There are many different scholarly views of the Old Testament Book of Jonah. Discussion of them can be found in The Jewish Study Bible, Pages 1198-1199, A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament, Pages 438-439), and in one book all Catholics should have on hand, The Catholic Study Bible, Second Edition, Pages 278-279.
The confusion is expanded because there are a couple of stories that are difficult to accept as literal truth (Jonah spending three days in a fish and coming out unharmed (Jonah 1:17) and all of Nineveh, people and even the animals, wearing sackcloth, fasting, and repenting (Jonah 3:8-10). There is also the lack of any claim of authorship in the Book of Jonah. There are Biblical references to Jonah elsewhere.
- Jonah is identified as “son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher” (Second Kings 14:25).
- Jesus refers to his time in the “belly of the sea monster” as a foreshadowing of his own time in the tomb. (Matthew 12:39-40)
- Jesus refers to the “sign of Jonah” in Matthew 16:4 and in Luke 11:29-32.
There are other favorable early church references by Josephus, St. Jerome, St. John Chrisostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Augustine, and others. Go to magisterium.com and ask, “What is known about the Prophet Jonah besides what is in the Book of Jonah?” for a complete listing with references. The summary answer by Magisterium when I asked the question was ”Beyond the concise narrative of his own book, the Church preserves a rich picture of Jonah: a historical prophet from Gath‑Hepher, honored as a saint, whose life is attested in the Old and New Testaments, celebrated in liturgy, and interpreted by the Fathers as a profound typology of Christ’s death and resurrection and as a vivid illustration of God’s boundless mercy and the call to obedient discipleship.”
Father Henry Wansbrough’s Opinion
I like the current opinion by Catholic Father Henry Wansbrough in the commentary he provides for the Universalis Daily Mass readings: The Book of Jonah is not a historical story; it is a humorous satire on Jewish self-satisfaction: the Jewish prophet refuses God’s call. Bidden to go and bring the great pagan city of Nineveh to repentance, he attempts to run away; instead of going east to Nineveh he takes ship for Tarshish in the far west – to no avail. Given a second chance, when he eventually gets to Nineveh they immediately repent with exaggerated enthusiasm, while Jonah simply sulks that his threat of destruction is not being fulfilled. Contrast this behaviour with Abraham’s shameless bargaining with God to stay his hand against Sodom if only a handful of righteous people can be found (Genesis 18). The Jew – and a prophet at that – refuses to obey the Lord’s command, while the gentiles of Nineveh respond at the first hearing.
The Catholic Position
The Catholic opinion is a bit tighter than that of Father Wansbrough but doesn’t rule it out (See the underlining). According to Magisterium.com, the official Catholic position is this: In sum, Catholic teaching affirms that Jonah was a real historical prophet and that the core events of his story (his prophetic call, his flight, his being swallowed and later released, and the repentance of Nineveh are true. At the same time, the Church allows that the biblical author employed literary techniques, and modern scholarship may distinguish between the historical kernel and the theological embellishment. The overall magisterial position remains that the story of Jonah is to be received as true in faith, especially because it is used by Christ as a genuine sign of his own resurrection.
My Conclusion: Jonah was an inspired prophet who had trouble following God’s command but finally did so with no enthusiasm. He carried a divine message to repent to a pagan city and was irritated when they responded with enthusiasm. Jonah felt guilty for his resistance and repented. He shared his personal story of sin and repentance in the Book of Jonah as a second person narrative, humor and exaggeration included. His message was aimed at his own people, an attempt to shame them for failing to respond to the same divine message. It still serves as a challenge for us to confess and repent on a regular basis.