Name:Kim Anderson •
Title: The Chevron- the sign of Jonah •
Date posted: 04/10/15 5:31
Q: I'm an artist interested in the visual aspects of the chevron.
For various reasons I think it may represent a fish head with the tomb itself being the belly of the fish- the totality forming the sign of Jonah with the implication that those buried in the tomb would rise again.
The Talpiot Tomb symbol, described as a chevron, has an organic feel to it- that is it is not composed of perfectly straight lines.The sides curve slightly and are irregular. This must have been done deliberately because the actual tomb entrance and the overhang above it demonstrate that the carvers were capable of making straight lines if they chose to. For this reason the Tomb carving doesn't seem to make sense as a representation of a temple facade or any decoration or symbol involving straight lines, otherwise the lines would most likely be more straight. In my opinion it indicates a more natural form was intended; maybe a fish.
The proximity of the sign of Jonah on an ossuary in the nearby Patio tomb is another reason I think it may also occur in the Jesus Tomb. Jesus himself spoke of the sign of Jonah: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth". Matthew 12.39-40.
Not only was the sign of Jonah a perfect symbol for resurrection; the fish was a symbol in use at the time and would alert those adherents who understood it to the location of the tomb. It would have made the tomb accessible to believers wanting to pay homage to their spiritual leader. Because of the uniqueness of the facade; I think this tomb was meant to be seen and visited.
I cannot say whether the protuberance in the mouth of the fish might is similar to the stick figure in the mouth of the Patio Tomb fish.
