or thing that prefigures a future reality.
"antitype" (ἀντίτυπος) is a person, place or thing that fulfills the old prefigurement.

For example:

Noah's flood was a type. Baptism is its antitype.
Manna was a type. Eucharist is its antitype.
Ark of the Covenant was a type. Mary is its antitype.

In this lesson, we will continue our study of "typology" as it relates to Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Church, and His sacraments. Read More

Genesis: Adam and Eve Prefigure Jesus and Mary

January 8, 2019/19 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

At the heart of Catholic theology is the typology of Adam and Eve as "types" that foreshadow the redemptive reversal accomplished by Jesus and Mary.

This is why Saint Paul calls Jesus the "New Adam."
Just as Eve set the stage for the downfall of Adam and the condemnation of the human race, so the Blessed Virgin Mary set the stage for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ to redeem the human race.
Eve reached out for the sinful fruit. But now all Catholics everywhere proclaim to Mary as the New Eve: "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."
The parallels are rich and go back to New Testament and the Church Fathers of the second century.

Let's begin our study of the "Christ is the Old Testament" by discovering the many parallels between Adam/Eve and Christ/Mary: