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Blessed Jonah also made other prophecies; but they are not contained in this book. We know about them from the fourth book of Kings. For about Jeroboam, who, being the third from Jehu, reigned over the ten tribes, the scripture declares the following: “the one who transformed the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath even to the western sea, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, his own word, by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Hamatha the prophet, who was of Gethahover” (2 Kings 14:25). And we find this name for Jonah’s father in his prophecy. The God of all commanded him to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the Ninevites, because of their great iniquity, the destruction coming upon them. Said: John 1:2. As if the cry of their malice arose against Me. That is, they turned into great vices, so that they exceeded the limits of long-suffering. But the Prophet, having heard these words, preferred flight to obedience, and ventured to flee to Tarshish. About Tarshish, others, based on the consonance of the name, concluded that it was Tarsus; and others argued that India was so named, not wanting to understand that the kingdom of Assyria was adjacent to the Indian one, usually those fleeing from the eastern countries go to the west, and those moving away from the southern countries hasten to the north. Moreover, Jonah came to Joppa, a seaside city in Palestine, to sail from there by sea. And Joppa is by the sea lying to the west; and by this sea it is not possible to go by ship to India; because between this sea of ​​ours and the Indian Sea lies a vast solid land, partly inhabited, partly completely deserted; there are many very high mountains on it, and behind these mountains is the bay of the Red Sea, with which the Indian Sea connects. But lest anyone think that we are perverting the truth with our reasoning, I will cite Holy Scripture as a witness that Tarshish is Carhidon 1, the leading city of Africa. For in the Prophet Isaiah, where it is said by the seventy: “The ships of Carchidonstia mourn, for your stronghold is destroyed” (Is. 23:14), Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion put Tarshish in place of Carchidon; because this name is read in the Hebrew original. Thus, when the divine Ezekiel makes mention of the Carchidonians: in both Hebrew and Syrian we find Tarshish. Guided by this, we affirm that blessed Jonah took flight, not to India, but to Carhidon. He decided on this because, although as a Prophet he knew that the God of all things is present everywhere, and not a single place is devoid of His providence, he nevertheless assumed that He manifests His presence in Jerusalem alone. The reason for this flight was neither laziness nor fear: but on the contrary, he knew what sources of mercy, pouring out, he ruled over everyone. He commanded him to preach; he also knew that if the Ninevites resorted to repentance, they would undoubtedly be honored with God’s love for mankind; and therefore he considered it indecent for the prophecy to be false, and for him to be called a liar instead of the Prophet. And the very sermon about the threatening punishment gave him this idea; it seemed to him that God, if He wanted to punish, would not have foreshadowed it; the threat of punishment is, of course, an incentive to repentance. Moreover, He assumed that the obedience of the Ninevites, who believed in an unknown and foreign man, would serve to accuse the Jews, who are constantly disobedient to the numerous same-tribal Prophets, confirming the prophecies by working miracles, and do not receive any benefit from them. Therefore, the Prophet did not immediately fulfill the command, but fled by sea, thinking that he would very soon get rid of such service. He also gave payment for moving by sea, so that penalties for non-payment could not delay him. But the Creator of the earth, sea and heaven raises a storm on the ship, burdens it with the bonds of the waves. And when all the other ships were carried by favorable winds, near this one there was a storm at sea, and excitement was boiling. And this clearly reveals to us the lot cast by the swimmers; because if it were a common storm for everyone, they would not have intended to find out the cause of the storm by drawing lots. But since they saw that other ships were safely cutting through the sea ridge, and their ship could not resist the anxiety, they first turned to prayers, and everyone begged the God they recognized. Finding no help for salvation in this either, they wake up Jonah, who is overcome by sleep. And he, wounded by his conscience, struck by sadness, unable to bear the thoughts piercing him, decided to seek consolation in a dream. And with such confusion on the ship, when the waves were crashing from outside, and the swimmers inside were in anxiety, Jonah not only indulged in a light sleep, but was immersed in a deep sleep, and, as he himself reports in his writing, “snoring” (Jon. 1:5). The helmsman, having awakened the Prophet, first forces him to offer a prayer to his God, not knowing that flight has deprived him of such boldness. since the disaster did not stop at all; then by lot they could find out who was the cause of the storm, as likely, knowing (because they had natural knowledge) that punishment awaited those who sinned, and for each crime we were deservedly punished. When the lot became an accuser of the Prophet and a witness against him; and he is introduced to the judgment seat, the swimmers perform the position of judges, and demand from Jonah an account of his previous life. For they say: John 1:8. Tell us what your work is, and where you are coming from and where you are going, and from which country and from which people are you? So they interrogated Jonah with all precision, wanting to fully know what the cause of the storm was; That’s why they order to say not only where he set off on his journey and where he is going, but also from which people he traces his family, in order to form an idea of ​​a person’s life according to the general customs of this people. Therefore, in response to this, blessed Jonah said: John 1:9. I am the servant of the Lord and I honor the Lord God of heaven, who created the sea and dry land. A truly wonderful Prophet and worthy of all praise! Even while awaiting his own death sentence, he becomes a preacher of the omnipotence of the God of all, calling Him the Creator and Ruler of all. since most of the people of that time served idols, and did not know the Creator of all; then the blessed Prophet, of necessity, reveals Him to the ignorant. But he also admits what was the reason for him to flee, namely, that, driven by foolishness, he considered it possible for himself to flee from the One about whom he knows that He is the Lord and Creator not only of the earth and the sea, but also of the heavens. John 1:10. And he said to him: “Why have you done this?” How did you, they say, knowing this and having been appointed to teach others, decided to flee from the Omnipresent God? Is there so much shame in disobeying God? Both the Prophet and the teacher of others hear a reproachful sentence from those immersed in ignorance! However, even after hearing the words spoken by the Prophet, giving him a severe reprimand and expressing their indignation, the swimmers do not dare pronounce the death sentence, but wait for him, as the Prophet, to announce what they should do. For they say: John 1:11. What can we do for you and the sea will be satisfied from us? For the storm became even stronger after the lot. Then finally the blessed Prophet, having known the wrath of God, condemns himself to death. For he says: John 1:12. Take me and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be satisfied from you, even though I know that you are in this great excitement for my sake. Even having heard these words, the swimmers did not suddenly fulfill the command, but hesitated, waiting to see if the danger would somehow lessen, and with the help of oars they tried to reach the shore. But as the ferocity of the sea prevented him from doing this, having first asked for mercy in prayer, Jonah was finally betrayed to the sea. For they say: John 1:14. Lord, let us not perish our souls for the sake of this man, and do not give us the blood of righteousness: for Thou, Lord, didst thou do as Thou didst will. And having clearly learned that the sentence against him was pronounced by God Himself, they beg not to punish those who carry out this sentence. For they say: “Do not give us the blood of the righteous,” that is: let us not be punished, Master, for innocent blood. Thus, although the rising waves subsided, as soon as the Prophet was given over to the sea, the witnesses of all this felt even greater fear in their souls; and therefore, upon their return, they offered sacrifices to God.