It's a fishy week here at the Desert Seminary. I'll be posting my sermon on Jonah once it's available. For now, here is a paper on the historicity and importance of Jonah.
Jonah’s Tale of a Whale
Fishing tales are always viewed as suspect. Every time the story is retold, the details seem to be more and more exaggerated. Within the Old Testament, Jonah is sometimes viewed as such a ‘whale of a tale’.[1] Despite these claims, Jonah can and does stand the test of historicity. While one must accept supernatural miracles, as in the fish or whale, the surrounding facts are not only substantiated as true, but also give greater insight into the book. Reading Jonah as a parable not only ignores facts, but also lessens the appreciation for the message of the book. This paper will show that Jonah contains the most impactful message when understood in a literal and historical context.
