Jonah

[goldenchild17]

I need quotes from the Fathers particularly Jerome, Cyril, and Theophilus regarding whether or not the story of Jonah and the whale and his ministry to the Ninevites was real or fictional. New Advent holds it's a real story and so do I. And their page on this said these three fathers spoke on the matter but gave no citations, so I'm a little lost in finding what actually they said. Thanks.

[jswranch]

Some scraps from Bro Adam's site in the Catena Aurea:
Augustine:
For that the three days were not three full and entire days, Scripture witnesses; the first day is reckoned because the latter end of it comes in; and the third day is likewise reckoned, because the first part of it is included; while the day between, that is the second day, appears in all its twenty-four hours, twelve of the night and twelve of the day.

Chrys.
Therefore also He spoke of three days, that it should be believed that He was dead. But the sign itself proves the truth of it, for Jonas was in the whale's belly not in figure but in deed; and surely the sign did not happen in very deed, if the thing signified happened only in figure.

THEOPHYL.
Now Jonas after he came forth from the whale's belly converts the men of Nineveh by his preaching, but when Christ; rose again, the Jewish nation believed not.


....[url="http://www.google.com/search?as_q=jonah&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newadvent.org%2Ffathers%2F&as_rights=&safe=images"]AND FROM ST. GOOGLE LIBRARY- (have fun will this haystack)[/url]

Edited September 22, 2006 by jswranch