Swallowing Jonah: strategies of reading Biblical narratives

Abstract

Interpreters of the book of Jonah understand the characterisation of Jonah, and hence the meaning of the book, in a variety of ways. These interpretive models may be categorised under seven headings: Jonah as Pinocchio, psychotic, Prometheus, fall-guy, patriot, prophet, and reluctant missionary. They reflect the spectrum of opinions regarding whether Jonah ultimately serves as a positive or negative example. How one decides this issue depends on the interpreter's understanding of the larger group whom Jonah represents. In turn, this will largely determine what is perceived as the main message of the book. Thus the surface-level question driving this investigation is, how is the reader to understand the character of Jonah? Many underlying epistemological and hermeneutical factors influence one's response to such questions. These include the nature and locus of meaning, the possibility of communication, the properties of a text, the potential for narratives to convey values, the possibility of authors to communicate intentions, and the correlative possibility of readers to identify communicative in tentions. The thesis advanced here is that narrative conventions may inform readers on how to understand biblical narratives. Functional knowledge of these conventions, particularly those pertaining to setting, plot and characterisation, enables readers to identify more accurately the values espoused by biblical authors. Moreover, the characterisation of Jonah is clarified when the narrative is read in this light, including which group he is meant to represent and whether he is portrayed positively or negatively. The larger group Jonah represents includes those who presume a covenantal relationship with Yahweh based on illegitimate grounds. The narrative conventions reveal a negative portrayal of Jonah and the sins he represents: pride, hypocrisy, callousness toward others and small-mindedness before a sovereign God. Thus the book indicts those who presume upon God's compassion based on mere affiliation with a group. The goal of this thesis is to set forth the value of knowing conventions of setting, plot and characterisation. Awareness of and attention to these factors hold the promise for more nuanced understanding both of Jonah as well as other narratives of the Hebrew Bible