There is debate among scholars regarding the authorial intention of the Book of Jonah found in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Was the author creating a historical account of the prophet Jonah of the 8th century BC, or a piece of allegory, exclusively intended for rhetorical purposes? Could it be both? Some readers preliminarily conclude that all books contained in the Bible are historical accounts of real events primarily and even exclusively. However, to reach this conclusion without first examining the rhetorical and historical evidence of a text may be a hermeneutical assertion rather than an honest quest for textual accuracy and truth. It is imperative to remember that every book in the Bible, including the Book of Jonah, was written by people who lived in a specific time period and crafted for a specific purpose (only fully known by the author of a text). Therefore, to arrive at a more accurate interpretation of a text, it is vital to ask the question: What did the original author mean when they wrote this? This can be speculated and assessed through rhetorical and historical analysis. So, what was the author’s intention of the book of Jonah? Some scholars argue that the purpose was to create a historical document of Jonah’s journey to Ninevah, the capital of Babylon, and that all the events, as written, are exactly as they happened. Other scholars argue this was a generated story formed by the Israelite Prophets during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BC, in order to critique Jewish nationalism and end Babylonian hatred. I propose that the latter set of scholars are correct. The Book of Jonah, I propose, is best read as allegorical literature written during the 6th century BC, formed to critique Jewish nationalism and remind Israel of their place as priests to all nations, which, the author emphasizes, includes the all-consuming whale that is Babylon.

*Come back later to read the rest!*

Editing in process…