Full Description
Blindness by bird excrement, seven husbands murdered by a love-sick demon, a father with the corpses of his sons-in-law interred in the backyard, and a magical fish. These farcical elements make the book of Tobit a striking work of humorous fiction in a long Jewish tradition of storytelling. But it is more than just an entertaining read. We might well laugh, but we cannot laugh too hard, for we also sympathize with the characters' sincere struggles to understand God's plan for their lives. This commentary considers the book of Tobit through a specifically feminist lens, discoursing on topics fundamental to the human experience in the story, such as grief, death, family relationships, belonging to a minority community, disability issues, and contending with why bad things happen to good people.
Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations xi
List of Contributors xiii
Foreword: "Tell It on the Mountain"—or, "And You Shall Tell Your Daughter [as Well]" xv
Athalya Brenner-Idan
Editor's Introduction to Wisdom Commentary: "She Is a Breath of the Power of God" (Wis 7:25) xix
Barbara E. Reid, OP
Authors' Introduction: Setting the Scene xxxix
Tobit 1-2 When Bad Things Happen to Good People 1
Tobit 3 When Your Husbands Keep Dying 55
Tobit 4 Living a Good Life 87
Tobit 5-6 How to Hire an Angel 107
Tobit 7-9 Ridding Your Life of a Demon in One Simple Step 131
Tobit 10 The Good Mother 171
Tobit 11 Sarah Arrives at Her New Home 183
Tobit 12 An Angel Is Revealed (to the Men) 195
Tobit 13-14 Restoration 207
Conclusion: Feminist Commentaries Are Not for the Faint of Heart 229
Works Cited 231
Index of Scripture References and Other Ancient Writings 257
Index of Subjects 265
