Canonicity and Jonah among the Twelve Prophets
The Minor Prophets are often referred to as the Book of the Twelve because, given the books’ brevity, they were often gathered into a single scroll. A 2nd c. AD scroll of the twelve texts was found at Wadi Murabba‘at which has Jonah at its current location between Obadiah and Micah. → provides an extensive overview of the place of the Twelve Prophets within the canon, and the place of Jonah within the Twelve. Both are stable, but not perfectly so.
Regardless of slight movement of canonical order, it is accepted that Jonah was considered a prophetic text and not simply a narrative tale (like Tobit), for it is always included among other prophetic texts. It was ubiquitously known to the rabbinic exegetes and the Christians, none of whom seemed to express doubt about its value or validity.
If one views the Twelve as a collection, Jonah chronologically precedes Nahum, in which Judah rejoices over God’s destruction of Nineveh.
Jonah and the NT
There is no mention of the name “Jonah” outside of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They refer to either “the sign of Jonah” or Peter, who is called “Simon bar Jonah.”
“The Sign of Jonah”
Matthew and Luke are the only two NT texts that refer explicitly to Jonah (Mt 12:39–41; 16:4; Lk 11:29–30,32).
- On the largest scale, Jonah’s experience is a type of Jesus’ death and resurrection and of his faithful followers. There is, however, a stark difference: Jesus is wholly obedient to the Father’s call, preaching repentance and the coming of the Kingdom, submitting to God’s will to the point of death.
- Matthew and Luke’s use of Jonah focuses mainly on the language of “the sign of Jonah” (Mt 12:39; Lk 11:29). Insomuch, Jesus’ audience is condemned for hard-heartedness and is juxtaposed with the Ninevites, who will stand in judgment of them on the Day of the Lord as those who recognized God’s call to repentance in the past and who are able to see God’s continued work through the Christ.
The Q Saying that cites Jonah is found in Mt 12:33–43 and Lk 11:29–30.
- The reconstructed Q 11:31–32, reads: “The queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something more than Solomon is here! Ninevite men will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the announcement of Jonah, and look, something more than Jonah is here!”
In Matthew’s passage, the “sign of Jonah” concerns Jonah’s three days in the whale; while in the Lucan passage, it concerns the repentance of the Ninevites.
Jonah and Resurrection
Jonah’s rescue from the belly of the great fish resonates with stories of resurrection in the NT, particularly Jesus’.
- Jesus’ ministry of healing contains several instances of raising individuals from the dead, including the son of the widow of Nain (Lk 7:11–17); Jarius’ daughter (Lk 8:49–54); Lazarus (Jn 11:1–44), and the emptying of tombs on the day of Jesus’ resurrection (Mt 27:51–53).
- Accounts of Jesus’ disciples performing acts of resurrection include the miraculous revivification of Tabitha (Dorcas) by Peter (Acts 9:36–40) and that of Eutychus by Paul (Acts 20:7–12).
Simon Bar Jonah
In Mt 16:17, Jesus refers to Peter as Simon bar (son of) Jonah (cf. Biblical Intertextuality Jon 1:1 “Simon, Son of Jonah”).
- This is curious, since the name “Jonah” was quite rare in Jesus’ time.
- There are significant connections between Peter and Jonah: both deal extensively with fish and water; both flee God’s call and then repent; both are saved by God’s mercy from drowning; both are inconstant, whereby God demonstrates his steadfastness; both are called to preach repentance to the Gentiles.