The scholarly literature tends to treat the Antiochenes as primarily interested in the literal meaning and in history, by contrast with the spiritualising allegory of the Alexandrians. The Antiochenes certainly developed objections to philosophical allegory, but they sought moral and ecclesial meanings by alternative means that were exemplary and typological, calling it theoria. The christological reading of the Old Testament was deeply traditional, carrying a strong dispensational flavour as well as providing exemplary typology, so facilitating the process whereby the church read itself into the text and generated moral and spiritual outcomes. The deep continuity and yet variegation of such exegetical traditions can be illustrated by taking one case study, the story of wrestling Jacob. The earliest and most common patristic use of this tale is to list it as one of the Old Testament 'theophanies'. The case study reveals something of the differing character of Antiochene readings of narrative.