by LtCmd.Lore 6 Replies latest watchtower bible
Why does everyone seem to think that the book of Jonah was written by Jonah? I couldn't find any reason for this anywhere online. I found plenty of religious sites that made the assertion, including the WTS, but no reason for it. Did I miss something?
Lore - W.W.S.D?
Understanding the traditional name of a book (in this case, obviously, the name of its main character) as the name of the author is a common kind of default assumption in both classical tradition (Jewish and Christian) and modern fundamentalism.
The book of Jonah may have been written about anytime between the late 5th and the 3rd century BC, using the name of an otherwise little known prophet (2 Kings 14:25); the only thing we can know for sure about the author(s) is that s/he (they) was (were) smart.
I understand that the book of Jonah is read in its entirety on the day of atonement, probably the most holy day in the Jewish calender. This is apprently due to its story of God's willingness to forgive those who repent. I find this quite ironic since I've seen the book described as a kind of protest at the exclusiveness of a post exilic Judaism that championed the notion of an exclusive and "pure" race. In other words it offers the theme of Jehovah being not just the God of Isreal but the God of all nations. Narkissos I can think of a number of reasons why you might describe the author(s) as "smart", but specifically why do you say that?
Basically, because it parodies the "prophet story" genre in a very clever and subversive way (when compared to Deuteronomistic exclusivism). In a very simple and comical tale it introduces one of the deepest "theologies" of the OT, pedagogically leading the reader/hearer from the picture of the "Jealous God" to the intuition of a God caring more about every living being than about his own word. Picking the name of an apparently nationalistic prophet (2 Kings 14:25, note the connection with militaristic defence) for such a role is part of the irony imo (a bit like Nietzsche's choice of Zarathustra, the prophet of moral and metaphysical dualism, to preach "beyond good and evil").
Jonah most clearly than any other work in the OT lays the foundation for later universalism and the hope that repentance would lead God to relent from executing judgement as prophesied. God frustrated Jonah's prophecy of the destruction of Ninevah, just as 2 Peter 3 expresses the hope that God may delay final judgement long enough for all to be saved who could be saved. Even the Apocalypse of Peter hints that postmortem punishment in Gehenna is not as permanent as touted by the prophets....for no one would ever repent if they knew the truth. On another level, Jonah is one of the earliest expressions of the hope of Gentile repentance and worship of Yahweh/God, a theme that recurs in Tobit and Daniel LXX (and of course all throughout the NT).
On the subject of authorship, see my post here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/83590/1.ashx
On the subject of authorship, see my post here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/83590/1.ashx
ooh. Good post!
Here is the "Insight on the Scriptures" article about Jonah: (With my comments added in blue. )
BookNumber32—JonahBible
Writer: Jonah (And that's all they have to say about that... Just "Writer:Jonah")
Writing Completed: c. 844 B.C.E. (No evidence for this either. )
JONAH—foreign missionary of the ninth century B.C.E.! How did he view his assignment from Jehovah? What new experiences did this open up for him? Did he find the people in his assignment receptive? How successful was his preaching? The dramatic record of the book of Jonah answers these questions. Written at a time when Jehovah’s chosen nation had broken covenant with him and fallen into pagan idolatry, the prophetic record shows that God’s mercy is not limited to any one nation, not even to Israel. Moreover, it exalts Jehovah’s great mercy and loving-kindness, in contrast with the lack of mercy, patience, and faith so often observed in imperfect man.
2
The name Jonah (Hebrew, Yoh·nah´) means "Dove." He was the son of the prophet Amittai of Gath-hepher in Galilee in the territory of Zebulun. At 2 Kings 14:23-25 we read that Jeroboam the king of Israel extended the boundary of the nation according to the word that Jehovah spoke through Jonah. This would place the time of Jonah’s prophesying at about 844 B.C.E., the year of the accession of Jeroboam II of Israel and many years before Assyria, with its capital at Nineveh, began to dominate Israel.
3
There is no question that the entire account of Jonah is authentic. The "Perfecter of our faith, Jesus," referred to Jonah as an actual person and gave the inspired interpretation of two of the prophetic happenings in Jonah, thus showing the book to contain true prophecy. (Heb. 12:2; Matt. 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32) Jonah has always been placed by the Jews among their canonical books and is regarded by them as historical. Jonah’s own candor in describing his mistakes and weaknesses, without any attempt to gloss over them, also marks the record as genuine. (Actually that's bad logic. Plenty of people write bad stuff about themselves, that doesn't make it true, or inspired. Worse yet, they are basing this on the belief that it was written BY Jonah, which they haven't proven yet. )4 What about the "great fish" that swallowed Jonah? There has been considerable speculation as to what kind of fish this may have been. The sperm whale is fully capable of swallowing a man whole. So is the great white shark. The Bible, though, simply states: "Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah." (Jonah 1:17) (Sure they're capable of swallowing a man whole, but they are NOT capable of keeping him alive for three days.) The kind of fish is not specified. It cannot be determined with certainty whether it was a sperm whale, a great white shark, or some other unidentified sea creature. The Bible record that it was "a great fish" is sufficient for our information.
