The discussion of the literary features of the
book of Jonah by John Walton in ZIBBC covers three aspects. First of all,
Walton notes that the book of Jonah shares a number of narrative motifs with
the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Story of Adapa (5:103-104):
All of these feature a hero/anti-hero who is out of favor with deity and
engaged in a mission in which he encounters danger and experiences confusion
about divine ways.
Jonah, however, is a prophet, whereas Adapa
is a priest/sage and Gilgamesh a king.
Walton notes that in modern scholarship Jonah
is thought to be a parody or a satire. He describes the book of Jonah as a satire, specifically
(5:104),
a written composition in which vice, folly, or incompetence is held up
for ridicule. The closer to reality a satire can be, the more effective it is. By
definition, it targets real people and tries to use the mannerisms and words
that they use. Satire exaggerates reality, but by its nature is based on
reality.
Walton goes on to cite other examples of parody
and satire in the Bible and ancient Near Eastern literature. Finally, he
raises the possibility that the fish in Jonah be understood in light of the appearance
in ancient literature of divinely appointed creatures sent from the gods,
creatures that are presented as real but supernatural. For comparative
purposes, Walton cites the “Bull of Heaven” Anu sends against Gilgamesh and
Enkidu, and the cherubim / seraphim in the Bible.
Walton never criticizes those who think of
the book of Jonah as if it were an example of modern historical biography the
dialogues of which amount to transcripts of conversations between the human protagonists and between Jonah and God. Without dogmatism, he argues for
another approach. Walton attempts to understand the book of Jonah on its own
terms in light of everything we know about the literary conventions of the
time.
Zondervan Illustrated Bible
Backgrounds Commentary
A Review Series
Reading
Genesis as if Moses wrote it in the Late Bronze Age
The
ZIBBC: An Overview
Genre
Identifications in the ZIBBC Part One
Genre
Identifications in the ZIBBC Part Two
Genre
Identifications in the ZIBBC Part Three
Genre
Identifications in the ZIBBC Part Four
Bibliography
John H. Walton, general editor. Zondervan
Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2009.
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