"With Peter, the new Moses, leader of the new Israel, is associated Paul, the new Aaron, more eloquent than the first, chosen in his mother's womb to announce to the Gentiles the riches of the grace of Christ."
Moses was a type of Jesus (and by extension, St. Peter, Christ's first Vicar)
OT: The news of Moses’ birth is received with mixed emotion – the king plots to kill him, while his family is intent on saving him
NT: The news of Jesus’ birth is received with mixed emotion -- King Herod plots to kill the infant while three kings come to adore Him
OT: Moses’ life was threatened by an imperial decree of the death of all Hebrew male children
NT: Jesus’ life was threatened by an imperial decree that every male child under two was to be killed
OT: Moses was protected by a family member and found sanctuary in Egypt
NT: Jesus was protected by a family member and found sanctuary in Egypt
OT: Moses gave up the splendor of Egypt in order to comfort God’s people
NT: Jesus gave up His splendor by coming down from Heaven and wa born in a stable in order to redeem us from hell’s flames
OT: The Israelites were called home after a period of exile in Egypt
NT: Jesus’ family was called home after a period of exile in Egypt
OT: The first miracle of Moses (related to the plagues) was turning the water of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:20)
NT: Jesus’ first public miracle at Canaan was turning water into wine (John 2:6-9) -- the completion of the miracle was at the Last Supper when He turned wine into His blood (Matthew 26:27-28)
OT: Lead by Moses from Egypt, the Israelites had no escape from Pharaoh’s army and could not be saved except through the waters of the Red Sea
NT: Lead by Jesus, we have no escape from the power of the devil and cannot be saved, except through the waters of baptism
OT: Moses wandered with the Israelites in the desert for 40 years after coming out of the water of the Red Sea (Numbers 32:13)
NT: Jesus retreated to the desert for 40 days after coming up out of the water of the Jordan River when St. John baptized Him (Mark 1:13)
OT: The Israelites were put to the test in the desert, but failed to pass the test (they worshipped idols) (Exodus 15:25-26 & Deuteronomy 6 & 8 – the commands of the Lord)
NT: Jesus was tempted in the desert, but didn’t succumb to the devil’s temptations and passed the test (quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:13, 6:16 and 8:3)
OT: Moses went up the mountain and entered the cloud of God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18)
NT: A cloud on the mountain enveloped Jesus (Matthew 17:5)
OT: On Mount Sinai, Moses was given specific directions of how to worship God. The high priest was to offer both a bloody sacrifice (to appease divine wrath) and a non-bloody sacrifice (for adoration, thanksgiving, prayer & expiation of sins -- Leviticus 24:5-9)
NT: On Calvary, Jesus as high priest offered Himself as the bloody sacrifice; the non-bloody sacrifice has been offered at the hands of Catholic priests (who have acted “in persona Christi” – in the person of Christ) at every Catholic Mass
OT: Moses brought down the Word of God from Mount Sinai (Exodus 31:18 & Exodus 32:7)
NT: Jesus, the Word of God, went up on the mountain and preached the Word of God (Sermon on the Mount) (Matthew 5:1)
OT: Moses’ face shone so bright that everyone was afraid to look at him; he was transfigured (Exodus 34:29-30)
NT: Jesus' face shone like the sun; he was transfigured (Matthew 17)
OT: Moses fasted and prayed for 40 days (Exodus 24:18)
NT: Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in preparation for His public ministry (Matthew 4:2)
OT: Moses selected three to accompany him -- Aaron/Nadab/Abihu (Exodus 20:1-17)
NT: Jesus selected three to accompany him -- Peter/James/John
OT: Moses gathered 70 men to assist him (Numbers 11:16-17)
NT: Jesus chose 70 (Luke 10:1-8)
OT: In the desert, the tree sweetened the water (Exodus 15:22-27)
NT: Jesus’ cross (tree) sweetens the sufferings of life
OT: In the desert, God provided manna from heaven to nourish the Israelites in this temporal life (Exodus 16)
NT: Jesus, the “Bread come down from heaven,” nourishes us unto eternal life. Jesus said that if we eat this bread, we shall live forever (John 6:48-51)
OT: In the desert, the Israelites murmured against Moses for not providing food, the “bread from heaven” (Exodus 16)
NT: The Jews murmured against Jesus when He spoke about the Eucharist, the “bread of life come down from heaven” (John 6:41-51)
OT: In the desert, water flowed from the rock to quench the Israelites thirst (Exodus 17)
NT: Jesus gave His Church 7 Sacraments where graces flow to quench the dryness of life
OT: Moses and the Levites slew 3,000 of their own people who worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32)
NT: Peter and the apostles converted 3,000 people for accepting the worship of the true God (Acts 2:41)
OT: The Israelites were punished by serpents in the dessert; the serpents struck them, but the Israelites were healed by looking at the rod (Numbers 21:6 & 9)
NT: We are saved from the serpent (satan) if we but look to the cross for our redemption
OT: Moses is the mediator of the Old Covenant by the sprinkling of blood
NT: Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant, which was ratified and sealed by the Son of God’s blood
OT: Moses proclaimed the law of God, and confirmed his preaching with miracles, prophecies and a holy life
NT: Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of the law of God, and confirmed his preaching with miracles; He was the prophet Moses spoke about, and lead a holy life
OT: Moses offered blood sacrifices and said this is the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:8)
NT: Jesus offered Himself as a final blood sacrifice for the remission of sin and said this is the blood of the NEW & EVERLASTING covenant (Matthew 26:28)
CALL TO ACTION: Continue to recognize these parallels ("types") throughout Scripture, so we don't fall prey to the interpretations of heretics!
Source of quote in first paragraph: St. Andrew's Daily Missal, page 768; the E. M. Lohmann Co., St. Paul, Minnesota (copyright 1949); Nihil Obstat: J. Gerard Kealy, D.D., Cens. Theol. Deput.; Imprimatur: Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archrepiscopus Chicagiensis
Photo by Aiden Frazier