יום רביעי, 6 במרץ 2024

REDISCOVERING THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE BOOK OF JONAH / ASSAF MARRON

 

David Michaeli Leviathan 1993


REDISCOVERING THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE BOOK OF JONAH

ASSAF MARRON

Pre-print.  v1. 2009; v2. March 2024 (minor editorial updates)



INTRODUCTION

   The book of Jonah  is known to contain many themes that appear in other cultures and mythologies. An excellent list of such cross-cultural parallels appears in Gildas Hamel’s article “Taking the Argo to Nineveh: Jonah and Jason in a Mediterranean context.”1 Additional references can be found in the introduction to S.L. Gordon’s exegesis of the book of Jonah2. In this article I describe some connections to other biblical texts, as well as Greek, Assyrian, and Indian mythologies, which apparently have not been documented before. For brevity, this article will not repeat the previously known references mentioned above, and will focus on the new observations. Moreover, the article is limited to pointing out these links, and leaves for future research the analysis of their origins and significance.

 

JONAH AND ION/JAVAN

   There is no question that Javan, or Yavan, grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:2-4), is the Hebrew parallel of Ion3, the founder of Ionia, and the eponym of large parts of Greek people, culture and geography. Although the Hebrew name Yona and the Greek name Ion bear striking similarity, especially in Hebrew transcription, I have not found discussion of parallels between the two.

   The name similarity appears in several cultures. In the Indian language Pali, the words "Yona"4  Yonaka5 and “Yavana”6  designate ancient Greek people. In Turkish and other languages, Greece is called Yunanistan7, and in Arabic Greece is called “[Al]-Yunan”8. These words are very similar to “Yunus”9, the Arabic name for the prophet Jonah.

   But, perhaps the most striking new connections between Jonah and Ion are the following. First, Javan (who is already accepted as a parallel Ion) is the son of Japheth (Noah’s son) and father of Tarshish (Gen. 10:2-4). In a surprising parallel, the prophet Jonah makes his journey (Jonah 1:3) from the city of Jaffa, which by tradition and mythology is called after Japheth10, to the city of Tarshish. Thus, in both stories we see the protagonist serving as a link or transition from Japheth to Tarshish. Second, the prophet Jonah is son of a person called Amitai (Jonah 1:1). The Hebrew meaning of the father’s name is either “Truth Speaker” or “God’s Truth.” The Greek Ion is the son of Apollo3, who in addition to being the God of the Sun, is also the God of Truth3. It is particularly interesting that this designation of Apollo’s is mentioned specifically in connection with the story of Ion. Hence we find parallels not only between the characters, but between their fathers’ names, as well.

 

NINEVEH: THE HOME OF THE FISH

   The sea and sea-animals obviously play a key role in the book of Jonah. A closer examination uncovers additional sea-related figures in the story. Let us first analyze the name of the main city in the book, Nineveh. It is called after the Assyrian fish goddess Ninua (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineveh). The word is also quite readily broken into Nin (interchangeable with Nun13) and Naveh14. In Hebrew and Aramaic, these words mean a fish and a home (or abode), respectively. Perhaps it would then not be surprising to find that in Assyrian, the cuneiform word for Nineveh is a compound word, drawn (or written) as the word fish inside the word house15. This unexpected appearance of a fish invites further investigation of whether the great fish that saved Jonah and brought him to shore to restart his journey, also symbolizes the city from which the prophet was trying to escape.

 

 

DIVING BIRDS

   As Hamel pointed out1, the name Jonah (in Hebrew Yona – meaning “dove”) and its relation to doves is of great potential significance in this story. One may ask, could the name or the bird itself carry additional meanings beyond what we know of the bird today? Is there a reason why this bird, the prophet, and the Greek nation carry such similar names? I propose that the Hebrew word Yona, the Latin Columba, the English Dove, all words used for the familiar pigeon, either highlight the sea-faring role of the dove, or may even designate a different bird or different animal altogether that is much more strongly associated with water than the dove we know today.

