168
K. Bangert
message, but a narrative telling the convoluted story of someone whom God had
ordered to fulfil a task which he took great pains to avoid. Neither does the book
contain an explicit message directed at the people of Israel, as Jonah was sent exclusively to the Ninevites. The book may, however, contain an implicit message to the
Jews. But which one?
The general theme of the book of Jonah is debatable. Several possibilities have
been offered, some of which were discussed by Martin Roth (2005). According to
one alternative the book seems to suggest that when God announces a judgment,
He does not necessarily follow through with it, as He leaves open a back door for a
rescue. And for this, Nineveh is but an example (p. 111). Another alternative assumes
a fundamental Jewish debate over whether or not sin must of necessity be atoned
for through punishment or whether it can be atoned for simply by turning away
from sin. According to this alternative, the book of Jonah aimed its message at those
who had insisted on the necessity of punishment (p. 111 f.). Another alternative
presupposes the absolute sovereignty of God’s freedom who may extend his mercy
and compassion to whomever he wishes (Cooper 1993, p. 144). Finally, one can
assume that the citation of the psalm in Jon 2:3–10 refers to the destruction of the
temple in Jerusalem and the ensuing exile. Based on that assumption one can see the
book of Jonah in the context of the Dodekapropheton (twelve minor prophets) and
consider Jonah to be a key to an historical interpretation: Jonah was punished for his
disobedience as the people of Israel had been punished for their disobedience (Roth,
p. 114 f.). In this sense, Jonah becomes the epitome for Israel.
Martin Roth concludes that any book is rarely written for one purpose only, but
that most books seek to convey several messages at once. So in this case, too (Roth,
ibid.; likewise also Schmid 2019, p. 394). One can generalize that the book was
written in an historical context in which Nineveh and the surrounding nations were
seen very negatively by many Jews. And the book of Jonah takes a stand against this
prejudiced viewpoint (Roth, p. 116).
One could also assume, I might add, that the book of Jonah was used as an aetiology
around the psalm of Jon 2. The language there of the psalmist being engulfed by the
depth of the sea—originally meant to describe the destruction of Jerusalem and the
exile in Babylon—may have been taken literally to describe the wreckage of Jonah’s
vessel and his wonderful rescue amidst the heathen. Incidentally, it has been widely
debated whether the psalm of Jon 2 was a later addition or not. Apart from this debate,
the book is widely considered to be a literary unit (Schmid 2019, p. 393).
As the language of the book points to a time after the Babylonian exile (there are
words in the book reflecting late Hebrew as well as some Aramaisms), the origin of
the narrative is usually dated after the fifth century B.C. Some have even dated it as
late as between 400 and 200 B.C. (cf. The Interpreter’s Bible VI, p. 873). Based on
language and allusions to Greek mythology, the book appears to have been written
during the time of the Ptolomaeans (third century B.C.) (Schmid 2019, p. 393).
As is well known, the Jews, during the exile in Babylon and Persia, had come to
the recognition that their God (Yahweh) was not just a tribal god of their small ethnic
group, but the one and only creator of the world who was the God of all peoples,
the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians included. The implication was that God’s
K. Bangert
message, but a narrative telling the convoluted story of someone whom God had
ordered to fulfil a task which he took great pains to avoid. Neither does the book
contain an explicit message directed at the people of Israel, as Jonah was sent exclusively to the Ninevites. The book may, however, contain an implicit message to the
Jews. But which one?
The general theme of the book of Jonah is debatable. Several possibilities have
been offered, some of which were discussed by Martin Roth (2005). According to
one alternative the book seems to suggest that when God announces a judgment,
He does not necessarily follow through with it, as He leaves open a back door for a
rescue. And for this, Nineveh is but an example (p. 111). Another alternative assumes
a fundamental Jewish debate over whether or not sin must of necessity be atoned
for through punishment or whether it can be atoned for simply by turning away
from sin. According to this alternative, the book of Jonah aimed its message at those
who had insisted on the necessity of punishment (p. 111 f.). Another alternative
presupposes the absolute sovereignty of God’s freedom who may extend his mercy
and compassion to whomever he wishes (Cooper 1993, p. 144). Finally, one can
assume that the citation of the psalm in Jon 2:3–10 refers to the destruction of the
temple in Jerusalem and the ensuing exile. Based on that assumption one can see the
book of Jonah in the context of the Dodekapropheton (twelve minor prophets) and
consider Jonah to be a key to an historical interpretation: Jonah was punished for his
disobedience as the people of Israel had been punished for their disobedience (Roth,
p. 114 f.). In this sense, Jonah becomes the epitome for Israel.
Martin Roth concludes that any book is rarely written for one purpose only, but
that most books seek to convey several messages at once. So in this case, too (Roth,
ibid.; likewise also Schmid 2019, p. 394). One can generalize that the book was
written in an historical context in which Nineveh and the surrounding nations were
seen very negatively by many Jews. And the book of Jonah takes a stand against this
prejudiced viewpoint (Roth, p. 116).
One could also assume, I might add, that the book of Jonah was used as an aetiology
around the psalm of Jon 2. The language there of the psalmist being engulfed by the
depth of the sea—originally meant to describe the destruction of Jerusalem and the
exile in Babylon—may have been taken literally to describe the wreckage of Jonah’s
vessel and his wonderful rescue amidst the heathen. Incidentally, it has been widely
debated whether the psalm of Jon 2 was a later addition or not. Apart from this debate,
the book is widely considered to be a literary unit (Schmid 2019, p. 393).
As the language of the book points to a time after the Babylonian exile (there are
words in the book reflecting late Hebrew as well as some Aramaisms), the origin of
the narrative is usually dated after the fifth century B.C. Some have even dated it as
late as between 400 and 200 B.C. (cf. The Interpreter’s Bible VI, p. 873). Based on
language and allusions to Greek mythology, the book appears to have been written
during the time of the Ptolomaeans (third century B.C.) (Schmid 2019, p. 393).
As is well known, the Jews, during the exile in Babylon and Persia, had come to
the recognition that their God (Yahweh) was not just a tribal god of their small ethnic
group, but the one and only creator of the world who was the God of all peoples,
the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians included. The implication was that God’s