The Book of Jonah

The monitor’s screen of my computer hovered in front of me. I looked at it lugubriously. Somehow, I did not know where to start. Although the Book of Jonah comprises only four chapters, it gives rise to quite a few conceptual issues. These are discussed thoroughly and in detail by Jack M. Sasson’s Jonah (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven & London, 2010). But I knew that very few readers would have the patience to read this treatise from cover to cover. Most people would skim through the original or simply rely on the mention of Jonah by a pastor or other religious exponent. A need for a simplified topical treatment was desirable. The difficulty was that any treatment of the subject would look pale and shallow in comparison with this leading tome. ...

“The book commences with God’s order to Jonah, the son [ben] of Amitai, to march to Nineveh – ‘the Great town’ – and ‘cry against it’ because its wickedness had come to His attention. Far from obeying this order, Jonah seeks to flee to Tarshish.” “Where is Tarshish?” “We cannot be certain about the exact location. It is, at the same time, clear that Tarshish is located to the West of Palestine whilst Nineveh is to its East. Jonah seeks to travel in the opposite direction.” ...

Section 1: When was the Book of Jonah Composed “Let us start by considering the likely date of Jonah’s composition. We know it is attributed to Jonah the son of [ben] Amitai. A prophet of this name is mentioned in Kings II 14:25, during the reign of Jeroboam II in the 8th century BCE. Well, Peter’le what can you tell me about this epoch?” “The very same Biblical Passage advises that Jonah predicted the attainment of this mighty King, who ‘restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo-Hamat [in the North] to the Seas of Araba [in the South]’. This would have been the result of wars with Aram-Damascus – the traditional Northern enemy – and probably an expansion leading to dominion over Moab and Edom in the South. The Kingdom of Judah might have become a vassal; but there is no archaeological evidence to this effect.” ...

“Before we discuss it, Peter’le, there is a preliminary point to consider. Do other Minor Prophets deliver a message?” “They do. Amos, for instance, criticises the opulence – the ostentatiousness – of upper-class society during the reign of Jeroboam II; Hoshea castigates the people’s failure to obey God’s commands and their wayward ways; Nahum tells us that sinful Nineveh will be punished.” “So, in this regard they do not differ from Jonah, whose message we are going to consider. Or do they? ...

“This has been a lengthy discussion,” observed Theophil. “Jonah can be given diverse construction. But is the book still relevant in your own – supposedly enlightened – era?” “I believe it is, Maestro. You see, Jonah preaches tolerance. It sneers at ‘holy cows’ (like prophets) and, by implication, at conventional wisdom.” “But Peter’le, isn’t this notion predicated in modern literature?” “It is – perhaps even ad nauseam. But Jonah tells us that dissenting voices were raised even in antiquity. This is important.” ...