Literary analysis of the book of jonah pdf

This work is an investigation of the literary style of the biblical book of jonah. The other bleat, to which i wish to draw attention, concerned the principle that the miraculous does not. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. The book of jonah, the great refusal, and the great fish and what it meansthe psalm. The study ends with an analysis of the history of the interpretation of the book of jonah, demonstrating how the structures of adjacency pairs in the narrative have been successfully and unsuccessfully interpreted. The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. Nonetheless, the book has a profound message the author intends to convey to its readers which this study will uncover. Jonah as a generic crux interpretum the little book of jonah confronts bible commentators and critics alike with a rather large hermeneutical crux. The book of jonah in the context of postexilic theology of. Many critics however want to lower the book of jonah to an allegory, a parable or a legend because of the miracles described in it especially the appearing of the great fish devouring jonah.

The book of jonah demonstrates the scope of gods mercy as he receives other nations and the mediatorial role israel was to fulfill. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to. In this absorbing volume, professor raymond person explores the role of conversation in narrative and critical analysis, specifically in the book of jonah. The foundational source for the book was likely jonah s own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. This paper attempts to achieve its objective by proposing a literary analysis of jonah 1. A story analysis, as the name suggests, is a thorough analysis of the story. Jonah is the central character in the book of jonah, in which god commands him to go to the city of nineveh to prophesy against it for their great wickedness is come up before me, but jonah instead attempts to flee from the presence of the lord by going to jaffa and sailing to tarshish. The prophet jonah is best known for the storm at sea and his stay in the big fish which after three days. No wonder that it attracted the attention of many scholars and commentators throughout the ages.

The literary structure and brevity of the book point to a unified work. The last chapter of the book of jonah, like the last chapters of most books, not only. Its timeless art comes across the generations and millennia and touches. In a pair of articles on literary structure and the book of jonah, ernst wendland argues for what makes a chiasm valid, with a test case in the book of jonah. Essays are the most common book of jonah literary analysis type of academic paper and sometimes, you are assigned just too many of them.

Here are some tips that will help you write a story analysis. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The artistic devices used and the structure of the story attest to. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the. This article contains chapter 2 of the book a dove to the land of war.

The book has been read as an allegory, using fictional figures to symbolize some other reality. Notice that these two questions are completely independent and the answer of one need not affect the answer of the other. Literary genre type unlike the other minor prophets. Fundamentally has the opportunity to expand his selfidentity to include that of the unrighteous, unworthy of gods 6 ibid. Literary analysis of jonah chiasmus in jonah has been noted by numerous biblical scholars.

The journal of hebrew scriptures jhs is glad to provide its readers a revised version of the papers that were presented at that meeting. Beneath the surface, however, the book interacts with deep theological questions at the core of the human condition, questions that also find expressionwith various answers. Among the books of minor profits, the book of jonah is very unique because jonah was the only prophet who is recorded as having run away from god. A literary, theological, and canonical analysis of the book of jonah. A literary exegetical and socialscientific analysis of the book of jonah. Thus, the objective of this exposition paper is to understand jonah 1 in the light of the overarching theological message of the book. In the following excerpt, smith discusses the date of composition of jonah, the nature of its narrative. The book of jonah focuses on israels prophetic role to the nations. Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. Doc literary analysis of the book of jonah alex sasha. It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. An analysis of phyllis trible and jonah 3 by jacob rennaker phyllis tribles analysis of the book of jonah reveals a literarily complex work that carries a great deal of rhetorical force.

In order to write an analysis of the story, it is important to read the story two to three times. We read nowhere in the book that jonah confessed his sin and received a new heart. Relating jonah to ancient hebrew tragedy suggests a broader, more sophisticated expression. The literary art of jonah by moshe pelli the book of jonah is one of the most fascinating books in the hebrew bible. Nevertheless, focus on the whale highlights the genre. Jonah research brief leaders list pastor mark driscoll. Typically, what is at the center of the majority of these arguments is jonahs psalm found in chapter 2. I used to think that god never gave reasons for what he does but now i am convinced that god always makes commentary to jonah rev. Sleeping christians like to hide out among the church jonah slept in a place where he could not help with the work that needed to be done. An exposition of its ancient social values by jomari schader a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree.

