If there is one book of the Bible likely to be treated as a myth or parable, it would be the great story of Jonah.
The colourful account of a disobedient prophet and a convenient great fish make for a story that is both entertaining and deeply challenging. Is the story historical?
The problem of the fish
Answers to this question tend to focus on the problem of the fish. What swallowed Jonah? The ancient Israelites would not have distinguished between mammals and fish so the aquatic rescuer might have been a whale. How could Jonah have survived three days in its belly? For this we must accept the possibility of the miraculous. Miracles are generally spectacular, unique events that are hard to prove in any conventional sense.
But it is worth bearing in mind there is a miracle in the Book of Jonah of far greater significance and one that should be evident in the historical record. The revival of the great city of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrians, along with the repentance of its King, ought to leave some kind of record.
Jonah’s tomb
ISIS militants recently demolished the ancient tomb of Jonah in modern day Mosul which stands over the site of the ancient palace of Nineveh. Archaeologists are already carrying out salvage work to recover what Islamist terrorists had not looted or destroyed. Who knows what may be about to emerge?
But there are hints from the historical record that Jonah’s preaching may indeed have left an impression. The very title ‘King of Nineveh’ (Jonah 3.6) is an unusual one, given that we might expect this person to be called the ‘King of Assyria.’ Nineveh was not the capital of Assyria during the time of Jonah and the title may indicate that Jonah was preaching to the chief of the city, rather than the king of the entire empire of Assyria.
Jonah’s date
At this point, the date of Jonah’s ministry becomes important. Jonah preached sometime during the reign of Jeroboam II (c.793 –746 BC). During this period, two very important facts stand out.
First, there is about a 40-year gap between the reign of Adad-Nirari III (c.783 BC) and Tiglath-Pileser III (c.745 BC) in which the Assyrian empire lacks any strong, unifying king. There is a scarcity of royal decrees and powerful city rulers act quite independently of the king. Assyria does not carry out its military expansionism during this period and individual city rulers could act as if they were themselves kings. Israel and Judah have a little reprieve until the rise of Tiglath-Pileser III when Assyria returns to its aggressive foreign policies.
A second curious fact is worth mentioning. Monotheism, in some form, rarely occurs outside of Israel in the ancient world. But it does occur. Famously in Egypt around the time of Moses. But also, briefly in the time of Adad-Nirari III around the time of Jonah. We should not exaggerate this to suggest it is a biblical theology of the Lord, but it is interesting all the same. A statue housed at the British Museum from the time of Adad-Nirari III is dedicated to Nabu (a god of wisdom and writing). It includes the line: ‘O Man coming hereafter, wait on Nabu. Trust no other god.’ Could this have been part of a decree issued in the wake of Jonah’s preaching? Could Jonah explain a short-lived attempt to impose monotheism in Assyria? The circumstances of this period in Assyria’s history would certainly fit the impact of a people who had deserved judgment, but responded to God’s grace. Who knows what may yet show up in excavations in the palace of Nineveh, but there is already good reason to read Jonah as historical.
