In the Fall 2007 issue of JBL is an essay “Jonah Read Intertextually” by Hyun Chul Paul Kim of Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. The first section of the essay points to numerous linguistic and conceptual parallels between Jonah (“Dove”) and the Noah narrative: Destruction of the earth, including animals; but in this case, the world (Nineveh) is saved along with its animals (note last verse of Jonah). Jonah as dove sent out from ark of the prepared fish. The wind over the earth. The forty days. God “regrets/changes” (Gen. 6:6-7; Jonah 3:10). And more.
It’s clear enough that the Fish that protects Jonah in the literal sea is parallel to Assyria, which is being specially prepared to protect Israel during their time in the gentile sea. The Noah parallels enable us to link the gentile ship of Jonah 1 as well. Jonah is protected in that ship from God’s storm-wind, but that wind is against him. The world is okay, but now Jonah/Noah is in sin and must be hurled into the Flood. The gentiles are saved and turn to Yahweh.
Jonah is put into a new ship, the Fish. While he is there, he repents. Then he is cast out into the gentile world. But he is not cast out only to evangelize. Something more specific is going on. Jonah as repentant Noah now must work with God to make a new ship, an ark, for Israel. Jonah’s preaching, the work of the Spirit, and God’s changing of His mind enable the salvation of Nineveh — including its animals. Nineveh, Assyria, is the new ark.
The storm is coming. The flood is coming. But God will put Israel into a new Ark, Assyria, until the storm passes.
Since Israel did not return from exile until Judah also did, and since Assyria was eaten by Babylon, we are invited to consider the Oikumene set up in Daniel 2 as a continuation of the Ark. In Daniel 7 the progression of Oikumene administrators are compared to the cherubim who guard God’s own throne. With Jonah as background, we can also see them as a progression of administrators of the Ark.
It is often assumed these days that the Jews (Israel and Judah) did not really “come back from exile,” and that the Exile continued until Jesus ended it. New Testament scholars like this idea, but I think they need a bit of help from OT scholars. It’s clear from Zechariah 1-6 that a new covenant came into being when the Jews returned to the land, far more powerful and glorious than the Davidic covenant. The one aspect of the realm of Israel that did not return to power was the king himself. Every other aspect of Israel was resurrected and glorified. I’ve discussed this in my Daniel commentary at length, so there is no need to go into it here.
The Exile that Jesus ended began when Adam was cast from the garden of Eden. There may be some Babylonian Exile motifs used in the rhetoric of the gospels and epistles, but it is the Adamic exile that is what the gospels are ending.
The Oikumene as Ark does not end with Cyrus and the return of some Jews to maintain the central places. God wanted the Jews spread throughout the Oikumene (Zech. 2) as a Jerusalem without walls. Exile and Captivity were over, but the Ark remained. The New World had not arrived. God’s priestly people would need protection from the storm of history for a time to come.
Jesus spoke of the sign of Jonah as the ONE sign of His victory. Often we take this only to refer to His three days in the “heart of the earth” and His resurrection. But it’s more than that. Taking the gospel to the gentiles is also part of the sign of Jonah. We miss out, however, if we fail to see that the book of Acts also ends with the sign of Jonah. Once again we have a huge storm, a ship at sea, a Roman ship. The Oikumene. Paul says everyone must remain on the ship until the ship is wrecked. The wreck of the Roman ship is itself a sign: the Oikumene Ark is ending. Paul and those with him are cast up on the land, vomited from the Fish, leaving the Ark. But not yet fully leaving the Ark, because Paul must go to Rome and AD 70 has not yet arrived. We are seeing the Ark beginning to collapse.
And in one more Jonah allusion, when Paul comes up on the land out of the Fish-Ship, he brings healing to the people of the island (cp. Nineveh) and they receive his witness.
I submit that seeing the Oikumene as an Ark is a helpful perspective. It really is the case that the Persians and the Romans protected the faithful Jews, and for the most part so did the Greek empires. It was when the Jewish priests apostatized in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes that God brought judgment on the Jews. And for a period thereafter the Jews were relatively independent, with one awful king after another, until finally they degenerated into a bloody civil war and asked the Romans to come in and protect them. It is true that the Romans were severe rulers, but every Roman we encounter in the gospels and Acts — and they are all OFFICIALS! — is positive to God’s people. Rebellious Jews were punished, but those who believed God and trusted in His provision of the Ark/Oikumene were protected by the Romans.
