return to this topic because of its important role in the spread of Christianity and in
strenghtening Christ’s Church.
The Book of Jonah, from the Old Testament, describes a series of miracles that
occur either on Mediterranean waters or in its coastal cities. This time, God used
Jonah, who was a native and lived in a city, not coincidentally, near Nazareth,
where Jesus was born. He was apparently a prophet recognized at Jeroboam’s court,
a personality in Israel. One day, he heard God’s voice, Who sent him to Nineveh,
the capital of the Assyrian Empire (900–607 BC). At that time, Nineveh was a
thriving city, when the empire was increasingly recognized as a world power.
The Jews were highly conservative, believing that only them, the chosen people,
belong to God. Our Jonah did not want to go and preach God’s word to a sinful,
unfaithful people. On the other hand, he knew that God is slow to anger and
abounding in love, and if they returned from their evil way, He would forgive
them. His goal was to save people at all costs. Thus, He would be placed in an
unpleasant situation. Thus, our Jonah, instead of going to the north, to Nineveh,
went to the opposite direction, towards the West, to the city of Tarsus, in distant
Spain (it is assumed that it was the old Tortesseus fortress). He paid the voyage fare
and boarded on the ship that was sailing towards Tarsus, along with other passengers (The Bible, The Old Testament, Jonah, ch. 1–4). Then, God began to make full
use of the sea, with the creatures that had populated it since its creation. It seems
that Jonah either did not read the Psalms of David or he did not master their
teachings. He, as a great prophet, should have known that he could not hide from
God (The Bible, The Old Testament, Psalm 139).
18 Nevertheless, he was calm after
he had stepped on the boat and fell asleep. God stopped Jonah from his rebellious
running through the storm aroused by the sea. His miracles succeeded one another,
making God’s intervention evident by their deployment and purpose.
The storm was getting stronger and the ship was about to sink. The helmsman
went to Jonah and woke him up. They casted lots to find out who was the cause of
this evil that had come upon them, and, not by chance, the lot fell upon Jonah. The
men knew that he was fleeing from the Lord because he had told this himself.
Frightened, they reproachfully asked him: “Why have you done this? What should
we do in order to calm the sea?” He answered them: “Take me and throw me into
the sea”. Once they threw him, miraculously, the storm stopped. Another miracle is
represented by the fact that when Jonah came to the sea, a fish was there, ready to
catch him. The miracle was that the fish, although very large, could not stand Jonah
in its belly and threw him away, not in the sea, but right on the seashore. We are
dealing with a God Who is the creator and master of the entire nature, including the
sea. He may prepare the storm and the whale and all the other things, where He
wants them to be (Iosif Țon 2004: 330–331). After this harsh lesson of obedience
18 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me (. . .) If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me” (The Bible, The Old Testament, “Psalm 139”, verses 1, 9 and 10).
16
C. Jurca ˘ and A. Buzarna-Tihenea (Ga ˘lbeaza ˘)
strenghtening Christ’s Church.
The Book of Jonah, from the Old Testament, describes a series of miracles that
occur either on Mediterranean waters or in its coastal cities. This time, God used
Jonah, who was a native and lived in a city, not coincidentally, near Nazareth,
where Jesus was born. He was apparently a prophet recognized at Jeroboam’s court,
a personality in Israel. One day, he heard God’s voice, Who sent him to Nineveh,
the capital of the Assyrian Empire (900–607 BC). At that time, Nineveh was a
thriving city, when the empire was increasingly recognized as a world power.
The Jews were highly conservative, believing that only them, the chosen people,
belong to God. Our Jonah did not want to go and preach God’s word to a sinful,
unfaithful people. On the other hand, he knew that God is slow to anger and
abounding in love, and if they returned from their evil way, He would forgive
them. His goal was to save people at all costs. Thus, He would be placed in an
unpleasant situation. Thus, our Jonah, instead of going to the north, to Nineveh,
went to the opposite direction, towards the West, to the city of Tarsus, in distant
Spain (it is assumed that it was the old Tortesseus fortress). He paid the voyage fare
and boarded on the ship that was sailing towards Tarsus, along with other passengers (The Bible, The Old Testament, Jonah, ch. 1–4). Then, God began to make full
use of the sea, with the creatures that had populated it since its creation. It seems
that Jonah either did not read the Psalms of David or he did not master their
teachings. He, as a great prophet, should have known that he could not hide from
God (The Bible, The Old Testament, Psalm 139).
18 Nevertheless, he was calm after
he had stepped on the boat and fell asleep. God stopped Jonah from his rebellious
running through the storm aroused by the sea. His miracles succeeded one another,
making God’s intervention evident by their deployment and purpose.
The storm was getting stronger and the ship was about to sink. The helmsman
went to Jonah and woke him up. They casted lots to find out who was the cause of
this evil that had come upon them, and, not by chance, the lot fell upon Jonah. The
men knew that he was fleeing from the Lord because he had told this himself.
Frightened, they reproachfully asked him: “Why have you done this? What should
we do in order to calm the sea?” He answered them: “Take me and throw me into
the sea”. Once they threw him, miraculously, the storm stopped. Another miracle is
represented by the fact that when Jonah came to the sea, a fish was there, ready to
catch him. The miracle was that the fish, although very large, could not stand Jonah
in its belly and threw him away, not in the sea, but right on the seashore. We are
dealing with a God Who is the creator and master of the entire nature, including the
sea. He may prepare the storm and the whale and all the other things, where He
wants them to be (Iosif Țon 2004: 330–331). After this harsh lesson of obedience
18 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me (. . .) If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me” (The Bible, The Old Testament, “Psalm 139”, verses 1, 9 and 10).
16
C. Jurca ˘ and A. Buzarna-Tihenea (Ga ˘lbeaza ˘)