CONTENTSOFJONAH
5 JonahassignedtoNinevehbutrunsaway (1:1-16). "And the word of Jehovah began to occur to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying: ‘Get up, go to Nineveh the great city, and proclaim against her that their badness has come up before me.’" (1:1, 2) Does Jonah relish this assignment? Not one bit! He runs away in the opposite direction, taking a ship for Tarshish, possibly identified with Spain. Jonah’s ship meets up with a great storm. In fear the mariners call for aid, "each one to his god," while Jonah sleeps in the ship’s hold. (1:5) After arousing Jonah, they cast lots in an attempt to discover who is responsible for their plight. The lot falls upon Jonah. It is now that he makes known to them that he is a Hebrew, a worshiper of Jehovah, and that he is running away from his God-given task. He invites them to hurl him into the sea. After making further efforts to bring the ship through, they at last pitch Jonah overboard. The sea stops its raging.
6 Swallowedby"agreatfish" (1:17–2:10). "Now Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, so that Jonah came to be in the inward parts of the fish three days and three nights." (1:17) He prays fervently to Jehovah from inside the fish. "Out of the belly of Sheol" he cries for help and declares that he will pay what he has vowed, for "salvation belongs to Jehovah." (2:2, 9) At Jehovah’s command, the fish vomits Jonah onto the dry land.
7 PreachinginNineveh (3:1–4:11). Jehovah renews his command to Jonah. No longer does Jonah evade his assignment, but he goes to Nineveh. There he marches through the city streets and cries: "Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown." (3:4) His preaching is effective. A wave of repentance sweeps through Nineveh, and its people begin to put faith in God. The king proclaims that man and beast must fast and be clothed in sackcloth. Jehovah mercifully spares the city.
8 This is more than Jonah can bear. He tells Jehovah he knew all along that He would show mercy and that is why he ran away to Tarshish. He wishes he could die. Thoroughly disgruntled, Jonah encamps to the east of the city and waits to see what will happen. Jehovah appoints a bottle-gourd plant to come up as shade over his moody prophet. Jonah’s rejoicing at this is short-lived. Next morning Jehovah appoints a worm to smite the plant, so that its comforting protection is replaced by exposure to a parching east wind and the broiling sun. Again Jonah wishes he could die. Self-righteously he justifies his anger. Jehovah points out his inconsistency: Jonah felt sorry for one bottle-gourd plant but is angry because Jehovah now feels sorry for the great city of Nineveh.
WHYBENEFICIAL
9 Jonah’s course of action and its outcome should stand as a warning to us. He ran away from God-given work; he should have put his hand to the task and trusted in God to uphold him. (Jonah 1:3; Luke 9:62; Prov. 14:26; Isa. 6:8) When he got going in the wrong direction, he showed a negative attitude in failing to identify himself freely to the mariners as a worshiper of "Jehovah the God of the heavens." He had lost his boldness. (Jonah 1:7-9; Eph. 6:19, 20) Jonah’s self-centeredness led him to regard Jehovah’s mercy toward Nineveh as a personal affront; he tried to save face by telling Jehovah that he had known all along that this would be the outcome—so why send him as prophet? He was reproved for this disrespectful, complaining attitude, so we should benefit from his experience and refrain from finding fault with Jehovah’s showing mercy or with his way of doing things.—Jonah 4:1-4, 7-9; Phil. 2:13, 14; 1 Cor. 10:10.
10 Overshadowing everything else in the book of Jonah is its portrayal of the magnificent qualities of Jehovah’s loving-kindness and mercy. Jehovah showed loving-kindness toward Nineveh in sending his prophet to warn of impending destruction, and he was ready to show mercy when the city repented—a mercy that permitted Nineveh to survive more than 200 years until its destruction by the Medes and Babylonians about 632 B.C.E. He showed mercy toward Jonah in delivering him from the storm-tossed sea and in providing the gourd to "deliver him from his calamitous state." By providing the protecting gourd and then taking it away, Jehovah made known to Jonah that He will show mercy and loving-kindness according to His own good pleasure.—Jonah 1:2; 3:2-4, 10; 2:10; 4:6, 10, 11.
11 At Matthew 12:38-41, Jesus told the religious leaders that the only sign that would be given them was "the sign of Jonah." After three days and three nights in "the belly of Sheol," Jonah went and preached to Nineveh, thereby becoming a "sign" to the Ninevites. (Jonah 1:17; 2:2; 3:1-4) Similarly, Jesus spent parts of three days in the grave and was resurrected. When his disciples proclaimed the evidence of that event, Jesus became a sign to that generation. According to the Jewish method of measuring time and the facts in fulfillment of Jesus’ case, this period of "three days and three nights" allows for less than three full days.
