Abstract
The Book of Tobit contains several allusions to the Book of Jonah and is less obviously related to the Book of Job. Tobit is neither a prophetic book, nor a historical writing in a proper sense. Modern scholars distinguish elements of a folktale, an adventure story, and a parody on ‘genuine’ prophetic writings. Both minor details (such as homophonous names of Tobiel, Tobit and Tobias, or grotesque imagery of a fish which tried to devour Tobias but finally was easily caught by him) and major plot patterns (struggle with a fish, journey, prophecy of Nine-veh’s destruction) build strong narrative links with Jonah, making the book of Tobit seem its sequel. Byzantine exegetes of 2nd-6th centuries AD provided several insights into the symbolism of what seems a grotesque or irony in the Jonah. Unfortunately, the Book of Tobit was significantly less commented upon - until now. Extant commentaries on Job and Jonah set up a methodical framework to explain the oddities of Tobit as they appear both to a modern reader or a Medieval exegete.
Presenters
Dmitry KurdybayloResearch Fellow, Institute of Education, National Research University "Higher School of Economics", Moskva, Russian Federation
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus—Modeling Traditions from the Margins: Non-Canonical Writings in Religious Systems
KEYWORDS
Tobit, Jonah, Bible exegetics, Byzantine commentary, Humour, Irony, Grotesque, Wisdom
