Final answer:
True, according to Lodahl, the Early Church saw the OT stories through the prism of Jesus Christ, seeing Old Testament narratives as prefigurations of Christ's life and teachings.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Lodahl, the Early Church indeed interpreted the Old Testament (OT) stories through the prism of Jesus Christ. This approach aligns with the Christian understanding that Jesus's life and teachings fulfilled the prophesies and laws found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Following the advent of Jesus Christ, Christians began to see familiar OT narratives as anticipations or prefigurations of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. For example, the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a great fish and emerged after three days, was seen as an early symbol of Christ's resurrection. Similarly, artistic representations in churches, like sarcophagi decorations and stained glass windows, often juxtaposed Old and New Testament themes to highlight this continuity.
It is clear that during the formative years of Christianity, understandings of Christ's significance were influenced by numerous factors, including philosophical concepts like the 'logos.' As believers sought to understand and teach Christ's message, illustrations and stories became invaluable, especially for an illiterate populace.