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.

A commentary on the prophet Jonah drawing on a wide range of biblical parallels and examples from folk literature, showing the sophisticated nature of Jonah as a literary composition.

About the Author
Alastair G. Hunter is Honorary Research Fellow in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK.

Reviews
[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 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780567706508
Author Professor Alastair G. Hunter
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint T.& T.Clark Ltd
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC