Typology is the science that establishes the relationships between figures and events of the Old Testament, called types, and their counterparts in the New, called antitypes. Prevalent throughout Europe in the first centuries after Christ, it reached all artistic manifestations, including Literature. Christian writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries used typology to deliver a religious message to the public. Lope de Vega, the prolific Spanish dramatist (1562-1635), included typological matter in his eight biblical plays La creacion del mundo y primera culpa del hombre, El robo de Dina, Los trabajos de Jacob, La corona derribada y vara de Moises, David perseguido y montes de Gelboe, Historia de Tob(')ias, Le hermosa Ester and El inobediente o la ciudad sin Dios. Although three of these plays are still controversial regarding authorship, all of them exhibit typological examples. The main antitype of the New Testament is Jesus, the fulfillment of God's plan for mankind. With him and in him, perfection is incarnated and the era of the spirit replaces the era of the flesh. Lope's purpose is to show within the Jewish history of the Old Testament the message of hope and salvation attained by Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus' Old Testament types used by Lope in his plays are several: Adam, Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Tobias the Elder and Younger, and Jonah, the prophet to the Ninivites. These men, imperfect in their humanity, followed God's command and delivered the chosen Israelites from oppression. Lope indicates that they all prefigure Jesus, perfect in his divinity, who delivers mankind from the pitfalls of sin. Events are typological also: the paradisiacal tree of life is the type of the cross, the lamb offerings prefigure the Mass, circumcision is a type of Baptism, and sleep is a type of death. Through close analysis of the eight / plays, abundant examples of prefigurations are presented which demonstrate how Lope de Vega incorporated into the biblical accounts sufficient references and symbols to emphasize the various typological relations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, Section: A, page: 1808. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75098 |
| Contributors | BURKORT, HAYDEE MACERA., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 321 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0026 seconds