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Tobit

About this book

Raphael Reveals His Identity

Chapter 12

1 And when the wedding feast was ended Tobit called his son Tobias, and said to him, Child, see that you give the wages to the man which went with you, so that you give him more for his wages. 2 And he said to him, Father, How much shall I give him as his wages? It is no harm to me to give him the half of the possessions which he has brought with me. 3 He has led me in safety, and he cured my wife, and brought the money with me, and cured you; how much shall I give him further as wages? 4 And Tobit said to him, It is due to him, child, to take the half of all which you had when you came. 5 And he called him and said, Take the half of all that you had when you came for your wages, and go in peace. 6 Then he called them both privately, and said to them,⁠ Bless God, and give him thanks in the sight of all that live, for the good things which he has done to you, to bless and praise his name. The words of God show forth to all men with honour and do not be slack to give him thanks. 7 It is good to keep close the secret of a king, but to confess and reveal the works of God.⁠ And confess them with honour.⁠ Do the good, and evil shall not find you. 8 Better is prayer with truth, and alms with righteousness than riches with unrighteousness;⁠ it is better to give alms than to lay up gold:⁠ 9 almsgiving does deliver from death, and it purges away all sin.⁠ They that do alms shall be fed with life;⁠ 10 they that commit sin and unrighteousness are enemies to their own life. 11 I will show you all the truth and will keep close nothing from you. Already I have shown you and have said, It is good to keep close the secret of a king, but the works of God to reveal gloriously.⁠ 12 And now, when you did pray and Sarah, I did bring the memorial of your prayer before the glory of the Lord:⁠ and when you did bury the dead, likewise.⁠ 13 And when you did not delay to rise up, and leave your dinner, but did go and cover the dead, 14 then I was sent to you to try you; and at the same time God did send me also to heal Sarah your daughter-in-law. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels, which stand and enter before the glory of the Lord.⁠ 16 And they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces; and they were afraid.⁠ 17 And he said to them, Do not be afraid, peace be to you; bless God to all eternity. 18 I when I was with you, was not with you of any favour of mine, but by the will of God; bless him day by day, praise him. 19 And you behold me that I have eaten nothing, but a vision has appeared to you.⁠ 20 And now bless the Lord on the earth and give God thanks: Behold I ascend to him that sent me: write down all these things which have happened to you.⁠ And he ascended. 21 And they rose up and could no longer see him. 22 And they blessed and praised God and they gave him thanks for these his great works, how the angel of God had appeared to them.

Texts in conversation

Compare Tobit 12:12 and Augustine, City of God 1.13

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

Tobit highlights the angel’s record of his prayer and his repeated efforts to bury the dead. The Christian theologian Augustine cites this to argue that burial of the dead is not to be neglected, using Tobit as a source of theology and practice.

Passages

Tobit 12:12

Deuterocanon
10 they that commit sin and unrighteousness are enemies to their own life. 11 I will show you all the truth and will keep close nothing from you. Already I have shown you and have said, It is good to keep close the secret of a king, but the works of God to reveal gloriously. 12 And now, when you did pray and Sarah, I did bring the memorial of your prayer before the glory of the Lord: and when you did bury the dead, likewise. 13 And when you did not delay to rise up, and leave your dinner, but did go and cover the dead, 14 then I was sent to you to try you; and at the same time God did send me also to heal Sarah your daughter-in-law.
225–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Tobit

Augustine, City of God 1.13

Early Christian · On the City of God Against the Pagans
And therefore the last offices were piously performed for the righteous of ancient times, and sepulchres provided for them, and funeral rites celebrated; and they themselves, while still alive, gave their sons instructions about their burial, and, on occasion, even about the removal of their bodies to some favorite place. And Tobit, according to the angel's testimony, is commended, and is said to have pleased God by burying the dead. Our Lord Himself, too, though He was to rise again on the third day, applauds, and commends to our applause, the good work of the religious woman who poured precious ointment over His limbs, and did it in preparation for His burial. Matthew 26:10-13 And the Gospel speaks with praise of those who took care to take down His body from the cross, and wrap it lovingly in costly burial cloths, and see to its burial.
426 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Augustine, City of God 1

References

"... Tobit’s act of burying the dead seems to be part of what Downs (2016:59–60) calls Tobit’s ‘merciful action’ (ἐλεημοσύνη) (see also Maximus of Turin, Sermones 41.2; in Rebillard 2009:101–102). Although burial was not a requirement for salvation or resurrection, Augustine (City of God 1.13) still used Tobit as an example to show that the burial of the dead should not be neglected ..."
Chris L. de Wet, “The Book of Tobit in Early Christianity: Greek and Latin Interpretations from the 2nd to the 5th Century CE,” HvTSt 76.4 (2020): 1–13.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Tobit 12:12 and Augustine, City of God 1.13

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