diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index a9721518..c881c0be 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ jobs:
         metadata-file-path: '.github/project.yml'
 
     - name: Checkout
-      uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      uses: actions/checkout@v3
       with:
         token: ${{secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN}}
 
     - name: Set up JDK 8
-      uses: actions/setup-java@v2
+      uses: actions/setup-java@v3
       with:
         distribution: temurin
         java-version: 8
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jboss/jandex/JandexReflection.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jboss/jandex/JandexReflection.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f3b53c3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jboss/jandex/JandexReflection.java
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+package org.jboss.jandex;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Array;
+
+/**
+ * Utilities that allow moving from the Jandex world to the runtime world using reflection.
+ * To maintain stratification, these methods are intentionally <em>not</em> present
+ * on the respective Jandex classes.
+ */
+public class JandexReflection {
+    /**
+     * Loads a class corresponding to the raw type of given {@link Type} from the thread context classloader.
+     * If there is no TCCL, the classloader that loaded {@code JandexReflection} is used.
+     * Returns {@code null} when {@code type} is {@code null}.
+     * <p>
+     * Specifically:
+     * <ul>
+     * <li>for the {@link VoidType void} pseudo-type, returns {@code void.class};</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain PrimitiveType primitive} types, returns the corresponding class object (e.g. {@code int.class});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain ClassType class} types, returns the corresponding class object (e.g. {@code String.class});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain ArrayType array} types, returns the corresponding class object (e.g. {@code String[][].class});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain ParameterizedType parameterized} types, returns the class object of the generic class
+     * (e.g. {@code List.class} for {@code List<String>});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain WildcardType wildcard} types, returns the class object of the upper bound type
+     * (e.g. {@code Number.class} for {@code ? extends Number}), or {@code Object.class} if the wildcard type
+     * has no upper bound (e.g. {@code ? super Integer});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain TypeVariable type variables}, returns the class object of the first bound
+     * (e.g. {@code Number.class} for {@code T extends Number & Comparable<T>}), or {@code Object.class}
+     * if the type variable has no bounds (e.g. just {@code T});</li>
+     * <li>for {@linkplain UnresolvedTypeVariable unresolved type variables}, returns {@code Object.class}.</li>
+     * </ul>
+     *
+     * @param type a Jandex {@link Type}
+     * @return the corresponding {@link Class}
+     */
+    public static Class<?> loadRawType(Type type) {
+        if (type == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        switch (type.kind()) {
+            case VOID:
+                return void.class;
+            case PRIMITIVE:
+                switch (type.asPrimitiveType().primitive()) {
+                    case BOOLEAN:
+                        return boolean.class;
+                    case BYTE:
+                        return byte.class;
+                    case SHORT:
+                        return short.class;
+                    case INT:
+                        return int.class;
+                    case LONG:
+                        return long.class;
+                    case FLOAT:
+                        return float.class;
+                    case DOUBLE:
+                        return double.class;
+                    case CHAR:
+                        return char.class;
+                    default:
+                        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown primitive type: " + type);
+                }
+            case CLASS:
+                return load(type.asClassType().name());
+            case PARAMETERIZED_TYPE:
+                return load(type.asParameterizedType().name());
+            case ARRAY:
+                // this handles nested array types correctly, see Array.newInstance
+                // it is unfortunate that we have to instantiate the array type,
+                // but I don't know a better way
+                Class<?> component = loadRawType(type.asArrayType().component());
+                int dimensions = type.asArrayType().dimensions();
+                return Array.newInstance(component, new int[dimensions]).getClass();
+            case WILDCARD_TYPE:
+                return loadRawType(type.asWildcardType().extendsBound());
+            case TYPE_VARIABLE:
+                return load(type.asTypeVariable().name());
+            case UNRESOLVED_TYPE_VARIABLE:
+                return Object.class; // can't do better here
+            default:
+                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown type: " + type);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads a class corresponding to given {@link ClassInfo} from the thread context classloader.
+     * If there is no TCCL, the classloader that loaded {@code JandexReflection} is used.
+     * Returns {@code null} when {@code clazz} is {@code null}.
