Excerpts from St. Cyril of Alexandria commentary on The Book of Jonah
I summarized some points worth mentioning by our great father St. Cyril of Alexandria :
1- The book of Jonah is a "shadow" to the "mystery of the Incarnation of our Saviour".
2- We should not apply the whole story to Jesus, as for example "he was sent to preach to the Ninevites, but tried to flee from the face of God, and proved reluctant about his mission; the Son also was sent by the God and Father to preach to the nations, but did not lack enthusiasm for his ministry, nor seek to flee from the face of the God and Father."
3- the story is meant to be a comparison between how the gentiles accepted the preaching while the Jews rejected it "what happened was by way of condemnation of Israel; they were convicted of being forward, unresponsive, paying little heed to the laws of God.After all, at a single prophet's preaching . the Ninevites were instantly brought around to a sense of obligation to repent, despite suffering from extreme deception, whereas those others set at naught Moses and prophets, and spurned Christ himself, the Savior of us all, despite his supporting his teachings with miracles, through which they should have been convinced quite easily that he was God by nature and became man to save the whole earth under heaven, and them before all others." Ref mentioned by St. Cyril Mt. 12:41.
4- "Now, when we take the blessed prophet as a type of the ministry understood in Christ, there is need to add that the whole world was at risk and the human race was affected by tempest, as if the waves of sin itself were raging; the dire and insufferable pleasures were overwhelming it, corruption impending in the form of a storm, fierce winds buffeting it-namely, the devil and the wicked powers subject to him and working with him. When we were in this situation, however, the Creator had pity, and the God and Father sent us the Son from heaven; he took on flesh, arrived on earth when it was at risk of tempests, and willingly went to his death to make the storm abate, allow the sea to become calm, settle the waves, and put an end to the storm; by the death of Christ we were saved. The tempest abated, the rain passed, and waves settled down, the force of the winds diminished, deep peace then prevailed, and we enjoyed fair weather of a spiritual kind, since Christ has suffered for us." St. Cyril refers to the story of Jesus calming the storm as in Mt 8:25; Mk 4:39.
5- Commenting on Jonah when he flee from God " It is a terrible thing leading to ruin, namely, being removed from God's eyes." quoting David Ps 27:9 " Do not avert your face from me, nor turn away from your servant in anger."
6- Jonah in the test or trial " Hardship is not without benefit to those prepared to be tested, nor would suffering tribulation be considered burdensome. "In tribulation I called upon the Lord" Ps 118:5 " Lord, in tribulation we remembered you." Is 26:16, "Tribulation produces endurance; endurance, character; character, hope; ad hope does not disappoint." Rom. 5:3-5. "So when the prophet's life was exposed to danger and underwent hardship in the extreme, he likewise had recourse to something beneficial, not like some people giving way to depression and falling to cursing the divine decrees, but remembering the one who saves." he shouted with a psalm in his distress, that is what St. Cyril wants to reflect here.
7- Our Lord was "in the heart of the earth three days and three nights," Mt 12:40 and went "to the springs of the sea, and walked in the recesses of the deep." Jb 38:16 He entered "mountain cavers," Jb 2:6-7 as it were, and descended to the earth, whose "eternal bars" 1Pt3:19 were shut tight. He then plundered Hades, preached to the spirits there, opened the immovable doors, and came to life again; his life came back from corruption, and in this condition he appeared, before the others, to the women seeking him in the garden." Mt 28:9-10.
8- "Though it was a large city and extended to such huge dimensions as to require a journey of three days, if anyone chose to visit it, he crossed it in one day- or; as other commentators think, it was on completing a journey of one day in it that he delivered the divine message". I take this on other aspect, the divine message needed not more than one day to be delivered.
9- "rise up, go to Nineveh" this rising up is the act of Resurrection.
10- "The men of Nineveh believed in God, proclaimed a fast ..."while this was the situation of the Ninevites, however, Israel in its stupidity did not obey the Law, mocking the provisions of Moses and setting no store by the statements of the prophets. Why do I make this claim? They also turned killers to the Lord not even believing Christ himself, Saviour of us all." He quoted also Ezek 3: 4-7.
11- The Israelites did not fact the fast that He wants Is. 58:3-5.
12- God relent "relent means "have second thoughts" on seeing them abandoning...wheras Israel in its wisdom, though instructed by Law that the Lord is good and kind, could not bring themselves to take this view. Instead, remember , they exclaimed, "Our trangressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them: how then can we live? despite their hearing God's clear statement, "Turn back, turn back from your evil way: why will you die, house of Israel? Ezek 33:10-11 That was really what the Ninevites did, averting the wrath directed at them by a change for the better." although God is not pleased with the death of Israel Ref. Ezek 18:31-32.
13- "Far from allowing the prophet's mind to fall victim to depression, he lent vigor to him in his weakness, as it were, kindly but helpfully accusing him of being distressed. In my view , you see, he was suggesting nothing else by his inquiry, Are you very distressed? as if to chastise him both for being distressed and for failing to understand the purpose of the divine judgments."
14- Jonah "expected, in fact, that it would perhaps be shaken and collapse, or be burnt to the ground like Sodom. Instead, it was his house that was ruined, the shelter he had built himself" I would say also he forgot that God Himself is His shelter.
1- The book of Jonah is a "shadow" to the "mystery of the Incarnation of our Saviour".
