tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post2261950323079205344..comments2024-03-24T04:09:03.396-04:00Comments on The Cross Reference: Homily on Jonah: fact or fiction?Jeffrey Pinyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08758581112217835988noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-74021780892901750122016-03-29T19:09:12.528-04:002016-03-29T19:09:12.528-04:00Thank you for this insightful post.
There is ano...Thank you for this insightful post. <br /><br />There is another Tarshish that is not in Spain. Have you considered this? <br /><br />If you have faith in Christ and don't believe in Jonah, why believe in any other parts of the Bible? Too many people consider Jonah as a light hearted story, but it is much more than that. It is a story relating to God's saving grace becoming available to all, closely symbolic to the ministry of Jesus. Even Jesus Himself identifies Himself as a type of Jonah in Matthew 12:38-42. In any event, the fact that the events depicted in Jonah are so similar to the life and ministry of Jesus is miraculous in itself, considering Jesus was not born until near 760 years later. <br /><br />There are also several sources that corroborate the story of Jonah. Josephus makes mention of him and also Berosus, a 3rd century BC historian makes mention of a man named Oannes who emerged from the sea and gave divine wisdom to men. Berosus writings were in Greek. In Greek, Ioannes at that time was the word for the Hebrew name Yonah. <br /><br />There should be no presumption that the fish is a whale either, therefore the maths never would add up based on this (although it can be helpful to give us insight). <br /><br />Thanks again for your post.BAC Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15577345055881381907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-78585141076996212402015-09-15T16:05:41.480-04:002015-09-15T16:05:41.480-04:00Respectfully, did not Jesus Christ often use a goo...Respectfully, did not Jesus Christ often use a good story to illustrate for our enlightenment? Are parables not one of the prime teaching tools He chose to help us understand the basic tenet: love the Lord our God and our neighbor as ourselves. Could the story be true? Of course! It's a unique tale. All the good guys are not (yet!) followers of Adonai. The only one who denies the command of Adonai is the one who heard the word of the Lord! Jesus may well have known a man who fell among thieves; we don't need to debate that point, do we for again the point is clear. Whether the Book of Jonah is a strict accounting of an historical event or a morality play shared by a Prophet can be a fun, friendly debate. May I suggest that both the Prophet who wrote Jonah and Jesus would be comfortable with either interpretation. If you disagree with me, that is your right; we are not possessors of all wisdom. Yet whoever espouses a view other than my own, in my opinion does not make them wrong or unworthy to be a priest or a commentator. [Now let's not start a debate on Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy . . . !). MacAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16553181273624992264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-30997865157151937682009-03-08T22:04:00.000-04:002009-03-08T22:04:00.000-04:00I just go to a different place (Princeton Universi...I just go to a different place (Princeton University) for my noon-time Mass. The other place has liturgical aberrations (by the priest in question and others) that I'd rather not have as distractions.<BR/><BR/>The noon Mass at Princeton is preceded by the Angelus, involves liturgically appropriate music, sometimes includes chant, has a decent homily, etc. I feel much more comfortable (liturgically) going to Mass there.Jeffrey Pinyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758581112217835988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-35677850976956822952009-03-08T21:13:00.000-04:002009-03-08T21:13:00.000-04:00Look, I'm not for scandalizing people ... and I ho...Look, I'm not for scandalizing people ... and I hope this experience doesn't keep you from a noon-time liturgy ... because that's a very important activity.<BR/><BR/>Peace.Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-54054619993489710442009-03-08T20:59:00.000-04:002009-03-08T20:59:00.000-04:00moonshadow - it is true that the book of Jonah is ...<B>moonshadow</B> - it is true that the book of Jonah is unlike the other books of prophets. But the <I>content</I> of Jonah's message was not the point that the book was designed to make: the circumstances and the personal reaction are the point of the book.<BR/><BR/>And there's absolutely nothing unbelievable about a city so big it takes three days to go through it. I never imagined that to mean that to walk from one end to the other would take three days. I have always understood that to mean it would have taken Jonah three days to go <B>all throughout</B> the city preaching: down each street, back and forth, weaving throughout the city.Jeffrey Pinyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758581112217835988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-40806904174003120692009-03-08T15:54:00.000-04:002009-03-08T15:54:00.000-04:00So what's the point of all this? ... Why cast unne...<B>So what's the point of all this? ... Why cast unneeded doubt on Sacred Scripture?</B><BR/><BR/>I hadn't heard this particular criticism before. <BR/><BR/>Rather, how could Nineveh be so large that it takes three days to walk through? <BR/><BR/>And if Jonah were your typical OT prophet, wouldn't more of his message been preserved? And how ironic the efficacy of his preaching, these goyim convert with a simple warning! (That is, at least for 100 years or so until they are destroyed by the Babylonians for their wickedness ... you see, I just got done studying Nahum at Princeton Alliance).<BR/><BR/>It doesn't add up ... forcing it only distorts it. Still, it's scandalous for a priest to waste his homily time seeking to make converts of this comparatively paltry sort, to view scripture as he does ...Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-78949405579399594242009-03-07T18:32:00.000-05:002009-03-07T18:32:00.000-05:00Scelata - "I wonder if it was better in the day, b...<B>Scelata</B> - "I wonder if it was better in the day, before, as I understand it, the Church began to value the homily so highly."<BR/><BR/>Well, I seem to recall a lot of excellent homilies from certain Church Fathers. Was the homily/sermon "part of the liturgy" then?Jeffrey Pinyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758581112217835988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-76186373383845117072009-03-07T14:04:00.000-05:002009-03-07T14:04:00.000-05:00What is more believable, that a man could survive ...<I>What is more believable, that a man could survive in the belly of a whale for three days... or that a virgin could conceive and bear a child by the Holy Spirit, a child who is fully man and fully God, a child who would heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water, turn water into wine, multiply bread and fish, and eventually die on a cross and be raised to new life on the third day, walk through closed doors, disappear from sight, and ascend into heaven and take his place at the right hand of God the Father Almighty?</I><BR/><BR/>Well, there's you answer -- we Catholics have no guarantee that your preacher <I>DOES</I> believe "a virgin could conceive and bear a child by the Holy Spirit, a child who is fully man and fully God, etc."<BR/><BR/>Far too many hired men masquerading as shepherd.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if it was better in the day, before, as I understand it, the Church began to value the homily so highly.<BR/><BR/>Maybe those with doubts or unbelief or irresistible desire to question kept their mouths shut while on "official business."<BR/><BR/>(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)Scelatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08674226359189392827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-8000974425026368822009-03-06T07:22:00.000-05:002009-03-06T07:22:00.000-05:00The exact same thing happened to me! The priest ac...The exact same thing happened to me! The priest actually made a joke that one of the truths from the Bible came from a book of fiction!Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16468550732181534405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23189415.post-54343684546878556602009-03-04T23:33:00.000-05:002009-03-04T23:33:00.000-05:00If there's one thing more irksome than a man &...If there's one thing more irksome than a man 'bravely' taking potshots at a conventional target, it's a man 'bravely' taking potshots at a conventional target without even bothering to do a basic fact-check. <BR/><BR/>Take care & God bless<BR/>Anne / WFWeekend Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10425001168670801073noreply@blogger.com