A social-scientific analysis of the representation of Jonah and the self perception of the Yehudite literati during the late Persian period

Abstract

This article addresses the question of what can be gleaned from the book of Jonah regarding the self-perception of its author(ship) and intended audience through a social-scientific analysis. What does the analysis of Jonah’s representation reflect of the self-perception of the Yehudite literati during or after the period during which the book was written? Firstly, an overview is given of what is known about the authorship of the book of Jonah and how the author(s) is related to the main character. This is followed by an overview of the values of honour and shame, and an application of how Jonah is represented in this regard. This analysis is then related to the self-perception of the author(ship) and audience for whom the book was written, due to their association with the main character.