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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 12:7 and Augustine, Confessions 11.1

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

In Tobit, Raphael tells Tobit to make God's works known to others. In the Confessions, Augustine follows this call in explaining why he talks about God's mercies, although God already knows everything he tells.

Passages

Tobit 12:7

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

Augustine, Confessions 11.1

Early Christian
Is it possible, Lord, that, since you are in eternity, you are ignorant of what I am saying to you? Or, do you see in time an event at the time it occurs? If not, then why am I recounting such a tale of things to you? Certainly not in order to acquaint you with them through me; but, instead, so that through them I may stir up my own love and the love of my readers toward you, so that all may say, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised." I have said this before and will say it again: "For love of your love I do it." So also we pray—and yet Truth tells us, "Your Father knows what things you need before you ask him." Consequently, we lay bare our feelings before you so that, through our confessing to you our plight and your mercies toward us, you may go on to free us altogether, as you have already begun; and that we may cease to be wretched in ourselves and blessed in you—since you have called us to be poor in spirit, meek, mourners, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful and pure in heart. Thus I have told you many things, as far as I could find the ability and the will to do so, since it was your will in the first place that I should confess to you, Lord my God—for "You are good and your mercy endures forever."
397–400 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Augustine, Confessions 11

References

“... Conybeare (2016:59) notes: ‘The entire prayer of Tobit 13 is in fact of immense importance for the themes of the Confessions’. O’Donnell (1992b:6–7) demonstrates that Tobit 13 was important for the Confessiones not only because of allusions to its content, but even its structure, which O’Donnell clearly sets out. Tobit 12:7, after all, has Raphael say that it is important to reveal and confess the works of God, which is the major impetus of the Confessiones. O’Donnell (1992b:6–7) notes several allusions to Tobit 13 in Confessiones 1.1.1, 1.2.2, 1.16.26, 2.2.4, 2.3.6, 2.6.14, 2.9.18, 3.3.5, 4.15.24, 7.21.27, 8.5.12, 8.6.14, 10.2.2, 10.6.8, 12.16.23, 13.38.53 and so on. ...”
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): 9.

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 12:7 and Augustine, Confessions 11.1

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