Introduction jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of book of jonah. The title of the studysalvation belongs to the lordcomes directly from jonah 2. This study aims for the former but uses the apparatus of modern literary criticism and applies anthropological constructs which may be helpful in this regard. The book of jonah comes from the old testament and is grouped with the minor prophets. Allusions in rabbinic literature to the biblical character jonah, the unwilling prophet on whom the book of jonah centers, contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond what is presented in the text of the bible itself. Pdf the literary character of the book of jonah peter. The first is the historical setting of the writing of this book. The following structure is based on a careful analysis of the content of jonah in the hebrew text. Conversation analysis, literary criticism, and the book of jonah. The book is not historical, but rather a folk tale with manifold entertaining elements, such as defecating birds, meddling fish, menacing demons, and disguised angels. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this important book in the canon of scripture without realizing that they are playing into the hands of the critics and innocently becoming the dupes of the skeptics.

From the postbiblical period to this day, jews and christians, professors and non professors of. Moreover, with regard to the question of the literary unity of the book of jonah, its important to consider in which way the various chapters tie in with their use of the same hebrew stems. A literaryexegetical and socialscientific analysis of. The book of jonah the book of jonah is one of the old testament books of the minor profits. Literary analysis of the book of jonah indicates a number of features found in the. Specifically, i will explore how the book of jonah may be read as a type of folktale. The analysis of the various imaginative genre classifications of the book of jonah shows that scholars have viewed the book as an allegory, parable, mashal, prophetic legend, midrash, novella, or. Typically, what is at the center of the majority of these arguments is jonah s psalm found in chapter 2. Analysis of the book of jonah essay 2162 words 9 pages. While the story line is so simple that children follow it readily, the story is marked by as high a degree of literary sophistication as any book in the hebrew bible. The word of the lord came to jonah and jonah refused. In the book of jonah, jonah the prophet is instructed to go to a pagan city nineveh to preach to the ninevites, hoping that they will repent for their sins. Conversation analysis, literary criticism and the book of jonah 9780567425935 by raymond f. Samuel saldivar the primary goal of this study is to discuss jonah s message in the light of the rest of scripture.

The book of jonah is filled with valuable information and timeless lessons. By dissertation submitted to the faculty of the in partial. A literary, theological, and canonical analysis of the. The book of jonah and biblical tragedy gordon college faculty. The goal is to determine historical study, discover literary analysis, and describe theological formulation what the text meant to its original audience and to explicate what it means today. This problem does not directly concern certain constituent passages though there are also several di. Jonah slept in a place where he hoped no one would see him or disturb him. The literary devices used and the artistic structure.

The literary buildup of the book of jonah as a diptych. Sleeping christians stay away from the work of the lord jonah slept while there was a prayer meeting up on the deck. On the contrary, through a literary analysis, the lasting mes sage to humanity is heard loud and clear. First, jonah s literary features will be discussed in order to. The book of jonah translated word for word and explained. Set in the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc, it was probably written in the postexilic period, some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc.

Jonah and the whale almost serves as a cipher or cliffsnotes kind of summary for the book, despite the facts that 1 the book never calls the animal in question a whale but simply a fish or big fish, and 2 the fish episode is hardly what the book of jonah is primarily about. In both approaches a rationalistic blindness is revealed to the meaning of the haggadah in the message of the bible. Conversation is a critical component of biblical prose, but also poses significant. The literary and historical aspects of the book of jonah tell an intriguing narrative. A literaryexegetical and socialscientific analysis of the. The meaning of the number of days mentioned in the book of jonah. Starting with a detailed analysis of word usage repetition of words and phrases, the structure of individual chapters and of the book as a whole, the use of quotations from elsewhere in the bible, it examines the relationship between these elements and the ideas the story itself conveys. Analysis of the book of jonah essay 2162 words bartleby. He affirms the necessity of examining conversation as one of the primary elements of all narratives, believing that understanding how conversation operates will lend greater understanding of the text. As our church begins to study jonah, i share the outlines from his second article.

Conversation analysis, literary criticism, and the book of jonah raymond f. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. The book of jonah is an example that will be used to determine if this particular story describes an accurate recount of history, or if it teaches the readers a lesson. The author employs structure, humor, hyperbole, irony, double entendre, and literary figures like merism to. Literary features the book of jonah is a literary masterpiece. The historical content of the book of jonah can be divided into two sections. Fifth in the canonical order of the minor prophets. Woodard literary analysis of the book of jonah indicates a number of features found in the ot tragedies about samson and saul, as well as the tragic narrative of adam and eve.

