Sign from the fish's belly

James Jordan · 28 Jan 2003, 19:22 · from urth-v0301.mbox · original

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From: James Jordan <jbjordan4 at cox.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Sign from the fish's belly
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 13:22:16 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0301-2853 at digest.urth.net>
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Razorkittee:

         Well, there is a lot more going on in Jonah than appears to modern=20
readers, because we don't read as ancient writers wrote. The sea is the=20
gentiles, and the fish is a gentile nation. Israel is in a few years going=20
to be tossed into the gentile sea and swallowed by the big fish of Assyria.=20
While there she will repent and then be cast back up on the land, returning=20
from exile. Jonah's mission, actually, is to make Assyria into a place that=20
will be more friendly to the Israelites they will conquer and capture in a=20
few decades, for there will be some residual respect for Israel's God.
         The gourd plant also signifies Assyria: springing up rapidly=20
(under Jonah's preaching), temporarily providing protection for Israel in=20
captivity, but destined to collapse, at which  point protection for Israel=20
also collapses. God shows the good things that can come to Israel when the=20
Gentiles convert, and then rebukes him for his stingy attitude.
         Other literary touches include chapter 1, which shows Jonah=20
already down in the sea in the sense of being in "deep sleep" in the hold=20
of the ship. When he awakens and comes up,  the sailors listen to him and=20
praise Yahweh. This narrative sequence duplicates by anticipation the=20
conversion of Assyria after Jonah comes up from "deep sleep" in the sea.=20
("Deep sleep" is a specialized noun in Hebrew, used rarely. It means=20
"comatose.")
         Whether one views the book of Jonah as predictive prophecy or as=20
allegory after the fact, the book is an almost incredible literary work.=20
Not only are there all the parallels, a few of which I have just mentioned,=20
but each chapter is a neat literary unit styled as a complete and very=20
elaborate chiasm (ABCDEFGFEDCBA).
         All of which is interesting, but not necessarily relevant at all=20
to what Wolfe has done with his brief allusion. Since there are numerous=20
aspects to the Jonah story, and what Jesus means by alluding to it, we have=20
to try and discern which of these Wolfe intended.

Nutria


--=20

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