by waton 24 Replies latest social humour
“Jesus referenced the Jonah Story , so the Gospels say, but did he view it as Literal and full of facts ? I doubt it.”
Have to agree here. Eg. I could say that “ I feel outraged at injustice, just like Hamlet” ...... but would that mean that I believe the story of Hamlet to be true? No, just that he is a figure from a story so well known that it illustrates my point perfectly.
I'm an atheist all on here know that and most know I'm a minimalist in biblical research. But in regards to Jesus quoting Jonah. if we assume the texts are true Jesus quotes the Jonah story saying Jonah was in the whale's belly three days and three nights and also here is where NT Christians have an issue, The prophecy in Jonah is in chapter 2 describing Jonah gong to Sheol in effect. Thus many Christians today say Jesus went to hell and suffered Jonah chapter 2. And of course Jonah three days in the whale become three days in hades.
I'm posting this without any atheist background.. the above is what many Christian believe^^^
Another example of Gospel writers using a Motif from the O.T perhaps ? I doubt Jesus spoke those words and it was remembered and passed down to the Gospel writer.
Our great Poster Leolaia has a Post, or probably more than one, of the many Motifs used by the Gospel writers that come form the O.T.
I'm an atheist all on here know that and most know I'm a minimalist in biblical research. But in regards to Jesus quoting Jonah. if we assume the texts are true Jesus quotes the Jonah story saying Jonah was in the whale's belly three days and three nights
Except the author of Luke said 'the sign of Jonah' was something entirely different (probably because Matthew's claim isn't even consistent with the 'resurrection story', which has Jesus dead for less than 48 hours).
Regarding the 'sign of Jonah', Luke 11:30, 32 says:
For just as Joʹnah became a sign to the Ninʹe·vites, so will the Son of man be to this generation. ... The men of Ninʹe·veh will rise in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at what Joʹnah preached. But look! something more than Joʹnah is here.
So 'the sign of Jonah' according to Luke alludes to Jonah 'preaching to the Ninevites' and nothing at all to do with piscatorial accommodations or reanimated corpses. At least one of the quotes isn't really 'what Jesus said', let alone whether he meant it literally or not. So it's more likely the anecdotes were entirely made up later.
The author of Matthew, with his Jewish audience, was especially interested in taking things from the Old Testament, and framing them as 'prophecies', often without any basis in the OT that it was ever meant to be considered 'prophetic'.
Honestly, the main reason I read posts on this site is for posts like this one. LOL
