The New Concealed

'Their (the medieval monks) study of the Old Testament was closely tied to their understanding of the New, for 'the Old and the New Testament taken as a whole tell the same story of the same people of God.' If the New Testament was necessary to a proper understanding of the Old, the principle worked in reverse as well: 'truth [in the New Testament] unveils the figure [in the Old] and shows forth its meaning; once revealed, the figure in turn illuminates the Truth.' Knowing Christ meant knowing Him not only from the pages of gospels and epistles, but knowing Him as He is presented in type and shadow in the Old Testament. Studying the Old Testament was thus never merely an historical interest - never a study of 'Hebrew religion' - but a central means for growing in 'compunction,' the desire for God in Christ that was the goal of monastic life.'

(A House for My Name, p 17)