Date

12-4-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MA)

Chair

Jason Kees

Keywords

Jonah, Symbolism, Eden, Evangelical, Intertextual

Disciplines

Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

This thesis examines how the Book of Jonah uses imagery drawn from the Garden of Eden and how these themes shape the way evangelicals read the book. Rather than treating Jonah as a simple moral tale, the study argues that the narrative is intentionally crafted to further highlight Jonah’s disobedience and the book's theological claims, using Edenic imagery. Chapter One considers the question of “Why did Jonah run to Tarshish”? After considering the intertextual links, it appears that Jonah ran specifically to Tarshish for its Eden-like possibilities. Chapter Two focuses on the non-human agents in the book. The wind, ship, fish, plant, and worm further reveal how deep Jonah’s disobedience is, in light of their intertextual links. Chapter Three turns to Jonah’s prayer and traces how its language evokes Eden’s rivers, the imagery of the temple, and the experience of being driven out from God’s presence. Taken together, the study argues that Jonah portrays a prophet who repeatedly chooses self-exile, and a God who persistently works to restore both creation and people. Recovering these themes helps deepen evangelical engagement with the book and highlights its ongoing theological challenge for the church.

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