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Arguments Supporting the Beatitude of Jonah?

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The prophet Jonah is a recognized saint in the Catholic Church and venerated as a saint among other denominations, too. In scripture, when Old Testament figures sin mortally and then repent and are later blessed, we get a very clear picture of the repentance in the text itself. For instance, Jude repents of his affair with his daughter in law and later receives his father's blessing. He was fourth in line. He receives his father's blessing because his three elder brothers committed sins for which they did not repent (at least, they do not repent in scripture, and presumably not before Israel passes on his blessing). David's repentance in his story is also evident in the text. Jonah is a different case. Jonah does repent of one sin. After he refuses God's call and faces a chastisement from God for that, he repents and does what God is calling him to. But, after he sees Nineveh repent, he lashes out at God and goes off to sulk in his hatred for the Ninevites. God tries to teach him another lesson with a plant, but this one seems to go unlearned. Jonah responds to this lesson by telling God that his own (Jonah's) anger is justified, and indeed that he is angry enough to die. God explains the point of the lesson to Jonah, and the text ends there. So Jonah has very clearly committed two grave sins that he hasn't repented of by the end of the text: he has hated his neighbor (he wants to see Ninevites face the wrath of God, even though they repented) and he has willed his own death out of anger, even if he doesn't take his own life. Alternatively, he has been prideful with God, if you read him as exaggerating to make a "point" to God and not actually wanting to die. In light of this, I want to know if there is any tradition that would support the idea that Jonah repented (besides merely his veneration as a Saint). Apocryphal texts, pre-christian Jewish traditions, anything that would hint at his re-conversion.
Asked by jaredad7 (5123 rep)
Dec 17, 2021, 01:00 PM
Last activity: Dec 21, 2021, 02:37 PM