12 In this same discussion, Jesus contrasts the repentance of the Ninevites with the hardness of heart and outright rejection he experienced from the Jews during his own ministry, saying: "Men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Jonah preached, but, look! something more than Jonah is here." (See also Matthew 16:4 and Luke 11:30, 32.) "Something more than Jonah"—what did Jesus mean by these words? He was referring to himself as the greatest prophet of all, the One sent by Jehovah to preach: "Repent, you people, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near." (Matt. 4:17) Nevertheless, most of the Jews of that generation rejected "the sign of Jonah." What about today? Although most are not heeding Jehovah’s message of warning, many thousands worldwide are having the glorious opportunity of hearing the good news of God’s Kingdom that was first preached by Jesus, "the Son of man." Like the repentant Ninevites, who were blessed through the preaching of Jonah, these also may share in Jehovah’s abundant and merciful provision for extended life, for truly "salvation belongs to Jehovah."—Jonah 2:9.
Here is a paragraph from an older article:
*** w75 12/1 p. 711 Profiting from Jonah’s Experience ***
The way Jonah responded to Jehovah God’s relenting because the Ninevites repented seemingly puts Jonah in a rather poor light. But was he really that bad, thinking of just himself? Not really. Jonah appears to have been honest, through and through. In his whole account, which, without a doubt, he himself recorded, he does not spare himself, but tells of his weaknesses and shortcomings. However, that is only part of it. He was also a faithful witness to Jehovah God, for when the unbelieving mariners asked him who he was, he boldly replied: "I am a Hebrew, and Jehovah the God of the heavens I am fearing, the One who made the sea and the dry land." In time of trial it took courage to say that, and also to tell them frankly that he had been running away from a commission given to him by Jehovah.—Jonah 1:9.
Why is there no doubt? The book makes no claim that Jonah wrote it, it doesn't even specify that he ever repented, here is the end of the book:
(Jonah 4:9-11) 9 And God proceeded to say to Jo'nah: “Have you rightly become hot with anger over the bottle-gourd plant?” At that he said: “I have rightly become hot with anger, to the point of death.” 10 But Jehovah said: “You, for your part, felt sorry for the bottle-gourd plant, which you did not toil upon or make get big, which proved to be a mere growth of a night and perished as a mere growth of a night. 11 And, for my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nin'e?veh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?”
The end... So did he repent? Dunno, it doesn't say. So how can there be no doubt that he wrote the book when we don't even know if he repented?
What does the WTS have to say about this?
Here it is:
*** w96 5/15 pp. 27-28 Jonah Learns About Jehovah’s Mercy ***
Jehovah now speaks. He asks Jonah: “Have you rightly become hot with anger over the bottle-gourd plant?” Jonah answers: “I have rightly become hot with anger, to the point of death.” In essence, Jehovah now tells the prophet: ‘You felt sorry for the bottle-gourd plant. But you did not toil upon it or make it grow big. It came and perished as a mere growth of a night.’ God further reasoned: ‘For my part, should I not feel sorry for the great city of Nineveh, inhabited by 120,000 men who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?’ (Jonah 4:9-11) The right answer is obvious.
Jonah is repentant and lives to write the Bible book bearing his name. How did he learn that the sailors feared Jehovah, offered Him a sacrifice, and made vows? By divine inspiration or perhaps at the temple from one of the sailors or passengers.—Jonah 1:16; 2:4.
ARGH!
There is no reason to think he wrote the book, so therefore there is no reason to think he repented!
Here's another one:
*** w03 3/15 p. 17 par. 11 Try to See Others as Jehovah Sees Them ***
11 Jonah still did not have the right viewpoint. By means of an object lesson, though, Jehovah patiently helped Jonah to learn that He sees beyond mere appearance. He examines the heart. (Jonah 4:5-11) That Jonah learned a valuable lesson is evident by the candid account that he himself recorded. His willingness to report his shortcomings in embarrassing detail gives further proof of his humility. It takes courage to admit a mistake!
If I recall correctly, they use Jonah's 'candor' to prove that the Bible should be trusted, in this month's Awake.
This could be a fun topic to ask an elder about!
Lore - W.W.S.D?
Just a note. Jonah is connected with Jesus christ and the "sign" that was to be provided to the world in connection with him.
Jonah was in the belly of a fish for "three days and three nights" so likewise Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights. That represented the temporary absence of Jesus in regard to his ministry, his light shining, etc. Thus Jonah, having left his assignment but then returning to it is another reference to the PRODIGAL SON.
The PRODIGAL SON theme is one applied to the Jews, who like Jonah left God's Covenant but were redeemed at the last minute, saved from oblivion. "Unless the days were cut short, no flesh would be saved." In modern fulfillment, that represented ending WWII before all the Jews were exterminated. The Bible prophesied this "great tribulation' would occur and two-thirds of the Jews would be exterminated (Daniel 7; Zech 13;8). The tribulation was to last 7 years, for one week between 62 weeks (434 years) and 7 weeks (49 years), and thus from 1940-1947. But WWII was cut short when two thirds of the Jews had been exterminated by the end of 1944. After that, the Jews were restored by YHWH and the Covenant remained in force for the Jews until the end of the 70th week, that week being from 1947-1996.
http://www.geocities.com/siaxares/jcovwk1996G.GIF (Jewish Covenant Week Chart)
