Jonah, book of

Jonah, book of
One of the Minor Prophets in the OT; the ‘hero’ of the book lived in the 8th cent. BCE (2 Kgs. 14:25) but the book is an extended parable [[➝ parables]] probably written in the 4th cent. BCE. It describes how Jonah was sent to warn Nineveh, capital of Assyria, of its great evil and of the consequences. Jonah embarked on a ship to avoid this uncongenial mission, but in a storm he was suspected by the crew of causing divine anger and was cast overboard. The sea at once calmed; but Jonah was saved by a great fish (Jonah 2), after which Jonah accomplished his mission with success: but the prophet deplored the success; he thought the people of Nineveh deserved to suffer. For this curmudgeonly attitude, he was soundly rebuked. As a parable the book therefore seems to imply God's universal mercy on all mankind, Gentiles equally with Jews, and is a tract repudiating the narrow nationalism associated with Ezra after the Exile.
In Matt. 12:38–42 the Pharisees who demanded a sign from Jesus are told that they are to have only the sign of Jonah—the necessity of repentance. However an editorial addition, which looks like a piece of early Christian reflection, regards Jonah as a type [[➝ types]] in the OT of Jesus' resurrection (12:40).

Dictionary of the Bible.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • JONAH, BOOK OF — (Heb. יוֹנָה), the fifth in the collection of the 12 short prophetic books (minor prophets ). Unlike the other books of this collection the Book of Jonah contains a prophecy of only five words (3:4); the rest of the book is a story about Jonah… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Jonah, Book of — ▪ Old Testament also spelled  Jonas,    the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon. Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a… …   Universalium

  • Jonah, Book of —    This book professes to give an account of what actually took place in the experience of the prophet. Some critics have sought to interpret the book as a parable or allegory, and not as a history. They have done so for various reasons. Thus (1) …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Jonah —     Jonah     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Jonah     The fifth of the Minor Prophets. The name is usually taken to mean dove , but in view of the complaining words of the Prophet (Jonah, iv), it is not unlikely that the name is derived from the root …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Jonah Goldberg — on BloggingHeads.tv Born March 21, 1969 (1969 03 21) (age 42) …   Wikipedia

  • JONAH, MOSES — (16th century), kabbalist and one of the most important disciples of isaac luria . Ḥayyim Vital places him in the second group of Luria s pupils (Sha ar ha Gilgulim) and states that this is his first transmigration as a human being, and therefore …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Jonah (disambiguation) — Jonah is a prophet described in the Book of Jonah in the Hebrew Bible.Jonah may also refer to:* Jonah (comics), a character in the comic strip The Beano * (2002) * JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality), a Jewish ex gay… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonah Mungoshi — (born April 2, 1968) is a Harare based Success Coach, motivational speaker and Management Consultant. Through his company [http://www.success.co.zw Success Unlimited] (now Power of Purpose) Jonah has carried out consulting work for notable… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonah Jones (sculptor) — Jonah Jones (17 February 1919 – 29 November 2004) was born Leonard Jones in the north east of England, but known as a Welsh sculptor, writer and artist craftsman. He worked in many media, but is especially remembered as a sculptor in stone,… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonah — [jō′nə] n. [LL(Ec) Jonas < Gr(Ec) Īonas < Heb jōnāh, lit., a dove] 1. a masculine name: var. Jonas 2. Bible a) a Hebrew prophet: thrown overboard in a storm sent because he had disobeyed God, he was swallowed by a big fish, but three days… …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”