The things in the Bible ain't necessarily so.....

[Ezra]

“However, Biblegateway.com recognizes that many scholars have recognized the book of Jonah as an allegory rather than a literal interpretation.”

Esther, Robin Hood, and all those who are buying into attacks on the Bible (which is what this thread is about):

It seems like you are just discovering the unbelief of Higher Criticism and Theological Liberalism. These attacks on the Bible and on Jonah have been thoroughly debunked.

And if Biblegateway is going along with this nonsense, it just reveals the degree of apostasy that has come into Christianity. These so-called "scholars" don't have a clue, so it's time you did some serious research into Higher Criticism and its anti-Bible agenda and phony scholarship.

We keep forgetting that the Lord Jesus Christ -- the Lord God Almighty -- regarded Jonah to be as real as Himself. And so did His enemies.  You do not hear the scribes and the Pharisees scoffing and saying "Oh, well that was just an allegorical fable".

[robin hood]

Surely we should be adult enough to post in a way that is not insulting to others.

Surely we should be adult enough to post in a way that does not make it appear that there is something devious about what others are posting .

I made a bad start to this thread by using the example of the Book of Jonah . I know that Christians differ as to its historicity . Until this morning I sided with those who viewed the book as a parable , and looked upon it as being non-historical . Then I read the words of Jesus which Deborah posted , and those words of Jesus convinced me that my view was erroneous .

I started this thread with a tongue-in-cheek quote from Porgy and Bess . My intention was never to cast doubt on the veracity of the Scriptures , but to instigate a discussion about how we look at the Bible .......what do we take literally ?.......what is symbolic ?.......how do the various literary forms found within the Bible lead us to interpret certain passages ?.....etc.....etc....

There are parts of the Bible which could lead someone who rejects Christianity to say that those parts show that the Bible is false . We should not be afraid to discuss difficult , controversial , confusing things which the Bible throws up . Equally we should discuss in a magnanimous spirit......not casting aspersions which attack the integrity and reputation of those who post on here . And if i have done any of that I apologize , but as far as I know I hope I have not been guilty of personal attacks on any of the posters .

[AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

 

Surely we should be adult enough to post in a way that is not insulting to others.

Surely we should be adult enough to post in a way that does not make it appear that there is something devious about what others are posting .

I made a bad start to this thread by using the example of the Book of Jonah . I know that Christians differ as to its historicity . Until this morning I sided with those who viewed the book as a parable , and looked upon it as being non-historical . Then I read the words of Jesus which Deborah posted , and those words of Jesus convinced me that my view was erroneous .

I started this thread with a tongue-in-cheek quote from Porgy and Bess . My intention was never to cast doubt on the veracity of the Scriptures , but to instigate a discussion about how we look at the Bible .......what do we take literally ?.......what is symbolic ?.......how do the various literary forms found within the Bible lead us to interpret certain passages ?.....etc.....etc....

There are parts of the Bible which could lead someone who rejects Christianity to say that those parts show that the Bible is false . We should not be afraid to discuss difficult , controversial , confusing things which the Bible throws up . Equally we should discuss in a magnanimous spirit......not casting aspersions which attack the integrity and reputation of those who post on here . And if i have done any of that I apologize , but as far as I know I hope I have not been guilty of personal attacks on any of the posters .

Maybe, but stop calling me Shirley!

 

[robin hood]

 

I don't think Jesus necessarily spoke of Jonah as a real historical person .

If Jonah was not a real historical person, then Christ would not have said that He was greater than Jonah.  So why don't you read and meditate on what is actually stated?  One does not compare oneself to fictitious characters.  

Are you sure that's always true? Some fictional characters are so well-known that they can be used for comparison. We can say that someone is "richer than Midas" or "meaner than Scrooge", for example.

A fictional character is not a sign.   Only what actually exists or has existed can be a sign.

And yet we can talk of 'life imitating art'. What is first only imagined can later become reality.

 

I don't find either of these arguments for the historicity of Jonah at all convincing. The best evidence, for me, is when Jesus says: "the  men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah." (Matthew 12:41) I don't believe we shall be seeing fictional characters on Judgement Day.

Thanks , Deborah , for pointing this out .

On the basis of the words of Jesus which you have quoted I can only say that I was wrong in regarding the Book of Jonah as a parable .

I take Jesus at his word , and now believe that there is historical truth , and not just parable , in the Book of Jonah , otherwise Jesus would not have said what you quoted him as saying .

I was wrong on this issue .

Well praise the Lord, I don't see that near often enough on here....   Thank you.

And thank you for your words .

Edited September 1, 2015 by robin hood

[AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

May I point out that I never meant to imply that the account of Jonah is a parable. I have never viewed it as such. I have always read it as an actual event, and several have explained why. My comment "Jesus taught in parables" was in reference to the OP which was in the position that some things in the Bible are not literal accounts. 

I HAVE read your comments Robin Hood ( though you seemed to question that ), and apologized for my own ignorance as to your intention.