Book of Jonah

====New Testament====
[[File:Biblia.pauperum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Christ rises from the tomb, alongside Jonah spit onto the beach, a [[Typology (theology)|typological]] allegory. From a 15th century [[Biblia pauperum]].]]
The earliest Christian interpretations of Jonah are found in the [[Gospel of Matthew]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|12:38–42|9}} and {{bibleverse|Matthew|16:1–4}}</ref> and the [[Gospel of Luke]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|11:29–32}}</ref> Both Matthew and Luke record a tradition of Jesus' interpretation of the Book of Jonah (notably, Matthew includes two very similar traditions in chapters 12 and 16).

As with most Old Testament interpretations found in the New Testament, the interpretation ascribed to Jesus is primarily [[Typology (theology)|typological]]. Jonah becomes a "type" for Jesus. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish; Jesus will spend three days in the tomb. Here, Jesus plays on the imagery of [[Sheol]] found in Jonah's prayer. While Jonah metaphorically declared, "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried," Jesus will literally be in the belly of Sheol. Finally, Jesus compares his generation to the people of Nineveh. Jesus fulfills his role as a type of Jonah, however his generation fails to fulfill its role as a type of Nineveh. Nineveh repented, but Jesus' generation, which has seen and heard one even greater than Jonah, fails to repent. Through his typological interpretation of the Book of Jonah, Jesus has weighed his generation and found it wanting.<ref>Anderson, Joel Edmund. "Jonah in Mark and Matthew: Creation, Covenant, Christ, and the Kingdom of God." Biblical theology bulletin 42.4 (2012): 172-186.</ref>{{rp|174–175; 180}}