The Story of Jonah in the whale is one of the most incredible stories to ever take place in the Bible. It is arguably the most well-known stories in the Bible, alongside: The Ark, David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, and David and the Lion’s Den. The question is though, Did Jonah and the whale really happen? Did Jonah really get swallowed up by a big fish and spit out? Some scholars say that Jonah and the Whale was just simply a parable, and that it never actually happen. If this is the case does it take anything away from the story, and does it have the same importance? I believe that it did happen, and that God performed once again another miracle to send Jonah to Nineveh. I also believe that if it was a parable that it would take away from
Family therapy is often needed when families go through transitions such as separations between parents and divorce. According to research, “the power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interactions” (Nichols, & Davis, p.18), as problems need to be addressed at their source. The children who are the most vulnerable, when parents decide to separate, exhibit symptoms which are exaggerations of their parent’s problems (Nichols, & Davis, p.18). Frank and Walt Berkman are the examples of how children cope and adapt to the stressors of family separations such as marital separations and
Growing up, many tell their children about the Bible story of Adam and Eve. Many people may not realize but most stories written today can relate to the hero’s journey, even Bible stories. The hero’s journey pattern displays itself throughout drama, myths and religious rituals. The story of Adam and Eve follow the hero’s journey except with a twist at the end. The last step of the hero’s journey ends with a return back to the normal world, but that does not happen in the story of Adam and Eve.
Their prayers not helping, the sailors cast lot to try to determine who it was that had made God so angry. So they mixed a number of small stones together, as was the custom, and when they cast the lots it fell on Jonah. They must not have know who Jonah was for when the lot fell on him they excitedly inquired of him, why this was happening, what was his occupation, where he had come from and what was his nationality. Jonah knew God had caught up with him! So Jonah confessed that he was a Hebrew and a prophet, of the true God who made the heavens, sea and land. He further explained he was running from
The book of Jonah is an adventurous story of a prophet chosen by God to go preach denouncement to a heathen nation. With the exception of stating that Jonah is the son of Amittai, the book itself fails to reveal any background information. Nevertheless, a plorthea of scholars have attempted to provide us with some insight to the, who, when, where, and what of the book. This paper will utilize four scholarly commentaries in a quest to determine the author or authors of the book, the time when it was written, the original audience it spoke to, the occasion, the historical, social and cultural context in which it was written. It will also address the historical, social and cultural context of the book and that of the pericope of 3:1 – 10.
When I read the name of "Jonah," I was prompted to think of the character of the same name in the Bible who got swallowed by a whale in the Old Testament. While the character goes also by the name "John," I couldn't help but wonder if there was some similarity involved in this novel.
The Catholic religion, the most common practiced religion in the world, can be seen as a common setting for the origin of the Bible that is the oldest known book to this day. The Bible tells of many great stories of old that have been somewhat forgotten; In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's ,A Chronicle of a Death Foretold, biblical allusion are used throughout the novel which compares symbolisms and imagery to the Bible and Roman Catholic religion. The main focus of interest in the novel is the murder of Santiago Nasar which can be compared to the murder and acts against Jesus Christ. Acts and imagery of other actions taking place in the novel can be referred to the Bible of the Roman Catholic religion.
The second book of Jonah starts off almost as shockingly as the first, its starts with Jonah having been thrown overboard, being swallowed by a large fish. It is only after “3 days and 3 nights” (“JONAH’S PRAYER”) that he finally decides to pray to God. It seems odd to me that Jonah chose a psalm of Thanksgiving, something that is typically not associated with individual suffering, but the suffering of a larger group of people. Nowell also pointed out the use of the word “sheol” meaning a “grave”, or “a place of stillness” (“JONAH’S PRAYER”) The use of this word could be a subtle way of insinuating resurrection. It would be reasonable to assume that the author of Jonah was implying such by word
Near the beginning of Moby Dick, Father Mapple reminds Pequod sailors of the biblical prophet Jonah and his unique encounter with a whale. The whale, known as a Leviathan in the Bible, swallows Jonah because Jonah refuses to obey God's command to preach to a wicked group of people. Father Mapple in his sermon says, "If we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists" (47). Once Jonah admits his sinfulness and follows his maker, the whale frees Jonah. Father Mapple says that obeying God can be difficult and might not seem logical to the person listening.
...gods, and that it is this man who then repopulated the earth. The survival of animals, and the use of birds to ascertain when it was safe to return to dry land, is yet another parallel. Both the Babylonian and Christian accounts also have the one preserved man offering a sacrifice to the gods upon his return to dry earth. All of these chief facets of the stories are analogous. It is only in the details, such as the length of the boat or the time necessary for the waters to recede, that they are dissimilar. These seemingly trivial differences, though, tell us much about the culture that each of these stories stems from. It is only through a thorough study of both stories that we are able to make these insights. This comparative approach allows us to deep into the beliefs of both the Babylonian and Christian cultures, and leaves us with a better appreciation of both.
The story of Bartimaeus was recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke and a superficial reading of the accounts has cause thoughtless Bible critics to holler: Contradiction! Contradiction! Their claim is based upon a different perspective concerning the location of the event. Matthew and Mark state that it happened as Jesus was leaving Jericho and Luke says that it occurred as He “came near Jericho.”
Specifically, it taught about how His mercy could not be restricted by a person’s preconceptions. Jonah was a prophet of God but was ruled by his unrelenting hatred towards sinners. Despite his loathing, God was more than capable of using him in the salvation of the corrupted. When Jonah was commanded by the Lord to preach to the Ninevites, he resisted. Nineveh was a pagan society and epitomized “everything evil that the Israelites hated” (MacArthur, Jonah 112), Seeing that his enemies would be forgiven if he delivered the message, Jonah fled from his duty. However, he would not be able to elude from the will of God and, after some precarious situations in the sea, would reluctantly prophesied to the Ninevites and inspired their faith in the Lord. This came to show that while “Jonah was filled with resentment … [and his] wrath was aroused, … the Lord [could still extend His] grace” (MacArthur, Jonah
That there are various perspectives to the white whale as symbol is a result of the value which Melville
Two men are walking to temple. The older man says to the younger man, “So, do you know why the Jewish people aren’t voting for President Bush?” The younger man replies with an inquisitive “No.” “Well,” says the older man, “the last time the Jewish people followed a Bush they wound up wandering in the Desert.”
The biblical narrative is one that is still going on to this day. The biblical narrative tells the story of God and how he reveals himself to us. Rhodes points out that “God comes to each through a historical event or series of events” (2). It is in this way that God reveals himself to us and this maintains the relevance of the biblical narrative in our lives. God reveals himself through formative stories in the bible such as Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, The Flood, God’s Covenant with Noah, and the Tower of Babel. From the very beginning of the biblical narrative we see that God relates to us on a personal level. He created us, he formed us, he created the world in which we live, and he has been an active participant in the narrative since before it began.
Did the Great flood really happen? Was it all just a big made up story? Or did the Bible speak the truth. Evidence from all around the world has pointed to the fact that the flood happened. The city of Ur was destroyed by a flood. All the different stories in the world of the flood save one family. Abraham could have carried the story of the flood of Ur. The theories of the flood do not contradict the Bible. Also the Black Sea wasn’t always a body of water. Although the Great Flood was thought to be a myth, scientists may have found evidence the flood existed because scientists may have found the boat, they have found houses underneath the Black Sea, and many cultures have variations of the flood.