Words Hurled Upon the Sea: Scribal Culture and the Role of Writing in the Book of Jonah

Jonah - Karolien Vermeulen

Amy Erickson
Iliff School of Theology

Description

This essay argues that the book of Jonah reflects a culture that grew out of intense engagement with biblical traditions and tropes even as it renders them strange and often problematic. While recognition of Jonah’s myriad allusions is widespread, many scholars have seen them as upholding traditional theologies about God’s sovereignty and Israel’s sinfulness, a reading that undergirds interpretations of the dynamic between Jonah and God. However, Jonah playfully critiques the idea of God’s sovereignty along with prophetic depictions of the divine word as stable and transferable. The essay concludes with an analysis of Jonah 4 to show that the book of Jonah is imprinted with the aesthetics, concerns, and values of an innovative and skeptical iteration of scribal culture.

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Citation

Erickson, Amy. Words Hurled Upon the Sea: Scribal Culture and the Role of Writing in the Book of Jonah. Jonah. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. Jan 2026. ISBN 9781000000000. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=46312. Date accessed: 05 Oct 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.46312. Jan 2026

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