The purpose of the book of jonah is to show gods people that his plan is exceedingly compassionate god is gracious and exceedingly certain god is sovereign. One of the more popular narratives of the bible, jonah is included with the prophetic books of the old testament. The fluidity of christian theological understanding of the. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. It has been proposed by some that the book of jonah was written for the yehudite elite, as a meant, by the author, for his audience to reflect critically on themselves. He then refines readerresponse theory especially that of wolfgang iser and provides a readerresponse commentary on the book.

Studying the book of jonah the study of jonah should be understood as a historical, literary, and theological discipline. Historically, how was jonah classified in terms of. Seven episodes in jonah 7 jonah s lesson about compassion 4. Conversation analysis, literary criticism and the book of jonah the library of hebrew bibleold testament studies person jr. Labat also included columns indicating the development of this symbol in his manual on. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. The literary and historical aspects of the book of jonah tell an intriguing. It differs from them in that while they for the most part contain prophetic discourses, with a minimum of narrative material, the book of jonah is mainly occupied with a narrative, and the prophetic message in it is almost incidental. Peter van t riet a dove to the land of war the book of jonah translated.

Seven episodes in jonah 7 jonahs lesson about compassion 4. What is the books literary genrestyle parody, satire, humor, etc. Next, the theological messages of the book will be developed under the guidance of the discoveries provided by the literary study. According to this interpretation, jonah is a symbol of israel in its. Perhaps we could reflect upon a few of these matters. While he has some good insights, too often his implied reader strangely sounds a lot like his satiring author. Sep 01, 1991 a technical academic volume that attempts to bring together conversation theory with a study of the book of jonah. This did not mean, however, that jonah remained the same. In these few remarks, i examine persons application of linguistic methodology to conversation in jonah.

Our paper writers are able to help you with all kinds of essays, including application essays, persuasive essays, and so on. Getting into jonah by seeing the books literary structures. The book of jonah is also the only one that isnt a compilation of prophecies condemning the wicked and rewarding the righteous. First, jonah \u27s literary features will be discussed in order to discern the major emphases within the book. First, we should note that this marvelous narrative has suffered the brunt of the critics barbs for a long while. Selected bibliography of the book of jonah related media. The story, about a prophet named jonah, was written to criticize and rebuke the narrow spirit of nationalism that jonah observed among so many of the jewish people. Top literary structures of the bible book of jonah pericope literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of book of jonah chiastic structure and concentric structure and parallel of each pericope 1 jonah tries to run away from god a1.

My reading of jonah presupposes an artistic author, or editor, as composer of the book of jonah in its final form. When a literary exegetical analysis was conducted of the book of jonah, it was indicated that the author of the book employed various literary and stylistic techniques that contributes to the unified structure of the book of jonah. A literaryexegetical and socialscientific analysis of the book of jonah. When a literary exegetical analysis was conducted of the book of jonah, it was indicated that the author of the book employed various literary and stylistic techniques that. Lewiss opinion, the literary genre of biblical books, in particular, the gospels. Doc literary analysis of the book of jonah alex sasha m.

Essays and criticism on book of jonah further reading. An overview of the discourse structure of jonah the structural outline presented below is only partialin two respects. A literary look at nahum, habakkuk, and zephaniah richard patterson although the stool of proper biblical exegesis must rest evenly upon the four legs of grammar, history, theology, and literary analysis, too often the literary leg receives such short fashioning that the resulting hermeneutical product is left unbalanced. An expert in rhetorical criticism, trible not only identifies the literary devices present in the book of jonah. Pdf the literary character of the book of jonah peter van. Person the author analyses the various conversations that occur between the characters in the jonah narrative and the conversation that occurs between the text and its readers.

However, to my knowledge this is the first attempt to present an overall literary analysis of the book as a whole. The book of jonah the new english translation net jonah tries to run from the lord 1. Literary patterns, theological themes, and the genre of lukeacts. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author.

The analysis of the various imaginative genre classifications of the book of jonah shows that scholars have viewed the book as an allegory. The correct way to begin story analysis is by mentioning the story synopsis in your own. Although often classified with the prophets, the book of jonah is not a prophetic book. The author analyses the various conversations that occur between the characters in the jonah narrative and the conversation that occurs between the text and its readers.