Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 145
145 into the sea, to lighten it of them". (In ancient times there used to be sail ships which could not carry heavy cargo; whenever a storm would come and the ship would be in danger of sinking, they would throw overboard part of the cargo to lighten its weight). "But Jonah was gone down into the side of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. " (While the other people prayed and lightened the burden of the boat, Jonah, lay asleep inside). "So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy. God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. . And they said everyone to this fellow. Come and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew. ” (Incidently, we would like to point out here that this statement of the Bible is incorrect. Jonah was not an Hebrew; he was a Prophet of another race, for, he was sent to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria and its inhabitants were. Assyrians. Assyria is a different country from Syria. It extended from north of Babylon to the borders of Armenia and its eastern frontier touched Kurdistan; on the west it comprised a part of the territory lying off the west of the Tigris – part of modern Mesopotamia. Once it was a powerful state with Assyria as its capital lying sixty miles in the north of Mosul-it is now known as Kalaat Sharjat. But some 13 centuries before Christ, the capital was shifted from this place to Nineveh. European scholars are divided in their opinion about Jonah being a prophet of Israel or of non-Israel origin). "And I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath