Book of Tobit

Deuterocanonical book of Christian scripture Leaf from a vellum manuscript of Tobit, c. 1240 Rembrandt: Tobit Accusing Anna of Stealing the Kid (1626) The Book of Tobit (/ˈtoʊbɪt/), a work of Second Temple Jewish literature, is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible. It dates to the 3rd or early 2nd century BCE. It emphasizes God’s testing of the faithful, his response to prayer, and his protection of the covenant people, the Israelites. The narrative follows two Israelite families: the blind Tobit in Nineveh and Sarah, abandoned in Ecbatana. Tobit’s son Tobias is sent to recover ten silver talents once deposited in Rhages in Media, and on his journey—guided by the angel Raphael—he meets Sarah. Sarah is afflicted by the demon Asmodeus, who slays her prospective husbands, but with Raphael’s help the demon is exorcised and she marries Tobias. They return together to Nineveh, where Tobit’s sight is miraculously restored. Since the 20th century, scholarly consensus has held that Tobit was originally composed in a Semitic language. Five Aramaic and Hebrew fragments were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to the 1st or 2nd century BCE. The book influenced the