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The Characterization of Tobit in the Light of Tobit 1:1-2

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The Characterization of Tobit in the Light of Tobit 1:1-2 Santa Clara University Scholar Commons Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations Student Scholarship 4-2017 The hC aracterization of Tobit in the Light of Tobit 1:1-2 Emmanuel Nshimbi Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst_dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Nshimbi, Emmanuel, "The hC aracterization of Tobit in the Light of Tobit 1:1-2" (2017). Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations. 6. http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst_dissertations/6 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CHARACTERIZATION OF TOBIT IN THE LIGHT OF TOBIT 1:1-2 A dissertation by Emmanuel Kabamba Nshimbi, S.J. presented to The Faculty of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology Berkeley, California April 2017 Committee Signatures 퐏퐫퐨퐟̅̅̅̅̅̅̅.̅퐉퐨퐡퐧̅̅̅̅̅̅ ̅퐄퐧퐝퐫퐞퐬̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅,̅퐒̅̅.̅퐉̅.̅,̅퐃퐢퐫퐞퐜퐭퐨퐫̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅퐃퐚퐭퐞̅̅̅̅̅̅ 퐏퐫퐨퐟̅̅̅̅̅̅̅.̅퐉퐞퐚퐧̅̅̅̅̅̅̅−̅̅̅퐅퐫퐚퐧̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ç̅퐨퐢퐬̅̅̅̅ ̅퐑퐚퐜퐢퐧퐞̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅,̅퐑퐞퐚퐝퐞퐫̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅퐃퐚퐭퐞̅̅̅̅̅̅ 퐏퐫퐨퐟̅̅̅̅̅̅̅.̅퐀퐧퐚퐭퐡퐞퐚̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ 퐏퐨퐫퐭퐢퐞퐫̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅−̅̅̅퐘퐨퐮퐧퐠̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅,̅퐑퐞퐚퐝퐞퐫̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ̅ ̅ ̅ ̅퐃퐚퐭퐞̅̅̅̅̅̅ Contents CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.0. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Scope and Nature of the Dissertation ............................................................................ 2 1.2. Thesis .................................................................................................................................. 6 1.2.1. Method ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.3. Outline of the Dissertation .............................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................... 14 2.0. TEXTUAL SITUATION OF THE BOOK OF TOBIT ................................................... 14 2.1. The Significance of the Qumran Fragments of the Book of Tobit ............................ 17 2.2. A Comparison of the Short Greek Recension (GI), the Long Greek Recension (S/GII), and the Vulgate (VG) of the Book of Tobit ............................................................ 22 2.3. Apparent Lacunae in GII ................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................. 43 3.0. A FUNCTION OF TOB 1:1-2 IN THE TOBIT NARRATIVE ...................................... 43 3.1. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 1:1-2 ......................................................................... 47 3.2. The Characterization of the ‘Initial Tobit’ in the Light of Tob 1:1a, 2 ....................... 52 3.3. The Characterization of the ‘Middle Tobit’ in the Light of Tob 1:1b ......................... 57 3.4. The Characterization of the ‘Final Tobit’ in the Light of Tob 1:1c ............................ 61 CHAPTER FOUR .............................................................................................................................. 67 4.0. ‘INITIAL TOBIT’—NARRATIVE ELABORATION OF TOB 1:1A, 2 .......................... 67 4.1. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 1:3-9 ......................................................................... 69 4.1.1. Characterization of Tobit in Israel (Tob 1:3-9) ......................................................... 73 4.2. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 1:10-22 ..................................................................... 80 4.2.1. Characterization of Tobit in Nineveh (Tob 1:10-22) ................................................ 84 4.3. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 2:1-10 ....................................................................... 88 4.3.1. Characterization of Tobit in an Event leading to his Blindness ............................. 92 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................................. 100 5.0. ‘MIDDLE TOBIT’—NARRATIVE ELABORATION OF TOB 1:1B .......................... 100 5.1. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 2:11-14 ................................................................... 102 5.1.1. Characterization of Tobit in Tobit’s Confrontation with Hanna ............................ 107 5.2. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 3:1-17 ..................................................................... 112 5.2.1. Characterization of Tobit in his Prayer with Sarra ................................................. 120 i CHAPTER SIX ................................................................................................................................. 130 6.0. ‘FINAL TOBIT’—NARRATIVE ELABORATION OF TOB 1:1C .............................. 130 6.1. Delineation and Analysis of Tobit 4 ............................................................................ 132 6.1.1. Characterization of Tobit in his First Testament .................................................... 142 6.2. Mending the Rupture in the Tobit Leitwort through Tobiah’s Journey .................. 146 6.3. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 12:6-20 ................................................................... 152 6.3.1. Characterization of Tobit in Raphael’s Testament ................................................ 155 6.4. Delineation and Analysis of Tob 14:3-11 ................................................................... 156 6.4.1. Characterization of Tobit in his Last Testament .................................................... 159 CHAPTER SEVEN ........................................................................................................................... 162 7.0. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 162 7.1. Summary of the Project ................................................................................................ 163 7.2. Significance of the Project ............................................................................................ 169 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 171 ii CHAPTER ONE 1.0. INTRODUCTION The character Tobit intrigues readers and hearers of the Book of Tobit.1 He becomes an orphan at a tender age in Israel, when his father, Tobiel, dies. Thus, his grandmother, Deborra, instructs him in religious ways of truth and righteousness. When the rest of his tribe secedes from all the tribes of Israel to worship idols, he continues to exercise truth and righteousness. In exile in Nineveh, he risks summary execution by burying Israelites whom the king of Assyria murders. Misfortune befalls Tobit on the night when he buries yet another abandoned dead body of an Israelite. Droppings of a bird fall into his eyes, while he lies down with his face up in his courtyard, resulting in unclear vision. Healers try to remedy his situation but in vain, as he becomes totally blind. Tobit’s wife, Hanna, finds employment to support Tobit and Tobiah, their son, because Tobit cannot be employed due to his blindness. One day, Tobit’s wife brings a goat with her to her household, in addition to her wages from her employers. That does not go well with Tobit because he thinks that his wife has stolen that goat from her employers. A domestic quarrel that ensues between Tobit and his wife—who fends for the challenged household—highlights his constricted space to exercise truth and righteousness, due to the experience of 1. This dissertation concerns the character after whom the book is named. Thus, I distinguish between the character and the book in this dissertation by using ‘Tobit’ in non-italics to refer to the character under inquiry, and ‘Tobit’ in italics to refer to the narrative. 1 the exile. He turns to God in prayer, after which the mercy and glory of God gradually manifest themselves in his troubled situation. Unlike many other names in Tob 1:1, Tobit has no –el ending in his personal name. In Hebrew, –el means God. This dissertation characterizes Tobit in the Book of Tobit, specifically in the light of Tob 1:1-2. The entry question is the following: What does the name ‘Tobit’ signify amidst other personal names ending in –el in Tob 1:1-2? A situated reason for this dissertation involves my interest in meanings or significances of personal names in a family or society. A personal name can characterize a person as well as his or her family. As an example, the name ‘John,’ which in Hebrew can mean ‘Graced by Yahweh,’ characterizes its bearer and his family in Anglophone and European countries generally as Christian. In Zambian society, the name Mutinta characterizes its bearer as a male born between or after two female siblings, or a female born between or after two male siblings. Thus, the name Mutinta reveals not only something
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