All of this would change in the mid-’60s. For the last time, the empire administering the Oikumene would go bad and need to be replace, this time not with another cherubic-empire guardian, but with the cosmos-ruling Son of God.
Fascinating. As I like to say, this is probably exactly right.
Dear Mr Jordan
That is excellent.
I thought it was strange that the beasts from the Sea in Daniel are actually land animals. Following your commentary, they carried Israel across the Sea. This made me think that Israel’s history follows the Creation pattern:
Day 1 Light
Patriarchs – Abraham (Sabbath)
Light dawned upon the waters of the 70 nations.
Day 2 Waters Above & Below
Exodus – Moses (Passover)
Israel was separated (slain and resurrected) to mediate for the world.
Day 3 Dry Land, Grain & Fruit
Promised Land – Joshua (Firstfruits)
Israel ‘ascended’ to the Land and sat by God’s throne as Judges
Day 4 Ruling Lights
Kings – David & Solomon (Pentecost)
The transfigured king failed. God’s throne was rejected.
Day 5 Birds & Fish
Captivity – Armies (Trumpets)
The “birds and fish” swarms were eagles (Nebuchadnezzar) and sea monsters (Assyria and Babylon).
Day 6 Land Animals & the Man
Restoration – Joshua the high priest Atonement (covering)
The dominion of the four land beasts who covered Israel was given to the Son of Man. ‘Eve’ was resurrected by crossing the sea and was brought to God. (Then the Roman ark/beast was no longer needed.)
Day 7 Rest & Ruling
Redemption – Jesus Booths (“Clouds”) (ingathering)
Adam rested at the right hand of the Father as Transfigured King. He received His transfigured Eve-people at the first resurrection in AD70, and the marriage supper followed.
Now we live in a New Creation. And if we get justly bitten by the accusing snake for being a murderer (as Paul), we can even more justly shake it off into the fire.
Am I a dolt if I just nod all-a-gape? As I was musing ealrier this week, “I wish I woulda had this guy in seminary!!!”
Jim, You’ll have to modify your NT/ OT scholars comments as even my OT guys in RTS declared that Zech. anticipated Zerub. as new King but that the Jews comtinued to botch the restoration. So I had subsequently applied that to Jesus coming to do what man could not. Since the Jews didn’t (wouldn’t) return and bring in the restoration, Jesus does.
You continue to “bake [my] noodle.” muchas gracias
#2. Yes indeed. I have quite a bit on this in my manuscript/book *From Bread to Wine,* but now I’ll have to go back and see how my application of Gen. 1 to OC history matches with yours.
Thanks for the reply. I know I am barging in.
I’d better order “From Bread to Wine”! I have enjoyed the other papers very much.
Mike. Barge away. That’s why we’re here!
New insights on the concept of ark and fish, particularly as this concept is incoporated into DAniel 7.
I always fascinated with Jordans new revelation on scripture.
WEEPING JOHN
“And no one in heaven or on the Land or under the Land was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly…”
Why was John weeping? It was the end of the world.
Heaven, Land and under the Land are the three levels of the world-in-a-box. The Temple of Israel was the 3-level “heaven” of Moses, and it was decaying and ready to pass away (Hebrews 8:13). The empire-Land was the 3-level ark of Noah, and it was being smashed to pieces on the rocks of a new world. Under the Land in the captivity of Sheol, the dead awaited vengeance or redemption. The entire Old Creation was on the brink of destruction, and heaven was still lacking a transfigured Adam. Until now. Now, John sees the previously missing Table of Showbread.
“And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw the standing Lamb, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the Land.”
I have a suggestion for the identity of the rocks the Roman ‘ark’ was broken by.
BROKEN ON THE ROCK – THE ALTAR STONE, JERUSALEM
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
(Zech 12:2-3)
[…] of His Justice and Mercy. I don’t see Our Lord disavowing Ira Dei. He re-educates, He purifies, but He doesn’t […]
[…] [1] See Trinitarian Judgments. [2] See James B. Jordan, Exile or Ark? [3] See Under Your Feet. [4] See Crystal Walls 1 and 2. [5] See Pass-over and Pass-through. [6] […]
Really interesting, especially re Acts. Thanks! Wish I’d seen this earlier. I’ve just written up some thoughts on other parallels between Jonah and Peter’s initial contact with the Gentile world (Peter bar Jonah by the way) and the final 40 day-years of Ezek. 4. A number of touch-points (some diet-related) connect these passages together I think. In case they’re of interest/use to anyone: https://www.academia.edu/32993087/Ezekiels_390_and_40_Days. James.