A Convergent Study
I first presented this argument in 2013, most notably in the
International SBL in St. Andrews, but in the meantime, Michael W.
Andrews (2018) has independently written and published a study of Matt
12:40 that strikingly converges with mine.
Andrews examines Jesus’ reference to “three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth” against the background of a “close reading”
of Jonah 2. The time Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish is
analogous to the period Jesus spent in the heart of the earth. Andrews
describes the “sign of Jonah” as suffering rather than rescue.
The three days and three nights interval in the heart of the earth
“preceded and included” Jesus’ death and burial. In the Garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus sunk to the depths of sorrow and despair with the same
degree of agony expressed in the prayer of Jonah while in the belly of
the sea monster. Jesus’ descent into death actually began in Gethsemane.
In Gethsemane is where “the three days and three nights” commenced
(pp.105, 108, 116, 118).
Andrews and I are in agreement that the “sign of Jonah” was not the
resurrection, but the suffering of Jesus. We are furthermore in
agreement that this suffering includes the death and burial of Jesus,
but commenced before the crucifixion. For Andrews, the entering
of Jesus into “the heart of the earth” is his descent into death orSheol, but he departs from other scholars by making Jesus’ ordeal
in Gethsemane the time when his descent into Sheol begins.
While I interpret “the heart of the earth” topologically ,
Andrews interprets the phrase psychologically . While “three days
and three nights” commences for me with Jesus at the last supper in the
Upper Room, for Andrews it commences with Jesus in Gethsemane. In either
case, the interval begins on Thursday within the boundaries of
Jerusalem. There are a number of other differences between Andrews and
me in regard to our interpretations, but they seem rather insignificant
in light of our essential agreement that Matt 12:40 refers to a time
period that precedes yet includes Jesus’ burial in the tomb.