Archaeological
discoveries made in the Holy Land could prove the Bible's account of
Jonah, who survived in the belly of a whale for three days, a scripture
expert has claimed.
The Biblical account of Jonah's
misadventures has been controversial, with no solid evidence to back the
Old Testament's narrative. Although Jonah's tale is considered by many
to be a parable meant to teach about compassion and trust in God, there
are some who believe there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Although
incredible, Tom Meyer, a theologian at Shasta Bible College and
Graduate School in California, US, believes there is archaeological
evidence that could corroborate the story.
He told Express.co.uk:
"In regards to archaeological evidence demonstrating the historicity of
the account of Jonah, the idea of Jonah being resurrected from the
watery grave was so believed and prominent in Jewish thought and
practice that it became a motif on the ossuaries and tombs of early
Jewish Christians.
"A first-century ossuary or bone box was
discovered in Jerusalem with a rudimentary inscription of not only the
name of Jonah but a rude sketch of him being vomited out of the whale.
"In
later centuries the Jonah 'sign' became the quintessential expression
of Christian belief in the resurrection with over a hundred examples of
Jonah images in the Christian catacombs at Rome."
There also exists a first-hand account of a man who claims to have been swallowed by a whale.
Professor
Meyer said: "In regards to the firsthand account paralleling Jonah, the
Princeton Theological Review of October 1927 reports the story of James
Bartley who, in 1891 was swallowed by a sperm whale and then rescued
two days later by his fellow fishermen near the Falkland Islands.
"According to the report, the whale had attacked their vessel and Bartley was thrown overboard and presumed dead at sea.
"Two
days later, the fishermen spotted the same whale floating upon the
water, likely dead from constipation. "Upon skinning the whale, they
discovered Bartley alive but unconscious inside the whale.
"Though
according to the report his skin was bleached by the gastric acids and
he was permanently blind from the incident, Bartley lived 18 more years
and toured the world recounting his experiences as the modern-day Jonah.
"The only person on record to reject Bartley’s claims was the boat captain’s wife, who was not an eyewitness."
However, many historians are no convinced by Bartley’s account, finding inconsistencies in his story.
According
to historian Edward Davis, the story may have been inspired by the
Gorleston whale, a 30ft rorqual or baleen whale killed near Great
Yarmouth in June 1981.
Similarly, biologists do not believe it
would be possible for a human to be swallowed whole, let alone survive
inside of a whale.
Dr Craig McClain of the Lousiana University
Marine Consortium said: "I know that the oesophagus of a whale shark
measures only inches across.
"The massive beast could not choke me down even if it preferred man meat to plankton."
Professor Meyer, however, is undeterred in his belief the Bible is a historically accurate document.
He
said: "Jonah was a historical person and his account isn’t a whale of a
tale but a true account that parallels the ministry of Jesus.
"The
account of Jonah literally being in the belly of the great fish for
three days and three nights and later coming back to life is given in
the New Testament as the only sign Jesus ever gave to Israel."
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