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From the very beginnings of humanity on, content has been made accessible through pictures and language. The method of the comic has proved to enable us humans to approach mythical and metaphysical narratives as well as themes of the daily life. The story of Jonah works with plenty of metaphorical language and the application of symbols.Therefore, it seemed a productive consequence to depict it in the form of a comic.

This comic about the story of Jonah can be read in a “naïve” way without the underlying text from the Hebrew bible. At the same time, reading it and having a certain understanding of the story and its metaphors puts the reader into a different perspective on the comic.

SLEEP & WATER
The metaphor of sleep is often used in biblical stories to express that someone closes their eyes to a happening, or, in Jonah’s case, to an order. It is possible to understand this without using more sources than the comic itself. Concerning the symbol of the boat and the whale, it gets more difficult. In antique cosmology, water was something threatful and so were its creatures. The whale that keeps Jonah safe in his tummy until he experiences his enlightenment changes its reputation from a monstrosity to the incorporation of security and trust in God’s plan. In a similar way, the boat had – as we see in the story of the Arche Noah – the function of protecting and preserving. When the storm arises, it changes into something that cannot keep its passengers safe anymore. These are two examples that show that a deeper understanding of the story pays off but that one should not forget that the story’s original purpose was to speak directly to its readers and audience through images and metaphors.

WHAT TO CHOOSE?
For me personally, the challenge in arranging this story as a comic was to decide which parts I skip in favor of highlighting others. The way of depicting the individual images per se was easier since it was dictated by the story’s pictorial way of narrating. I produced this little work in the course “Programme Related Reflection” in Wintersemester 2021 as an example for “my individual skill”.