typology

In religious studies, a term that has two meanings. First, it refers to a system of biblical interpretation in which correspondences are found between characters and events in the Old Testament and those in the New; for example, Jonah's escape from the whale is seen as a prefiguration of Jesus' resurrection. Second, it is a way of classifying different religions by type; for example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are prophetic religions whereas Hinduism and Buddhism are mystical, and so on.