The notions of “shadow” and “copy” in the above text imply a link between the Old Testament and the New Testament. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain”

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, the New Testament writer interprets typology as “shadow,” or “copy” and derives its meaning from the notion of “pattern.” The writer says:įor if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are no priests who offer the gifts according to the law who serve the copy and shadow of the heavily things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. The Greek word for typology is formed from the noun τπμσζ, which means, “to strike.” It was “particularly suitable to signify the ‘impression' made on wax by a seal which is by far the commonest meaning, and that from which most of the others originate.” It can also mean, “die”, “mould”, “archetype”, “pattern”, “model to be imitated,” and even “image”. In addition to the historical nature of typology there is its lexical nature. The reason for this great difference is simply that allegory takes no account of history.” Lampe recognizes that there is a literary tradition that utilizes typology, but “unlike the typology, which depends upon the Biblical view of history, the methods of this form of typology are wholly unhistorical.” So the theories of Biblical typology should only apply to literature that incorporates people and events of an historical nature, which Milton's Paradise Regained does do. He says allegory “differs radically from the kind of typology which rests upon the perception of actual historical fulfillment. Another critic, Lampe, furthers our understanding of typology by professing that a distinction should be made between typology and allegory. First, in a general view, Abrams says that it was “developed by the early Church Fathers as a way of reconciling the history, prophecy, and laws of the Hebrew Scriptures with the narratives and teachings of the New Testament.” Already, we begin to understand that this definition attempts to explain a dichotomy that exists between the Old and New Testaments. Typology has been interpreted in various ways. In addition, it is a work that is full of typological elements and various examples of parody that Milton utilizes to reveal how Satan tries to imitate Christ as the epic defender of universal truth. John Milton's Paradise Regained is a brief epic that was loosely based on chapter four of Luke's gospel in the Christian New Testament.

What do we mean by “typology” and by “parody”, and how does Milton use parody in Paradise Regained to make Satan try desperately to imitate Christ as the epic defender of universal truth?

Paradise regained book 4