Preconceptions
Before coming into this class what did you believe about Jonah? I believed Jonah was just a miraculous story about a man being swallowed by a fish. I assume that Jonah is the author of his own story. I know that Jonah was saved by the fish or whale for God’s purpose. He was being punished for not being aligned with God’s plans. The sea would play a role because it stored the beast that saves Jonah. It is miraculous and that is what makes it so memorable.
How would you describe your relationship to Jonah I see Jonah as I see the rest of the Bible’s books as sacred text that goes along with the whole history of humanity. I can honestly say I have overlooked the prophets and have stayed primarily in the New Testament or the …show more content…
Jonah is a personal narrative in a way and it is interesting because that is very different other books of the Bible because he tells the story and never explains the message while others were more straightforward with their message (Stuart, 1987, p. 431). The story could be considered as a prophetic message because of its forth telling of the events of Nineveh (Stuart, 1987, p. 436). The book of Jonah is a narrative, but it also has been categorized in a plethora of genres such as journalism, epic, parody, Midrash, satire, folktale, and fance (Walton, 2006, p. 458). The most important aspect of Jonah is that it is a coherent narrative beginning in Media Res(Tribe, 1994, p. 493). The book has a psalm within itself to bring a new level of sadness with Jonah being in the whale. Literary aspects put Jonah in theses aspects especially the ones that need to look more deeply into Jonah such as it being possibly an analogy for justice versus mercy and God and his relationship with all people (Trible, 1994, p 484). Jonah being a narrative shows him and God as the main protagonist while everybody else except for the Nineties as minor characters (Trible, 1994, p. 474). There are instances of irony such as Jonah expressing God is the creator of land and sea while he is fleeing from God on the sea (Walton, 2006, p. 476). The plethora of literary details and techniques do not make up for the lack of historical context ,but elevates the story to being what it was intended to be great literature that gives emphasis on the Lord and his
Before coming into this class what did you believe about Jonah? I believed Jonah was just a miraculous story about a man being swallowed by a fish. I assume that Jonah is the author of his own story. I know that Jonah was saved by the fish or whale for God’s purpose. He was being punished for not being aligned with God’s plans. The sea would play a role because it stored the beast that saves Jonah. It is miraculous and that is what makes it so memorable.
How would you describe your relationship to Jonah I see Jonah as I see the rest of the Bible’s books as sacred text that goes along with the whole history of humanity. I can honestly say I have overlooked the prophets and have stayed primarily in the New Testament or the …show more content…
Jonah is a personal narrative in a way and it is interesting because that is very different other books of the Bible because he tells the story and never explains the message while others were more straightforward with their message (Stuart, 1987, p. 431). The story could be considered as a prophetic message because of its forth telling of the events of Nineveh (Stuart, 1987, p. 436). The book of Jonah is a narrative, but it also has been categorized in a plethora of genres such as journalism, epic, parody, Midrash, satire, folktale, and fance (Walton, 2006, p. 458). The most important aspect of Jonah is that it is a coherent narrative beginning in Media Res(Tribe, 1994, p. 493). The book has a psalm within itself to bring a new level of sadness with Jonah being in the whale. Literary aspects put Jonah in theses aspects especially the ones that need to look more deeply into Jonah such as it being possibly an analogy for justice versus mercy and God and his relationship with all people (Trible, 1994, p 484). Jonah being a narrative shows him and God as the main protagonist while everybody else except for the Nineties as minor characters (Trible, 1994, p. 474). There are instances of irony such as Jonah expressing God is the creator of land and sea while he is fleeing from God on the sea (Walton, 2006, p. 476). The plethora of literary details and techniques do not make up for the lack of historical context ,but elevates the story to being what it was intended to be great literature that gives emphasis on the Lord and his