Texts in Conversation
Tobit echoes the Shema five separate times, intentionally using Deuteronomy to shape its narrative. The text presents Tobit’s piety and obedience to the dietary laws as expressions of Deuteronomy's command to love God completely.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 6:5
Hebrew Bible
3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number—as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. 6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Tobit 1:12
Deuterocanon
10 After the carrying away captive to Assyria when I was carried away captive, I came to Nineveh, and all my kindred and those that were of my kindred did eat of the bread of the Gentiles. 11 But I kept myself from eating of the bread of the Gentiles; 12 and, when I remembered my God with all my soul, the 13 Most High gave me grace and favour in the sight of Shalmaneser and used to buy for him all things for his use, 14 and go into Media and buy for him from there, until he died. And I left purses in trust with Gabael the brother of Gabri in the land of Media, ten talents of silver.
Date: 225–175 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Notes and References
"... There are five discernable echoes of Deuteronomy 6:5 in Tobit, words or phrases that refer to loving God or being mindful of God with all one’s heart, soul, or strength. What is most impressive is not so much each individual allusion to Deuteronomy 6, but the cumulative force of all five passages coupled with the literary and theological context of Deuteronomy 6. In a description of his own exemplary piety – here, his adherence to the dietary laws even when his fellow Jews eat the food of the Gentiles – Tobit declares, “And I remembered God with all my soul” Tobit 1:12; translation mine) ..."
Lori Ann Robinson Baron, The Shema in John’s Gospel Against its Backgrounds in Second Temple Judaism (Duke University, 2015), 92–93.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,