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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 12:15 and Testament of Solomon 24

Deuterocanon · Pseudepigrapha, Testaments

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Summary

Tobit and the Testament of Solomon both describe Raphael as a leading angel. Tobit lists him among seven with God, and the Testament calls him an archangel, showing how Second Temple Jewish traditions expanded angelic names, ranks, and roles.

Passages

Tobit 12:15

Deuterocanon
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.
225–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Tobit

Testament of Solomon 24

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments
24 I then compelled him by the name of the Lord of Hosts, saying, 'Respect God, Asmodeus, and tell me by which angel you are thwarted.' He responded, 'By Raphael, the archangel who stands before God’s throne. The smoke of a fish's liver and gall, burned over the ashes of a tamarisk, drives me away.' I further questioned him, asking him not to withhold anything from me, since I am Solomon, son of David, King of Israel. 'Tell me the name of the fish that you fear.' He replied, 'It is called the Glanos and is found in the rivers of Assyria; that is why I frequently roam there.'
100–900 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Testament of Solomon

References

"... It is important to note that Gabriel is not called an Archangel in either Scripture or the Apocrypha. In the New Testament he says he is one of the angels that stands in the presence of God. He is typically classed as an Archangel due to his association with Michael in intertestamental literature, and a few references such as 2 Enoch 21:3-6 to him as an Archangel. Raphael from the Apocrypha is classed as an Archangel many times as well. Although Tobit does not use the term specifically, it does call him one of the seven holy angels who stands before the presence of God (Tobit 12:15). He is, like Gabriel, listed with Michael in the Pseudepigrapha, and called an Archangel directly in the Testament of Solomon 5:9-10 (24) in a clear reference to the Book of Tobit ..."
R. M. M. Tuschling, Angels and Orthodoxy: A Study in Their Development in Syria and Palestine from the Qumran Texts to Ephrem the Syrian (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007), 91.

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 12:15 and Testament of Solomon 24

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