text: Book of Tobit • Wikipedia
  The Book of Tobit (/ˈtoʊbɪt/)[a] is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canons. It was recognized as canonical by the Council of Hippo (in 393), the Councils of Carthage of 397 and 417, and the Council of Florence (in 1442), and confirmed in the Counter-Reformation by the Council of Trent (1546). It is not found in Protestant or Jewish biblical canons.
  Canonical status [ edit ]
  The Book of Tobit is listed as a canonical book by the Council of Rome (382 AD),[2] the Council of Hippo (393 AD),[3] the Council of Carthage (397)[4] and (419 AD),[5] the Council of Florence (1442)[6] and finally the Council of Trent (1546),[7] and is part of the canon of both the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Catholics refer to it as deuterocanonical.[8]
  Augustine[9] (c. 397 AD) and Pope Innocent I[10] (405 AD) affirmed Tobit as part of the Old Testament Canon. Athanasius (367 AD) mentioned that certain other books, including the book of Tobit, while not being part of the Canon, "were appointed by the Fathers to be read".[11]
  According to Rufinus of Aquileia (c. 400 AD) the book of Tobit and other deuterocanonical books were not called Canonical but Ecclesiastical books.[12]
  However, some ancient Jewish rabbinic scholars possibly considered Tobit to be canonical. Midrash Bereishit Rabbah, an aggadic commentary on the Book of Genesis compiled circa 400–600 AD, includes a truncated Aramaic version of Tobit. Tobit was also part of the Septuagint, the first Greek translation of the Bible).[8] In more contemporary times, a number of Jews in Israel have sought to reclaim Tobit as part of the canon.[16]
  Liturgical and religious significance [ edit ]
  Readings from the book are used in the Latin Rite. Because of the book's praise for the purity of marriage, it is often read during weddings in many rites. Doctrinally, the book is cited for its teaching on the intercession of angels, filial piety, and reverence for the dead.[22] Tobit is also made reference to in chapter 5 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.[23]
  The story in the Book of Tobit is set in the 8th century BC.[24] However, a number of historical errors (according to Miller, though some may dispute this) rule out contemporaneous authorship,[25] and most scholars now date the book's composition between 225 and 175 BC.[26] The direct quote in Tobit 2:6 from the Book of Amos ("Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your mirth into lamentation"[27]) indicates that the prophetic books had become not only fixed but authoritative, signalling a post-exilic date.[26] Moreover, reference to the "Book of Moses" (6:13, 7:11–13) and the "Law of Moses" (7:13) echo identical phrasing in the Book of Chronicles, which some believe was composed after the 4th century BC.[28] Contextually, dating Tobit's authorship to after 175 BC is problematic, as the author expresses no awareness of Seleucid attempts to Hellenize Judea (from 175 BC) or of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucids (165 BC), nor does it espouse apocalyptic or messianic expectations upon which later writings focused.[29] Nevertheless, some scholars espouse a later date of composition of at least portions of Tobit.[30]
  Location and language [ edit ]
  No scholarly consensus exists on the place of composition, and "almost every region of the ancient world seems to be a candidate."[31] A Mesopotamian origin seems logical given that the story takes place in Assyria and Persia, as does the invocation of the Persian demon "aeshma daeva", rendered "Asmodeus" by Tobit.[31] But significant errors in geographical detail (such as the distance from Ecbatana to Rhages and their topography) render this origin questionable.[32] Arguments against and in favor of Judean or Egyptian composition also exist.[33]
  As stated, fragments of Tobit in both Aramaic and Hebrew have been discovered at Qumran.[34][35] Jerome described his version for the Vulgate as being made from an Aramaic text available to him.
  Surviving Greek translations are found in two versions. The shorter, which Robert Hanhart called Greek I in his edition of the Septuagint, is found in Codex Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Venetus, and most cursive manuscripts. The Greek II version, 1700 words longer, is found in Codex Sinaiticus and closely aligns with the Hebrew and Aramaic fragments found at Qumran. Apparently the Old Latin (La) manuscripts are also translated from the longer Greek II version. Most English translations since 1966 have relied on the Greek II version.[35]