Dr. Pothana's Teaching

1. OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETIC BOOKS; Theology and their Legacy
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Hyderabad
Lecture 3

3. Introduction
Historical background
Ω Jonah the prophet
Ω The Book Jonah
Ω About Nineveh, Joppa & Tarshish
Ω Timeline
Story & Message of Jonah
Ω Chapter 1 - In the Ship
Ω Chapter 2 - In the Fish
Ω Chapter 3 - With Ninevites
Ω Chapter 4 - With God
Quiz

4. ATTACKS
 Myth, Fable,Allegory
“No man could
survive in a fish’s belly
for three days and
nights.”
X
!
?

5. Setting of Jonah
782 BC
Syria is Israel’s most hated enemy
Assyria in a temporary decline
More open to the gospel?

6. Historical Setting

7. .
Where and when did the
Neo-Assyrian Empire exist?
The Assyrian people lived
4,500 years ago in the Middle East,
mainly in a small area in the rich
fields of central Iraq.
The Neo-Assyrian
Empire lasted from
912 BC to 612 BC.
Who were some of
the empire's famous
kings?
Adad Nirari II, and later Shalmaneser
III and his son, expanded the empire
from central Iraq to cover most of
modern-day Iraq and parts of Turkey.
King Shalmaneser III
The Assyrian Empire
Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to
attack Hoshea, who had been
Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him
tribute. 2 Kings 17:3

8. .
How did the Assyrians
create their empire?
The Assyrians became powerful because
they created new ways to make war.
Their use of iron allowed
them to make strong
weapons.
They learned to fight with
big machines to break the
walls of cities.
The Assyrians also learned
how to use chariots and
built armies of fast
horsemen.

9. .
Who were some of the kings
of the Assyrian Empire? • Tiglath Pileser III (around 730 BC)
• Shalmaneser V (around 720 BC)
• Sargon II (around 710 BC)
Tiglath Pileser III
Under the rule of Tiglath Pileser
III and Shalmaneser V, the
Neo-Assyrians captured Babylon
in 729 BC and later Israel. Sargon II was a great
military leader who not only
built the empire, but
improved roads and laws.
After Sargon II died, his son moved the capital to
Nineveh, which he restored. The empire’s cities were
busy and full of artists. There were great libraries and
great works of art, beautiful buildings, and huge palaces.
A copy of Ishtar Gates, Babylon

10. .
The Assyrians took all the treasure from
conquered cities and ordered everyone to be
loyal to them.
They forced people to forget their own culture
and become Assyrians.
The Assyrians also made many people become
slaves and live thousands of kilometers away
from their homes.
Those that did not were punished.
How did the Assyrians treat
the people they conquered?

11. What happened as a result of the
way the Assyrians treated people?
In 612 BC, the many enemies of the
Neo-Assyrians came together to attack the
city of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital.
The city was destroyed and
burned to the ground.
What happened to the city?
No. Slowly, the ruins were buried and
the city was lost to the desert.
Nineveh today
Ruins buried in sand
Was the city rebuilt?

12. What did archeologists
find that was related to
the Neo-Assyrian Empire?
In 1847, a British diplomat and archeologist
named Austin Henry Layard discovered
Sennacherib’s palace.
King Sennacherib reigned the
Assyrian Empire from 704-681 BC.
He was the son of Sargon II who
moved the capital to Nineveh.
The palace lay buried and
forgotten for almost 2,500 years
until Layard discovered it.
image of Nineveh
An archeologist digging
in ruins
Who was King
Sennacherib?

13. Modern Cases Prove Possibility
Case 1: Hawaiian
Islands – soldier from
the Scofield barracks.
Skeleton found in
whale shark 30 days
later. Had been
swallowed whole.
Case 2: British sailor
swallowed and
rescued 48 hours later
– alive. Known as
“Jonah of the
Twentieth Century”

14. …. Modern Cases Prove Possibility
• Case 3……. In 1891, James Bartley
swallowed by a whale during a whaling
expedition.
• Later, when the whale was caught and
after 30 hours of cutting it up, Bartley
was found alive but delirious inside the
stomach. Took three weeks to recover.
• “By feeling about I realized I had actually
been swallowed by a whale and was in
its stomach. I could still breath…,”
Bartley said.

