Name: Placiente, Patrick V.

Subject: OT Prophets

Title: DEATH IN LIFE: THE BOOK OF JONAH AND BIBLICAL TRAGEDY

Author: Woodward Branson L.

Summary of the main point:

The book of Jonah has a lot of interpretation and

assumptions other scholars interpret it as a history, but others
contradict it by saying as a prose poem. While others say it is
a parody and caricature. The characteristic of the tragedy in
the text says a lot of things about Jonah. First Jonah pictures
a prophet that is a rebel against God. He first encounters his
first dilemma instead of going to ninevie he went to tarshish
picturing a characteristic which contrary to a prophets
thinking. Jonah thinks that he can flee from the presence of the
highest God. Somehow what Jonah’s picturing is similar to the
old testaments patriarchs and prophets like Samson, and Elijah
and finally Saul. The prophets decision now lead to divine
judgements the boat’s crew grew weary and began unloading the
lots inside the ship. The captain of the ship now asking Jonah
how could he sleep amidst the storm? Here it pictures again a
characteristic of ironic situation. Where the Captain is asking
help from Jonah’s God when in fact it is his judgement Jonah for
being a hard headed this way of thinking is syncretistic kind.
In order to calm the storm they ask Jonah of what should they do
Jonah said that they may cast him into the sea. But the writer
thinks that it will just add to the problem throwing an innocent
man to sea would surely involve certain death and so they fought
the waves and try to overpower them not knowing that God makes
the winds strong. So after their struggles they have decided to
throw Jonah overboard thus the storm calms but they were not
happy because they think that they are the cause of death of
innocent man. The third part was his suffering. Jonah was
swallowed by the great fish and for three days he is in the
belly of the fish. The story now pictures from death to hope.
God told the fish to vomit him on the land this signifies that
salvation is only from the God. Jonah witness how God is so
concern for those who are sinners and perishing. According to
the author one useful in literary artistry is contrast. Like
death and life doomed and salvation. Here the author suggest
that the book of Jonah is a phraseology its content and its
structure and its wording is somewhat the same with the book of
genesis or the other historical books in the bible.

Evaluation of the Main point:

The author once said that Jonah’s flight to tarshish is

just out of fear but it is a challenge to the lord. For me as a
reader I would disagree with the author. Ninevie is known for
their wickedness and it even come up to the lord. They are the
one of most satiric enemy of the Israelites before. For me it is
not just challenging the lord for how could he challenge the
lord and on what perspective can he challenge the lord. Let’s
say he challenging in a positive way he is challenging the lord
whether he will do miraculous power in order to show his real
power. But the story goes on to different ending. Jonah flee to
tarshish and so if he is challenging God if he could escape from
his presence the story goes on different ending still. For me as
a student still I would prefer to believe that it is endeed out
pf fear that Jonah is not willing to go to tarshish, he might be
thinking that if he preach in that place there would be person
who will kill him or mock him. Anyway they are not people who
believe on the same God as Jonah.

Conclusion:

The book of Jonah is one of the most interesting books in

the Old Testament. It has a lot of hidden truth about God. It
has its own structure and it even uses play of words. For me
Jonah should be understood as a historical event in the bible.
Events in the story is real and even the characters are personal
and real. It is not just a symbol of the people of God who are
save from the bondage or slavery.