Jonah vs King of Nineveh: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence

What is it about?

For historians, chronology is the backbone of history but, regarding ancient events, they are unable to build an accurate chronology. For example, the Biblical account of Jonah's warning against Nineveh is considered as pious fiction, however, the Gospels refer to it as a real story (Lk 11:29-32). The book of Jonah, despite its brevity, gives some verifiable information regarding Nineveh, a very old city, which disappeared completely after its destruction in 612 BCE. The dimensions mentioned seem colossal, however they do agree with the accounts of Herodotus (The Histories I:178), Diodorus quoting Persica §3 of Ctesias (Historical Library II:3) and Strabo (Geography XVI:1:3). Moreover, these dimensions, seemingly boundless, have been confirmed by archaeology. The text of 2 Kings 14:23-25 relates the mission of Jonah with the accession of Jeroboam II, as pointed out Josephus (Jewish Antiquities IX:205-207), which enlightens the reason and the urgency of his mission, because this particular year coincides with the death of Shalmaneser III (824 BCE). The coincidence in time sheds light on the strange role of Jonah. When Jonah comes to Assyria, in 824 BCE, the situation was this: the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III who resided in the new capital Kalhu was dying, his son Shamshi-Adad V was commissioned, as new Crown prince, to quell the revolt headed by his brother Assur-danin-pal was the leader of 27 cities including the renowned Nineveh. Jonah's mission was therefore a success since Assyrian expansionism to the Mediterranean coast would cease, at least for 80 years. The fact that Jonah was swallowed by a big fish is often ridiculed but this unique event is rationally possible, moreover, the Biblical text describes it as a divine intervention (Jonah 1:17).

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