page_title: Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter
section_title: Jonah Fresco
hierarchical_section_title: Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter / Significance of the Catacomb's Art / Jonah Fresco
context_page_description: The Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter are found approximately three kilometers from southeast Rome and the ancient Via Labicana and date to the 4th century AD. The catacombs were named in reference to the Christian martyrs Marcellinus and Peter who may have buried there according to legend, near the body of St. Tiburtius.
  During excavations performed from 2004-2010, an estimated 20,000 skeletons were discovered in these catacombs; the skeletons were buried in loculi, arcosolia, or cubicala. The catacombs "cover 3 hectares with 4.5 kilometers of subterranean galleries on three different levels."
  Within the catacombs is a variety of frescoes representative of pagan and Christian traditions and a few small artifacts. The significance of the pieces of art can be traced to the time period they were commissioned and some possible influence from the inhabitants of the catacombs.
context_section_description: The representation of Jonah is unique and stems from two different sources of inspiration: Roman pagan art which influenced the "gestures and visual formulae" and Jewish midrashic origins that played a role in the development of the non-biblical story behind the depicted episodes. Located on a ceiling within the catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter is a fresco recounting the story of Jonah. The different scenes depicted are: Jonah boarding a ship from Joppa to Tardish to avoid his given task; Jonah being thrown into the raging sea as penance for disobeying God; Jonah being swallowed by a large fish where he resided for three days and nights; Jonah being spewed from the fish and preaching repentance to the Ninevites; and the final scene of Jonah sitting under the shade of a booth he built to watch for the impending destruction of Nineveh. 
  The depictions of the story of Jonah were given validation by evangelists and led to the further adoption within art of the time. There are several theories regarding the significance of the story of Jonah. One theory is tied to a Hebrew prayer from the Hellenistic-Mishnaic period that was the "basis for the Christian Ordo Commendations Anima" and says, "He who answered the prayer of [Jonah], He will answer us."A second theory is that the story depicts the mercy of God, an idea that would be highly desired for those departing from the world and into eternity. 
  The scenes of the story of Jonah in the catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter, while traditional in context, contains variations from some of the traditional representations. A similarity to most other catacomb representations of Jonah is in the scene where he is thrown off of the ship heading away from Nineveh. In this scene, Jonah is depicted as naked and is commonly interpreted as symbolic of the sailors throwing all unnecessary cargo overboard in an attempt to keep the ship from sinking in the storm. There are some who believe that this depiction could have origins in marine pagan art. 
  One aspect of the image of Jonah being thrown overboard that is more rare in catacomb paintings is that Jonah, instead of going headfirst into the ocean, appears to be lowered into the sea feet first by the sailors. This image is more traditional of Jewish midrashic interpretation, lending to the theory that the painting in the catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter is more Jewish than Christian in origin and importance. Another aspect of the scenes of Jonah that supports this theory is the large fish that was represented, a ketos rather than the traditionally depicted Leviathan.
caption: Image of Jonah being lowered into the sea in the midst of the storm as a sacrifice to save those aboard the ship.
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