The Encyclopedia of World Religions

244 S Jodo Shinshu

book with his name, G OD commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. But Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, mortal enemies of Israel and Judah. Jonah had no desire to preach there, so he booked passage to Spain. When a storm came up, Jonah was judged responsible. He was thrown overboard and was swallowed by a great fish. In the fish’s belly he repented. Spit out on dry land, Jonah went to Nineveh and preached. His preaching had such success that the whole empire repented. But Jonah was disgusted by this turn of events. So God sent a sign to teach him that he should be concerned for all people. The story of Jonah is a fictional account. Some people question whether Jonah could have lived in the belly of the fish, but the real difficulty is the supposed conversion of Nineveh. It never hap pened. The book probably dates from the fifth or fourth century B . C . E . It addressed the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. Many of them wanted to form a strictly exclusive community. The book of Jonah urged them not to overlook God’s concern for their neighbors. Joseph A son of J ACOB and great-grandson of A BRAHAM in the B IBLE . Joseph is the subject of many stories in the book of Genesis (37–50). A favorite son, he receives from his father a multicolored coat. In jealousy his brothers waylay him, sell him into slavery in Egypt, and tell his father that he has died. In Egypt Joseph works for Potiphar, a mili tary officer. When he is falsely accused of sexual harassment by Potiphar’s wife, he is thrown in jail. There he languishes until pharaoh (the king) sum mons him to interpret a dream about seven fat and seven thin cows. Joseph predicts good harvests for seven years, followed by seven years of famine. The king appoints Joseph to supervise the stockpiling of food for the famine years. When his family comes to Egypt from Canaan in search of food, Joseph is reunited with them. In time the descendants of Jacob become enslaved in Egypt. Many detailed records from Egypt have sur vived, but none of them mentions Joseph. Some

MESSAGE The book of Job does not display any concern that God would allow Job’s family, servants, and ani mals to be killed off simply to win an argument. Some find that disturbing. But the focus of the book is Job himself, and its strength lies in the way it treats his suffering. It does not settle for easy answers to the question “Why do the good suffer?” In fact, God does not give Job an answer to that question. Instead, the book rejects the simplistic point of view that good people prosper while bad people suffer. It also explores the emotional pangs of undeserved suffering. At the same time, it sug gests that, in the presence of God, even those who suffer unjustly must acknowledge God’s greatness. Not everyone agrees with this solution or even sees it as a solution. But many religious people have found in it the strength to endure suffering. Further reading: Ralph E. Hone, ed., The Voice out of the Whirlwind: The Book of Job (San Francisco, Calif.: Chandler, 1960); Bill Thomason, God on Trial: The Book of Job and Human Suffering (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 1997); Bruce Zuckerman, Job the Silent: A Study in Historical Counterpoint (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991).

Jodo Shinshu See P URE L AND B UDDHISM .

Jodoshu See P URE L AND B UDDHISM .

John, Saint See GOSPELS .

John XXIII See PAPACY , THE .

Jonah A book in the B IBLE . It tells the story of a prophet by the same name. The book of Jonah belongs to the collection of prophets known as “The Twelve.” Jonah was a prophet who lived in the eighth century B . C . E . ( see 2 Kings 14:25). According to the