Description:
This study is designed as a commentary with a difference, where the reading of the prophet's travails is explored in the context of two wider themes: (1) the overt and highly sophisticated intertwining of Jonah's story with an impressively wide range of other biblical texts, often deployed in surprising ways; and (2) the clearly contrarian relationship between God and Jonah which has both vexed and intrigued scholars and lay readers alike for millennia.
Underpinning this reading is a twofold thesis: firstly, an argument that many of the puzzles inherent in the book of Jonah can be illuminated in the light of the idea that Nineveh was from the beginning a cipher for the Jerusalem of the author's time; and secondly, that this would have been evident to Jonah's first readers: the class of elite literati amongst the ruling cadre of late Persian or early Hellenistic Judaea.Brief description: Alastair G. Hunter is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Review Quotes:
"[A] stimulating study-cum-commentary that, precisely by exploring the book's ambivalences from multiple angles, opens up fascinating avenues for engaging with this richly allusive/elusive text." --The Society for Old Testament Study Book List
"Hunter's monograph devoted to the book of Jonah is a rewarding reading experience. I found myself treasuring the new insights that Hunter's book generates...[and] being challenged by Hunter's innovative reading of the book [of Jonah]." --The Expository Times