   In ancient Greek Kolumbao means to plunge into water– to dive17. According to Lewis and Short dictionary, the Latin word Columbus – a male pigeon – is derived from the Greek word Kolumbus – a Diver18.  Once this surprising connection is noticed, it brings to mind the relation to the modern verb Dive which is well recognized in the bird-name Dove, and is acknowledged in the word’s etymology19 . One may dismiss this as a coincidence, except that in Hebrew, too, one kind of wild pigeon is called Tzotzelet (Tzitzla or Tzultzela in Aramaic).20 21 22 Though it is generally accepted that this name likely comes from the word “sound”, another meanings of the root TZ-L-L is to dive. Is this only a linguistic coincidence, or is it that the sea-going prophet who was closely acquainted with the great depths of the ocean, is named after a water dwelling, diving fowl? And could the dove mentioned in the story of Noah be that same kind of bird? Could the name of the Greek nation, which is surrounded by water and is comprised of many islands, and the name of this waterfowl come from the same root, denoting water and depths?

   To further strengthen this possible connection between water and Yona the bird, Jonah the prophet, Yavan, and Ion, I propose looking at the large number of words the main vowel of which is “o” or “u” and main consonant is “n” (and possibly also have the consonant “v” which is interchangeable with the vowel “o”) which are strongly tied to water and seas, among them the Hebrew Yaven (the mud at the depth of the sea), Nun (fish), Onia (Ship), and Noah (first person to be associated with a vessel in the Bible), the Indo European root Nau (ship), and the Greek Okeanos ( Ocean, “fast flow”, the mythological river surrounding the world). All these words are reminiscent of Yona, Yavan and Ion.

 

AN INDIAN CONNECTION

   Gordon’s exegesis points out similarity between parts of the story of Mittavindaka23 in the Buddhist Jakata Tales, and parts of the story of Jonah. Like Jonah, Mittavindaka sailed on a ship that met with great obstacles, was picked by lots to be removed from the boat, and was cast overboard fastened to a raft. The ship was then able to sail again.  Gordon does not point out, though, the similarity in the names. As the name Mitta24 is a proper name in Pali, the name Mittavindaka can be parsed “Mitta-Vindaka”. With the interchangeability of “v” and “o” as pointed above, could the name be interpreted as “Mitta-Yonaka”, which suggests a relation to “Yona [son of] Amitai”?

THE KIKAYON

   Hamel challenges the traditional interpretation and translation of the word Kikayon (Jonah. 4:6) as a fast growing gourd or ricin plant. Quoting Hamel’s words that “the Kikayon of the book of Jonah may have lost its original meaning”, I will examine several additional candidates for alternative meanings. The reader should be aware, though, that this section is more of a proposed hypothesis than substantiated findings.

   The Bible says that the great benefit that the kikayon afforded Jonah was shade and protection from the heat of the sun. However, Jonah had already built himself a booth specifically for having sufficient shade (Jonah 4:5). Hence, perhaps the “great happiness” that the kikayon has brought Jonah, was not due to protection from the sun, but due to something else. I propose that perhaps the kikayon was a flower – either a crocus or a cyclamen, and that the happiness it brought is associated either with its beauty, with something it symbolizes, with the plants medicinal powers, or perhaps more simply with its being a powerful manifestation of nature.

   Aside from certain phonetic orthographic similarities between the word Kikayon and crocus – krokos – κρόκος,25 26 and cyclamen – κυκλάμινο,27 it is not farfetched that the appearance of a beautiful flower would bring happiness to a person, and especially, to one as depressed a Jonah. As the Crocus was also associated with Greek royalty, could Jonah’s / Ion’s joy come also from this reminder of his far away home?

   Associating the kikayon with cyclamen may be supported also by this flower’s particular sensitivity to mites,28 which parallels the kikayon’s destruction by a worm. Additionally, as suggested by Hamel, perhaps the plant that saved Jonah is used for medicinal purposes. According to Pedanius Dioscorides,29, 30, 31, 32 the cyclamen has many medicinal powers, including some which could be very appropriate for Jonah, such as protection against sunburn, protection against serpent bites, and purging (also suggested by Hamel).

