The story of Jonah (Heb. yônāh, “dove” or “oppressed”) looms large in early Christian literature and iconography. In Matt 12:38–42 and Luke 11:29–32, Jesus calls attention to Jonah in response to the Pharisees and Sadducees, who ask for a sign. The two canonical gospels, however, show a somewhat different approach to the topic. In Matthew, Jonah’s fish is compared to the tomb, and just as the prophet spends three days and…