Now back to the story of Jonah. It's taught in all churches that I have attended that Jonah was told by God to deliver a message to Nineveh the Capital of Assyria, everyone agrees with this. Where he was going when he decided to flee is another question. Main stream Judeo-Christianity teaches that he was fleeing from God by taking a ship from Joppa and was heading to Tarsus which is in modern day Turkey, almost directly North from Joppa. However it is clearly written that he was going to Tarshish which is located in Europe specifically in Spain. Tarshish was a shipping port during that time. Going to Tarsus in Turkey, from what I can see on the map will put you closer to Nineveh not further away.
As I said before Jonah was heading for Tarshish which is very close to the pillars of Hercules at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean sea is the way that ships would sail from Israel to the Atlantic Ocean. Once passing the pillars of Hercules they may either turn North to Europe, Turn South to Africa, or go West to the Canary Islands or beyond. The story of Jonah takes place in around the late fifth century B.C. Is there any evidence that people were traveling the world during that time? Yes, I believe there is sufficient evidence to state they were from a Biblical point of view.
During the rule of Solomon, 10 Century B.C., five centuries before Jonah, the bible states that Solomon had ships that went for 3 years and came back with Ivory, apes, peacocks, etc.. 1 Kings 10:22. It also mentions that the ships that brought the treasures from other lands came in 3 year cycles. This time frame is important because it shows the distance traveled by the ships. How far can a wind powered ship sail in 3 years? Around the world is the answer. Because it is the same amount of time that it took Ferdinand Magellan to sail around the world by wind. The types of things King Davids ships brought back are conclusive proof, at the very least the ships from Tarshish circumnavigated the continent of Africa. So where was Jonah running to after he reached the shipping port of Tarshish? No one knows for sure, but, I do know he wanted to get as far away from Ninevah that he could by getting on another ship at Tarshish.
According to Howard B. Rand in the book "Primo-Genesis" on page 506 he states "Silver and brass were not considered of great value in the days of Solomon. His ships went to Tarshish, returning laden with cargoes of gold and silver. They also brought ivory, APES, and PEACOCKS. These last two do not refer to animals or birds, but rather, they are the commercial names of lead and copper brought in the ships of Solomon. In modern language we refer to iron as "pig"; so, too, in ancient times lead ore was called "APES" because of its peculiar formation and color, while copper ore, with its rich and changeable coloring, was named "PEACOCKS." If this be true then the 3 year trip would be more impressive because of certain sites around the United States that have been mined by a mysterious people such as California-gold, and Michigan-copper as stated in the book by Barry Fell called "America B.C."
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