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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 12:8 and Cyprian, Treatises 4:32

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

The Christian theologian Cyprian quotes Tobit as authoritative scripture when discussing prayer, fasting, and charity, showing how early Christian tradition used Jewish texts like Tobit as authoritative sources of theology and practice.

Passages

Tobit 12:8

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

Cyprian, Treatises 4:32

Early Christian
32 And let those who pray not come to God with fruitless or bare prayers. A petition is ineffective when a barren prayer entreats God. For since every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, surely words that bear no fruit cannot win God's favor either, because they are fruitful in no good work. And therefore the divine Scripture instructs us, saying: "Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving." For he who on the day of judgment will give a reward for works and alms is today too a kind hearer of one who comes to prayer with good works. So, finally, Cornelius the centurion, when he prayed, deserved to be heard. He was one who did many alms among the people and always prayed to God. As he was praying about the ninth hour, an angel stood by him, bearing witness to his deeds and saying: "Cornelius, your prayers and your alms have gone up for a remembrance before God."
245–260 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Cyprian, Treatises

References

"... Cyprian frames both the problem and solution in apocalyptic dualism. As the sign of true repentance, the (wealthy) lapsed should apply themselves to “good deeds [iustis operibus] which can wash away [their] sins, be constant and generous in giving alms, whereby souls are freed from death”. In his On Works and Alms, which was written during a deadly and devastating plague after the persecution (252–254 CE), Cyprian capitalized on the appeal of heavenly reward and the contrast between earthly and heavenly riches to entreat the rich members of his church. Quoting Tobit 12:8–9, Cyprian stresses salvific efficacy of almsgiving and connects it to the day of the judgment (5, 9). In proportion as Christians grow rich in this world, they become poor to God. The rich members should “make Christ a partner with [them] in [their] earthly possessions, that He also may make [them] a fellow-heir with Him in His heavenly kingdom” ..."
Helen Rhee, “Wealth, Poverty, and Eschatology: Pre-Constantine Christian Social Thought and the Hope for the World to Come,” in Reading Patristic Texts on Social Ethics: Issues and Challenges for Twenty-First-Century Christian Social Thought, ed. Johan Leemans, Brian J. Matz, and Johan Verstraeten, CUA Studies in Early Christianity (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America, 2011), 64–84.

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 12:8 and Cyprian, Treatises 4:32

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