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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 12:9 and Protoevangelium of James 1

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

The Protoevangelium of James opens with Joachim offering sacrifices on behalf of himself and the people, reflecting a tradition found in Tobit that associates atonement and life with giving to the poor, itself based on Proverbs 11.

Passages

Tobit 12:9

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

Protoevangelium of James 1

Early Christian · Gospel of James
1 Joachim, a man of great wealth, was listed in the records of the twelve tribes of Israel. He always gave double in his offerings, saying, “There will be plenty from my abundance for everyone, and my offering will be for forgiveness to the Lord, for my atonement.” As the great day of the Lord approached, the sons of Israel were bringing their offerings. Rubim stood across from him and said, “It’s not right for you to offer first, since you haven’t had any children in Israel.” This deeply upset Joachim, and he went to check the records of the twelve tribes, saying, “I’ll see if I’m the only one who hasn’t had children in Israel.” He searched and found that all the righteous people had raised children. He then thought of the patriarch Abraham, who, even in his old age, was given a son, Isaac, by God. Joachim was overcome with distress and didn’t return to his wife, but instead withdrew to the desert. He set up a tent and fasted for forty days and forty nights. He told himself, “I won’t eat or drink until the Lord my God looks on me; prayer will be my food and drink.”
150–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Protoevangelium of James

References

"... Although under different historical circumstances, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the early rabbis declared that prayer and giving charity, which were always required, replace the sacrifices that are no longer offered due to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. (Sifre 'Ekev 41; T. Berakhot 3:1; Daniel 4:24; Tobit 12:9) This means that sentiments that were associated with offering animal sacrifices are now transferred to non-sacrificial activities, thus imparting a sense of ritual and enhancing their religious significance of approaching/pleasing God ... certain apocryphal legends about Jesus and his relatives also feature a Temple setting, like those of the Lucan Infancy Narrative. In the Acts of Thomas 79 (early third century), the child Jesus spends time at the Temple and even participates in the offering of sacrifices. In the Protoevangelium of James (late second or early third century), the author refers repeatedly to the Temple and to Jewish ritual practice (especially that of purity; hence, the special chamber that Anna prepares for her infant daughter to protect the young Mary from the taint of impurity). Here, Mary and her parents are undeniably observant Jews. The book begins with Joachim, Mary's father, offering sacrifices meant to atone for his own sins as well as for the sins of Israel (Protoevangelium of James 1:1-3) ..."
Eyal Regev, “The Early Church Fathers on Sacrifices and Temple: Rejection, Substitution, or Metaphor?” Journal of the Jesus Movement in Its Jewish Setting 7 (2020): 116–140.

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Tobit 12:9 and Protoevangelium of James 1

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