Jonah: Introduction and Commentary by Amy Erickson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Jonah: Introduction and Commentary by Amy Erickson Steven T. Mann amy erickson, Jonah: Introduction and Commentary by (Illuminations; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2021). Pp. xxiv + 466. $70. Amy Erickson offers readers an extensive and insightful overview of the history of interpretation regarding the Book of Jonah, as well as an intriguing analysis of its translation and meaning. E. divides the study into two parts: an introduction and a commentary. Each part is organized into smaller sections and subsections that will allow readers to easily locate a particular topic of interest. In addition to providing a broad overview of historical interpretations, the introduction illuminates ways in which interpretations of Jonah are dependent on perspectives of the interpreter and interpreting community. The commentary section demonstrates various ways in which the story itself fosters polyvalent and even ambivalent interpretations. For example, E. points out that each chapter of the book participates in its own distinct genre, generating reflection out of tension and ambiguity. This aspect of Jonah leads E. to suggest similarities with the Book of Job as explored by Carol Newsom (The Book of Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations [New York: Oxford University Press, 2003]). The first part of the book begins with a discussion of several preliminary topics including text, language, provenance, genre, and literary characteristics. E. demonstrates ways in which interpretation is never created in a vacuum but is directly tied to specific perspectives and presuppositions held by an interpreter and/or interpretative community. Drawing on an article by Yvonne Sherwood ("Cross-Currents in the Book of Jonah: Some Jewish and Cultural Midrashim on a Traditional Text," BibInt 6 [1998] 49–79), E. points out that "commentators who have read the book as a satire have done so as a result of their Protestant biases and at the expense of a suitably complex characterization of Jonah" (p. 40). Noting that the humor in the story is not restricted to Jonah but extends to every character, E. suggests that it is better to view the story as a parody rather than a satire. The bulk of the first half of this study explores what E. calls the "history of consequences," a term that includes "a range of uses, applications, and effects" that will enable readers "to appreciate those consequences that are not (at least in the traditional sense) textually based or rooted" (p. 66). E. provides an overview of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and modern "consequences" throughout history, with different historical periods discussed separately. This includes interpretations that are found not only in midrash and canonical texts but also literature, liturgy, and various artistic expressions. E. demonstrates that many (but not all) Jewish interpreters have tended to view the character Jonah in a positive light, suggesting, for example, that Jonah refuses to follow Yhwh's initial direction to prophesy against Nineveh because he knows of Assyria's future military action and is attempting to protect Israel. In this way, Jonah's refusal is "a reverent act of disobedience" (p. 79). Jewish readings have also tended to appreciate and debate the tensions in the story in search of deeper meanings. Christian interpretations have similarly sought deep meanings but have [End Page 299] been dominated by two ambivalent perspectives: one that views Jonah typologically to represent the resurrected Christ, and the other presenting Jonah in a supersessionist light that portrays the Jewish people as stubborn and hopeless, abandoned by God in favor of the gentiles. Muslim interpretations tend to view Jonah positively due to his prayer in chap. 2, which is viewed as "a second-person iteration of Islam's basic statement of faith, the shahadah ('There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet')" (p. 194). E. points out that "Jonah (Yūnus) is the only one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the OT mentioned in the Qur'an" and that "one of Muhammad's sayings warns people against saying they are superior to Jonah" (p. 194). In discussing modern consequences, E. exposes several disturbing dominant Christian interpretations of Jonah that have tended to impose inappropriate reductionist and anti-Semitic overtones upon the book. In the commentary section, E. examines several translation issues and explores the story's...