15. 3 Major reasons to believe
1.Proved – Historically,
Scientifically & Geographically
Jonah and his time line
Nineveh, Joppa, Tarsish and its historical
and geographical evidence
Historical evidence of incidence before,
after and during 8th century BC
2. It is in The Bible
3. Confirmed by Jesus Christ in NT –
Matt-12:39-41
Tomb of Prophet
Jonah - Mosul, Iraq

16. Jonah the prophet
Jonah – Hebrew word
Jonah means DOVE
Son of Amittai - 2 Kings 14:25
Tribe of Zebulon
A Galilean
Native of Gath-hepher
Mentioned by Christ

17. …. Jonah the prophet
King Jeroboam II
(793-753 BC)
Lived in the first Temple
period
Ministered during ~ 800-
750 BC

18. …. Jonah the prophet
1st Jewish prophet
God sent to pagan nation
Of divided kingdom

19. About Nineveh
Capital city of ancient Assyria
Named after the goddess Ishtar Built
by Nimrod - Genesis 10:9-12 Nimrod
- Great Grandson of Noah
Situated on the east bank of the Tigris river
Located North East of Israel

20. …. about Nineveh
Presently called Mosul – in Iraq Assyria-
pride, power and brutality Assyrian army -
brutal efficiency -
beheadings, impaling victims on poles,
stampeding, skinning alive, leading
captives by fish hooks passed through
the lips or noses, etc.

21. …. about Nineveh
Assyria - bitterest enemy of
the people of God
Assyria arrogance - Isaiah 10:5-19

22. About Joppa & Tarshish
Joppa means “Beautiful”
35 miles from Jerusalem
Near Tel Aviv - oldest port city
Tarshish Hebrew word - "the end
of the earth"
Tarshish - on the West of Israel
Located in Southwest of Spain

23. Timeline

24. Map

26. Home: Gath-Hepher
Reign of Jeroboam II,
(2 Kings 14:25)
Israel was enjoying peace
& prosperity.
During Jeroboam’s 41
year reign Israel’s borders
were expanded after
several years of decline.
Unbelievable
cruelty!
Beheadings,
Impalings,
burnings,
torture,
enslavement,
rape.

27. Theme of Jonah:
The Grace of God
Message of Jonah:
Repentance and Salvation is for
the Gentiles too!
You Cannot Run From God

28. Setting of Jonah
782 BC
Syria is Israel’s most hated enemy
Assyria in a temporary decline
More open to the gospel?

29. Jonah: A Prefigure of the Messiah
Matthew 12:39-41 The “sign of Jonah”

30. Jonah: A Prefigure of the Messiah
Jonah 1:15 Jonah calms the storm
(Mark 4:39)
Jonah 1:12 Jonah willingly offers his life
to save the Gentiles.
It is a miracle Jonah is in the Bible!

31. Outline of Jonah
Ch 1 Running from God.
Ch 2 Running to God.
Ch 3 Running with God.
Ch 4 Running ahead of God.

32. Jonah Ch 1 Running from God
Jonah 1:1-3 Go and preach against
Nineveh.
Jonah 1:4-17 God is in control.
Point: When God asks you to do
something you desparately do not want
to do, do it anyway!!!

33. Jonah tries to avoid doing
God’s will

34. Jonah Ch 2 Running to God.
Q: Why did Jonah wait three days to
repent?
v. 1-7 Jonah is us!
v. 8,9 These heathens do not deserve to
be saved, but if you INSIST…
Has Jonah been humbled?
Are we like Jonah?

35. Jonah Ch 3 Jonah Runs With God
3:1-9 v. 3 Did Jonah really repent?
Did he preach the entire message?
A very effective preacher.
Message: Some people you think will
not be open will be open!
Is Jonah happy that 100,000 were
saved?

36. Jonah Ch 4.
Jonah Runs Ahead of God
Jonah 4:1-3 Jonah having a pity party.

37. Jonah Ch 4.
Jonah Runs Ahead of God
Jonah 4:4-5 Waiting for disaster.
Jonah 4:6-12 The Grace of God.
v. 6 How has God provided a vine for
you?
Are you, like Jonah, more concerned
with your own comfort that the
salvation of the lost?

38. Jonah Jesus
Mission : To Save Gentiles Mission : To save the world
Guilty - Deserved to be punished Innocent - Bore sins of others
Vomited by Fish Raised from the dead
In belly of great fish for three days In grave for three days
In belly for penalty of his sin In grave for penalty of our sin
Came forth from sea to preach Came from heart of earth to send gospel
Deliverance from death to preach to city Resurrected to be Savior
Saved men from physical death Saved men from spiritual death
Preaching created a gate to a new life Preaching creates a gate to a new life

40. CONTACT @ +91-8309511427
coachinterculturalstudies@gmail.com