+     *
+     * @param clazz a Jandex {@link ClassInfo}
+     * @return the corresponding {@link Class}
+     */
+    public static Class<?> loadClass(ClassInfo clazz) {
+        if (clazz == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return load(clazz.name());
+    }
+
+    private static Class<?> load(DotName name) {
+        try {
+            ClassLoader cl = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
+            if (cl == null) {
+                cl = JandexReflection.class.getClassLoader();
+            }
+            return cl.loadClass(name.toString());
+        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+            throw new RuntimeException(e);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/jboss/jandex/test/JandexReflectionTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/jboss/jandex/test/JandexReflectionTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3ed502e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/jboss/jandex/test/JandexReflectionTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package org.jboss.jandex.test;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.jboss.jandex.ClassInfo;
+import org.jboss.jandex.Index;
+import org.jboss.jandex.JandexReflection;
+import org.jboss.jandex.Type;
+import org.jboss.jandex.TypeVariable;
+import org.jboss.jandex.UnresolvedTypeVariable;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+public class JandexReflectionTest {
+    interface TestMethods<X> {
+        void nothing();
+
+        int primitive();
+
+        String clazz();
+
+        List<String> parameterized();
+
+        String[][] array();
+
+        // annotations are present to make sure the `ArrayType` has multiple levels of nesting
+        @MyAnnotation("1")
+        String[] @MyAnnotation("2") [][] @MyAnnotation("3") [] annotatedArray();
+
+        X typeParameter();
+
+        <Y extends Number> Y typeParameterWithSingleBound();
+
+        <Y extends Number & Comparable<Y>> Y typeParameterWithMultipleBounds();
+
+        <Y extends Comparable<Y>> Y typeParameterWithSingleParameterizedBound();
+
+        <Y extends Comparable<Y> & Serializable> Y typeParameterWithMultipleBoundsFirstParameterized();
+
+        <Y extends Serializable & Comparable<Y>> Y typeParameterWithMultipleBoundsSecondParameterized();
+
+        List<?> unboundedWildcard();
+
+        List<? extends Number> wildcardWithUpperBound();
+
+        List<? super String> wildcardWithLowerBound();
+
+        List<? extends X> wildcardWithUnboundedTypeParameterAsUpperBound();
+
+        <Y extends Number> List<? extends Y> wildcardWithBoundedTypeParameterAsUpperBound();
+
+        <Y extends Number> List<? super Y> wildcardWithBoundedTypeParameterAsLowerBound();
+    }
+
+    static class NestedClass<T> {
+        class InnerClass<U extends T> {
+        }
+    }
+
+    static class SimpleClass {
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void test() throws IOException {
+        // intentionally _not_ indexing `NestedClass`, so that the type parameter bound of `InnerClass` is unresolved
+        Index index = Index.of(TestMethods.class, NestedClass.InnerClass.class, SimpleClass.class);
+
+        ClassInfo clazz = index.getClassByName(TestMethods.class);
+        assertEquals(void.class, type(clazz, "nothing"));
+        assertEquals(int.class, type(clazz, "primitive"));
+        assertEquals(String.class, type(clazz, "clazz"));
+        assertEquals(List.class, type(clazz, "parameterized"));
+        assertEquals(String[][].class, type(clazz, "array"));
+        assertEquals(String[][][][].class, type(clazz, "annotatedArray"));
+        assertEquals(Object.class, type(clazz, "typeParameter"));
+        assertEquals(Number.class, type(clazz, "typeParameterWithSingleBound"));
+        assertEquals(Number.class, type(clazz, "typeParameterWithMultipleBounds"));
+        assertEquals(Comparable.class, type(clazz, "typeParameterWithSingleParameterizedBound"));
+        assertEquals(Comparable.class, type(clazz, "typeParameterWithMultipleBoundsFirstParameterized"));
+        assertEquals(Serializable.class, type(clazz, "typeParameterWithMultipleBoundsSecondParameterized"));
+        assertEquals(Object.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "unboundedWildcard"));
+        assertEquals(Number.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "wildcardWithUpperBound"));
+        assertEquals(Object.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "wildcardWithLowerBound"));
+        assertEquals(Object.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "wildcardWithUnboundedTypeParameterAsUpperBound"));
+        assertEquals(Number.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "wildcardWithBoundedTypeParameterAsUpperBound"));
+        assertEquals(Object.class, firstTypeArgument(clazz, "wildcardWithBoundedTypeParameterAsLowerBound"));
+
+        TypeVariable u = index.getClassByName(NestedClass.InnerClass.class).typeParameters().get(0);
+        assertEquals(Type.Kind.UNRESOLVED_TYPE_VARIABLE, u.bounds().get(0).kind());
+        UnresolvedTypeVariable t = u.bounds().get(0).asUnresolvedTypeVariable();
+        assertEquals(Object.class, JandexReflection.loadRawType(t));
+
+        assertEquals(SimpleClass.class, JandexReflection.loadClass(index.getClassByName(SimpleClass.class)));
+    }
+
+    private Class<?> type(ClassInfo clazz, String method) {
+        Type jandexType = clazz.firstMethod(method).returnType();
+        return JandexReflection.loadRawType(jandexType);
+    }
+
+    private Class<?> firstTypeArgument(ClassInfo clazz, String method) {
+        Type jandexType = clazz.firstMethod(method).returnType().asParameterizedType().arguments().get(0);
+        return JandexReflection.loadRawType(jandexType);
+    }
+}