Post a comment on the Book of Jonah

[Boojatta]

It's short. It's relatively simple. There's no reason to not participate in this discussion unless the OT is of no interest to you.

[Boojatta]

Here's one link, but you can choose another translation or website.

http://ebible.org/bible/asv/Jonah.htm

[EstimatedProphet]

1. I like the Book of Jonah

I think the message is a good one, about how we shouldn't think of ourselves as better than everyone else.

[snot]

2. funny you should ask

been thinking a lot about it since dreaming of a whale I was supposed to be feeding . . . and subsequently realizing the dream had to do with, among other things, running away from expressing my own inspirations.

See Orson Welles' "Father Mapple"'s sermon on Jonah in the version of Moby Dick featuring Gregory Peck as Ahab and Dir.'d by John Huston (script by Ray Bradbury). Something to the effect that Jonah ran away from God's command that Jonah speak the truth to the face of falsehood.

A subtext, though: God needed Jonah to go preach to the Ninevans or whatever you call 'em, bec. God had not 'til then done anything better to help prevent them from falling into sin -- i.e., Jonah had to take on the task that God had 'til then neglected.

No wonder Jonah was pissed that God then showed them further indulgence.

I look forward to seeing others' thoughts.

[Glorfindel]

3. It's one of my favorite books of the Bible

In my opinion, it demonstrates clearly that God has a sense of humor, and that he truly loves and cares for ALL his children. I don't see how anyone could read about the pouting prophet and his gourd vine without smiling a little bit, and then being deeply affected by the Lord's concern for the citizens of Nineveh and their cattle. O8)

[Glorfindel]

4. P.S.: Michelangelo put Jonah right over the altar of the Sistine Chapel

[Zebedeo]

5. It's a very instructive history

We can all relate to Jonah's initial rebellion from God's will. The story helps us to understand that God knows what is best for us, and even if it goes against our first instinct, we should trust God and obey Him. Everything will work out for the best in the end.

Thanks for starting this interesting thread.

[snot]

6. PS:

I'd be interested in others' responses to the implicit subtext re- God's neglect.

[Meshuga]

7. It's ancient Jewish humor

Some scholars believe that Jonah is intended as a parody. When the book of Jonah was written the Assyrians were the big enemies of the Jews. Assyrians whose capital was Nineveh were responsible for the destruction of the Northern Kingdom.

Any Jew of the time listening to the book of Jonah would have understood the basic comedy here that an Assyrian king would not change his ways because some Jewish prophet told him to do so. The conversion of the Assyrians is the author's little joke. It is like someone in the Middle East today demanding, "Say you are sorry or suffer the consequences" and the opponent leader replying, "Oh shit, sorry! I will do whatever I can to please you." ending the conflict in the Middle East. As if Osama Bin Laden would surrendered to pro-Americanism when Bush threw the word "crusades".

The king of Nineveh doesn't only repent but he demands that his people repent and he even includes the animals having to repent as well. That's the exaggeration letting the Israelites at the time know that this is a Joke.

At least that is the take I have heard from a rabbi. :-)

[crawfish]

10. I think it's definitely satire...

exaggerating the circumstance to tell a story of God's great forgiveness. It is similar to story of the Good Samaritan, where an enemy is given positive traits in comparison to a Jew who refuses to do the right thing.

[trotsky]

8. Jonah 1:11-17

11 Teh storm kept waving. Iz microwave, then mexican wave. 12 Jonah sez "Rsistnce iz fewtile. Biff me in teh sea, ocean can pwnzd kittah. Is mai fault. sry." 13 But Michael triez to row teh boat to shore. He is phail, and teh storm iz getting worsnwors. 14 So tehy preyed to Ceiling Cat, "wait. no! plz don't drowns uz, cuz cats dusn't lieks to get wet. DO NOT WANT. plsthnxbai." 15 Tehn they toss Jonah into teh waterz, and teh sea iz calmed down liek on ritlin. srsly. 16 Teh sailors iz so skeered they makes offrings of catnips and cheezeburgers and loots in bukkits for Ceiling Cat. 17 Ceiling Cat maeked a LOLrus to eated Jonah, and Jonah iz in yr whale making yr sushis for three days and three nights.

Praise be unto Ceiling Cat.

[edhopper]

9. It's another

OT example of a mean spirited God who, if he did exist, I would not deem worthy of worship.

[MikeH]

11. The Book of Jonah is a very delightful fantasy

The Book of Jonah is a delightful story, and is one of the better books that are included in the Bible.

The story seems to be directed at the spirit of bigotry and exclusivity prevalent among Jews during the post-exilic period, as exemplified, for instance, by the Book of Ezra.

The author can be credited with making several points in the story:

1. One cannot run away from God.

2. God loves and is concerned about all people, and not just his so-called "chosen" people.

3. God has no desire to destroy the so-called "heathen".

4. God has a sense of humor!

Taking the story of Jonah at face value (i.e. leaving aside that the story is included in the so-called "inspired Word of God", and forgetting any significance attached to the story a couple hundred or a few hundred years after the story was written), it is obvious that the story is just that, i.e. a story, a fantasy. It is laughable that anybody would hold the absurd and ridiculous notion that the story is an account of something that actually happened, or even that it might have been an account of something that actually happened. And I think the author of the story would feel the same way.

Given that the story is just a story written by a fallible human being, I would not worry about the supposed neglect of God before he/she sent Jonah to preach to the Ninevites (though I would agree that it is a valid point).

[struggle4progress]

12. A lovely allegory on the psychology of warning your neighbors

[nemo137]

13. My comment: everyone remembers the whale...

no one remembers the gourd vine. Granted, that doesn't seem to be true of this learned board, but most people seem to take away the "you can't run from God" message and not the second message "who are you to decide who God loves?"

[Recursion]

14. "And all the cows, too"

Best ending line in the whole Bible.