Reading Jonah as ‘history’? The implications of canonical location for Jonah and the Book of the Twelve

Abstract

From an interpretive standpoint, Jonah presents as one of the more difficult books in the Old Testament. Is the book intended to critique the actions of God, of Israel, of the prophet, or of prophecy as a whole? The fantastic story of a prophet located in the middle of a collection that contains very little narrative, Jonah is unique among the writings of the Book of the Twelve (BT). With the rise of biblical criticism, particularly narrative analysis, biblical scholars have long left the idea that Jonah was ever intended to be understood as a historical account. However, the two separate orders of the BT (LXX and MT) position Jonah in a different canonical location. I contend that one of the reasons for this discrepancy relates to the different readings of Jonah as ‘history’. Though the LXX makes the reasonable decision to place the two prophecies concerning Assyria (Jonah–Nahum) next to one another, the MT, followed by the English versions, has separated them. While it is impossible to state with certainty the interpretive viewpoint of the editors of the MT, I contend that the canonical location of Jonah within the BT is, in part, dependent on reading Jonah as a historical event. In other words, the MT editors, perhaps unlike the LXX editors, saw the historical results of Jonah’s actions as essential to the overall structure and theology of the BT. The book is positioned at a critical location within the Twelve, one that gives explanation to YHWH’s (historical) actions in the past, in order to give hope to his people in the future. Such a reading raises interpretive questions about God, his people, the nations and the overall theology of the BT.