Jonah Unbound

in European Judaism
Author:
Howard Cooper Finchley Reform Synagogue, London, UK

Search for other papers by Howard Cooper in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

Abstract

The Hebrew Bible is a compilation of literary ‘fictions’ and poetry that evoke ‘the truth of the human condition’ (Elena Ferrante). This article retells the story of the Book of Jonah from the first-person perspective of ‘Jonah’. The fictional narrative is rooted in the language and themes of the original biblical text. Jonah is still angry with God's forgiveness of the Ninevites, and readers’ complicity in the always-recurring flight from taking responsibility to act against evil in the world. As Jonah tells his story, he regresses into a manic state that parallels chapter 2 of the biblical book. The narrative moves into reflections about humanity's lack of compassion for the natural world, and Jonah's fears about the forthcoming ‘ecocide’ of the planet.

Contributor Notes

Rabbi Howard Cooper is a graduate of the Leo Baeck College, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice, the Director of Spiritual Development at Finchley Reform Synagogue, London, and a writer. He is the author of The Alphabet of Paradise: An A-Z of Spirituality for Everyday Life and blogs on psychological, spiritual, Jewish and contemporary themes at howardcoopersblog.blogspot.com.

  • Collapse
  • Expand

European Judaism

A Journal for the New Europe

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 818 322 24
Full Text Views 40 4 0
PDF Downloads 45 4 0