San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-06-02
Written for the LIGHT by Rev. N. Shultz
JONAH AND THE GREAT FISH.
STRANGE BLENDING OF TRUTH AND
FICTION.
Modern Discoveries Throw New
Light Upon a Famous
Bible Myth.

OF all the books in the bible per.
haps none have served as target
for ridicule like the Book of Jonah.
Fanaticism is not confined to the
church, and great deal of the
idicule expended over obscure
scripture passages is as much the
outgrowth of either ignorance or
prejudice, as is the blind accept
ance of biblical NEUROLOGICAL mar.
ratives. AS people outgrow either
superstition or prejudice, they be-
come more truly liberal and con-
siderate, otherwise they cannot
have the true spirit Of investiga.
ton.
To modern man, assisted by all
the discoveries of the past, there is
practically nothing so much hid
den, but that he cannot find a key
which shall open the doors to
the greater knowledge, and finally
lead him unto the truth. One Of
these keys to the mystery of the
book of Jonah was found when the
late Professor Schliemann I'M
earthed the city of Nineveh, the
very site of which had been lost.
Yes it had already been forgotten
in the days OF Christ, and until the
time Of MI. Settlements discovery,
the existence of the city itself had
been doubted. The discovery OF
the city site was accidental merely,
and very soon after, getting per.
mission from the Turkish govern
ment, the enthusiastic Professor set
to work to dig away the accumu-
lations and lay bare the walls of
lost city, in which, about 800 B. c.,
the Assyrians are said to have
fallen into great vice.
= The storyibecomes at once clear
as we learn through the latest dis
coveries, that the Assyrian name OF
the great city is "Ninna," a word
which is very much like "nunu,"
which means "fish;" the connec-
ton being moreover indicated by
the oldest sign for the rendering of
the word in writing, which is
combination of lines and wedges,
plainly representing a fish. The
seal of the city likewise had the
outline of a fish.
1t is therefore true ain sense"
that the prophet, while at Nineveh,
was inside Of fish, not in the kind
OF fish as has been popularity un-
derstood, but just as man living
in Milwaukee Cream City, would
be living in cream, or man hay
ing been born in Boston, lad is
The only real dificulty with
which we would have to deal, is
this; How came Jewish prophet
Tt0go to Assyria to preach such a
calamity as described, and to cause
the people to repent, when to go
out Of their way for the spiritual
welfare of other nations, was not
one OF the old Hebrew Characters
tics.
Upon closer reflection we shall
find that the whole narrative re-
solves itself into this:
The prayer OF Jonah, which is
very beautiful, somehow or other
found its way by tradition from
one nation to another and later on,
as the city of Nineveh had disap-
peared, and in fact had almost
been forgotten, some poet or writer
sought to account for the peculiar
allegorical phraseology of the pray
er. How could he do it-eXcept by
adding the story OF sea voyage?
In this way he showed how it hap
pened that the prophet got into the
belly of a fish.
One can we'll imagine any great
and good man, with the welfare
of humanity at heart, in the belly
tof great city, among untold want
and woe, among display and pow
erty among libertinism and famine,
cry out from the depth of his soul
as did Jonah in his famous and
beautiful prayer.
"Then Jonah prayed unto the
Lord his God out of the fish's
belly.
"And / cried by reason OF my al
Fiction unto the Lord, and he
heard me; out of the belly of hell
cried 1, and thou heardest my
voice.
GFor thou hast cast me into the
deep, in the midst of the seas; and
the floods comprised me about;
all thy pillows and thy waves
passed over me.
"Then / said: / am cast out OF
thy sight, yet / will again look to.
ward thy holy temple.
"Thy waters compassed me
about, even to the soul; the depth
closed me round about, the weeds
were wrapt about my head.
81 went down to the bottoms Of
the mountains; the earth with her
bars was about me forever, yet