2- We should not apply the whole story to Jesus, as for example "he was sent to preach to the Ninevites, but tried to flee from the face of God, and proved reluctant about his mission; the Son also was sent by the God and Father to preach to the nations, but did not lack enthusiasm for his ministry, nor seek to flee from the face of the God and Father."
3- the story is meant to be a comparison between how the gentiles accepted the preaching while the Jews rejected it "what happened was by way of condemnation of Israel; they were convicted of being forward, unresponsive, paying little heed to the laws of God.After all, at a single prophet's preaching . the Ninevites were instantly brought around to a sense of obligation to repent, despite suffering from extreme deception, whereas those others set at naught Moses and prophets, and spurned Christ himself, the Savior of us all, despite his supporting his teachings with miracles, through which they should have been convinced quite easily that he was God by nature and became man to save the whole earth under heaven, and them before all others." Ref mentioned by St. Cyril Mt. 12:41.
4- "Now, when we take the blessed prophet as a type of the ministry understood in Christ, there is need to add that the whole world was at risk and the human race was affected by tempest, as if the waves of sin itself were raging; the dire and insufferable pleasures were overwhelming it, corruption impending in the form of a storm, fierce winds buffeting it-namely, the devil and the wicked powers subject to him and working with him. When we were in this situation, however, the Creator had pity, and the God and Father sent us the Son from heaven; he took on flesh, arrived on earth when it was at risk of tempests, and willingly went to his death to make the storm abate, allow the sea to become calm, settle the waves, and put an end to the storm; by the death of Christ we were saved. The tempest abated, the rain passed, and waves settled down, the force of the winds diminished, deep peace then prevailed, and we enjoyed fair weather of a spiritual kind, since Christ has suffered for us." St. Cyril refers to the story of Jesus calming the storm as in Mt 8:25; Mk 4:39.
5- Commenting on Jonah when he flee from God " It is a terrible thing leading to ruin, namely, being removed from God's eyes." quoting David Ps 27:9 " Do not avert your face from me, nor turn away from your servant in anger."
6- Jonah in the test or trial " Hardship is not without benefit to those prepared to be tested, nor would suffering tribulation be considered burdensome. "In tribulation I called upon the Lord" Ps 118:5 " Lord, in tribulation we remembered you." Is 26:16, "Tribulation produces endurance; endurance, character; character, hope; ad hope does not disappoint." Rom. 5:3-5. "So when the prophet's life was exposed to danger and underwent hardship in the extreme, he likewise had recourse to something beneficial, not like some people giving way to depression and falling to cursing the divine decrees, but remembering the one who saves." he shouted with a psalm in his distress, that is what St. Cyril wants to reflect here.
7- Our Lord was "in the heart of the earth three days and three nights," Mt 12:40 and went "to the springs of the sea, and walked in the recesses of the deep." Jb 38:16 He entered "mountain cavers," Jb 2:6-7 as it were, and descended to the earth, whose "eternal bars" 1Pt3:19 were shut tight. He then plundered Hades, preached to the spirits there, opened the immovable doors, and came to life again; his life came back from corruption, and in this condition he appeared, before the others, to the women seeking him in the garden." Mt 28:9-10.
8- "Though it was a large city and extended to such huge dimensions as to require a journey of three days, if anyone chose to visit it, he crossed it in one day- or; as other commentators think, it was on completing a journey of one day in it that he delivered the divine message". I take this on other aspect, the divine message needed not more than one day to be delivered.
9- "rise up, go to Nineveh" this rising up is the act of Resurrection.
10- "The men of Nineveh believed in God, proclaimed a fast ..."while this was the situation of the Ninevites, however, Israel in its stupidity did not obey the Law, mocking the provisions of Moses and setting no store by the statements of the prophets. Why do I make this claim? They also turned killers to the Lord not even believing Christ himself, Saviour of us all." He quoted also Ezek 3: 4-7.
11- The Israelites did not fact the fast that He wants Is. 58:3-5.
12- God relent "relent means "have second thoughts" on seeing them abandoning...wheras Israel in its wisdom, though instructed by Law that the Lord is good and kind, could not bring themselves to take this view. Instead, remember , they exclaimed, "Our trangressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them: how then can we live? despite their hearing God's clear statement, "Turn back, turn back from your evil way: why will you die, house of Israel? Ezek 33:10-11 That was really what the Ninevites did, averting the wrath directed at them by a change for the better." although God is not pleased with the death of Israel Ref. Ezek 18:31-32.
13- "Far from allowing the prophet's mind to fall victim to depression, he lent vigor to him in his weakness, as it were, kindly but helpfully accusing him of being distressed. In my view , you see, he was suggesting nothing else by his inquiry, Are you very distressed? as if to chastise him both for being distressed and for failing to understand the purpose of the divine judgments."
14- Jonah "expected, in fact, that it would perhaps be shaken and collapse, or be burnt to the ground like Sodom. Instead, it was his house that was ruined, the shelter he had built himself" I would say also he forgot that God Himself is His shelter.
"O what wonderful clemency that beggars comparison and understanding! What words would suffice for us to sing its praises? Or how could we open our mouths to offer songs of thanksgiving to one of such compassion and goodness? He puts far from us our iniquities, and like a parent showing compassion to his children, the Lord has compassion for those who fear him, for he knows how we were made."
May the prayers of Jonah the prophet and the Ninevites who repented , be with us and with the current city of Nineveh in Iraq, Mosul, Aleppo, Syria and all afflicted regions in the whole world. Amen Lord Have Mercy.
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