   Lastly we should remember that Ion’s name is already associated with a flower – the violet33. Aristophanes referred to Athens as the violet-crowned city34, referring to the king Ion and the flower of the same name. Further research may also find an interpretation of the word kikayon as a compound word with "ion" (violet) as its suffix.

 

A GLIMPSE INTO IRELAND AND SCOTLAND     
               
 The Irish abbot St. Columba, established an abbey on the Iona island in the Hebrides . The origin of the  two names is subject to debate, and they may be Latinization of names in local languages, but the correlation of prophet coming from the sea, to convert local people, and being associated with these names is intriguing35.


SUMMARY
  
We have seen above a significant list of possible links between the book of Jonah and topics in Assyrian, Hebrew and Greek traditions. While such cultural crossovers are well known, these new links are not only interesting as further proofs for such connections, but they may suggest new interpretations and insights into well known biblical themes.

 

 

INTERIM NOTES  and REFERENCES      
(To be updated and enhanced with fresh web links and direct references to original sources).

 

1. Hamel, Gildas Taking the Argo to Nineveh: Jonah and Jason in a Mediterranean context”, Judaism, Summer 1995. An updated version: https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.ucsc.edu/dist/9/20/files/2015/06/Jonah.pdf

2. Gordon, S.L. Exegesis and Comments on the Bible, Book of Jonah, Massada Publishers,
Tel Aviv, 1952 .

3. Hamilton, Edith, “Mythology”, Chapter “Creusa and Ion” (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1942), pp. 401-407 in 1998 paperback edition).

4. WIkipedia Yona (Pali word) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yona 
5. Malalasekera, G.P., “Dictionary of Pali Proper Names”. 1937, Motilal Banarsidass publishers, 2006.   http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/y/yonaa.htm   

6. Encyclopedia Britannica, Yona Pali.

7. English-Turkish dictionary, Ectaco Corp. 2006, http://www.ectaco.co.uk/English-Turkish-Dictionary

8. Hebrew Arabic Dictionary – for Spoken Arabic in Israel, H. Dahan and S. Alon, (Jerusalem: Kiriat Sefer, 1979).

9. Qu’ran Chapter on Nabi Yunus  http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/htq/index.htm  

10.Wikipedia, Jaffa. And references therein.  See also https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jaffa

13. See Aramaic dictionary http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/cgi-bin/test1.cgi

14. See Hebrew English Dictionary online: http://www.milon.co.il/dictionary/english-to-hebrew.php?term=%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94

15. Encyclopedia Mikrait (Biblical Encyclopedia),  Bialik Institute, Moshe David Kassuto, Editor. 1968, Vol 5, p. 831;

17.http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRGRK28.htm    

18.http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?layout.reflang=la;layout.reflookup=Columbus;doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3D%239194  
19. See Dictionary.com Entry for Dove
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dove

20.  Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Batra 75a

21. Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 100a.

22. Even-Shoshan Hebrew Dictionary, Entry Tzotzelet.

23.http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/l/losaka_jat_041.htm 
24.
http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/me_mu/mitta.htm

25.http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Croc_sat.html

26.Shttp://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9361906/crocus

27.http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/cyclamen

28.http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/trees/ef422.htm

29.http://www.bnnonline.it/biblvir/dioscoride/pages/72_XLVII.htm

30.http://israel1234.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/cyclamen-1/

31.http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/library/historical/rare_books/herbalism/vienna.cfm

32.http://www.cyclamen.org/medicine_set.html

33.See Webster dictionary http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/netdict?iodine

34.Aristofanes, Equites, 1323 and 1329; and Acharnians, 637. Confirm on-line at  http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/brewers/city-violet-crown.html

35. Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba



Assaf Marron is a researcher in computer science at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. His areas of interest include software engineering, languages, and models of natural and artificial complex systems. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston, and studied history and philosophy of science as well as linguistics at Tel Aviv University.

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