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The Book of Tobit (/ˈtoʊbɪt/)[a][b] is an apocryphal Jewish work from the 3rd or early 2nd century BCE which describes how God tests the faithful, responds to prayers, and protects the covenant community (i.e., the Israelites).[1] It tells the story of two Israelite families, that of the blind Tobit in Nineveh and of the abandoned Sarah in Ecbatana.[2] Tobit's son Tobias is sent to retrieve ten silver talents that Tobit once left in Rhages, a town in Media. Guided and aided by the angel Raphael he arrives in Ecbatana, where he meets Sarah.[2] A demon named Asmodeus kills anyone she intends to marry, but with the aid of Raphael the demon is exorcised and Tobias and Sarah marry.[1] Tobias and Sarah then return to Nineveh, where Tobit is cured of his blindness.[2]
The book is included in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons and the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not in the Jewish Masoretic text. Protestant tradition places it in the Apocrypha, with Anabaptists, Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists recognising it as useful for purposes of edification and liturgy, albeit non-canonical in status.[3][4][5][6][1]
The vast majority of modern commentators recognize it as a work of fiction with some references to historical events.[7] The story is set in the 8th century BCE, but the book itself is thought to date from between 225 and 175 BCE.[8] No scholarly consensus exists on the place of composition, but a Mesopotamian origin seems logical given that the story takes place in Assyria and Persia and it mentions the Persian demon "aeshma daeva", rendered "Asmodeus". However, the story contains significant errors in geographical detail (such as the distance from Ecbatana to Rhages and their topography), and arguments against and in favor of Judean or Egyptian composition also exist.[9]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Levine 2007, p. 11.
- ^ a b c Fitzmyer 2013, p. 31.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GeislerMacKenzie1995was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Wesley1825was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dyck, Cornelius J.; Martin, Dennis D. (1955). The Mennonite Encyclopedia: A-C. Mennonite Brethren Publishing House. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-8361-1119-4.
- ^ Kirwan, Peter (16 April 2015). Shakespeare and the Idea of Apocrypha: Negotiating the Boundaries of the Dramatic Canon. Cambridge University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-316-30053-4.
- ^ Fitzmyer 2003, p. 31.
- ^ Fitzmyer 2003, p. 51.
- ^ Miller 2011, p. 12-15.