Jonah is perhaps one of the most well-known prophets from the Hebrew Bible. What has been your experience with this book and its imagery prior to this study?
How does Jonah differ from the other books in the Book of the Twelve you have studied so far? How does that make you feel about this text?
What do you think about the idea of Jonah as a piece of satirical literature? Is it surprising to learn that the Hebrew Bible, or the ancient world at large, knew and used satire as a genre?
How does Jonah differ depending on what kind of genre we read it as? Is there a difference in reading Jonah as a serious text, versus a satirical one? Why or why not?
Do you find Jonah humourous? Why or why not?
Even as satire, Jonah contains an important and powerful message about the nature of prophesy. What do you think about Jonah’s motivations for running away?