Jonah vs King of Nineveh

Historians consider the Biblical account of Jonah's warning against Nineveh as pious fiction, but the Gospels refer to it as a real story (Lk 11:29-32). The book of Jonah, despite its brevity, gives some verifiable information regarding Nineveh, a very old city, which disappeared completely after its destruction in 612 BCE. The dimensions mentioned seem colossal, however they do agree with the accounts of Herodotus, Diodorus and Strabo. Jonah's mission coincided with Jeroboam II's accession (2 Ki 14:23-25) and Shalmaneser III's death in 824 BCE who had previously commissioned Shamshi-Adad V as new Crown prince to quell the revolt headed by his brother Assur-danin-pal, who had headed 27 cities including the renowned Nineveh. Jonah's mission was therefore a success since Assyrian expansionism to the Mediterranean coast would cease, at least for 80 years.

Gérard Gertoux: PhD candidate in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History Université Lyon2, member of the International Association for Assyriology.
ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5916-0445
Website https://univ-lyon2.academia.edu/GerardGERTOUX