The Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims — Tobit (Tobias)

Annotated History & Bibliography

Read Tobit 1:1

Overview

Tobit (DRB: Tobias) blends Jewish piety, wisdom, and folklore in a tightly-crafted narrative set among exiles in Nineveh. It is commonly dated to the early second century B.C., with multiple textual forms attested; the book is rich in prayer and moral instruction [1].

Canon & Origin

In Catholic tradition, Tobit is one of the deuterocanonical books solemnly affirmed for public use by the Council of Trent (1546). It appears in Catholic Bibles but not in the Protestant Old Testament [2].

Key Themes

Divine providence; almsgiving and righteousness; marriage and fidelity; prayer and angelic guidance (Raphael) [1].

Annotated Bibliography

  1. USCCB, “The Book of Tobit.” Introductory essay (authorship, date, themes). bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/0 ↩︎ ↩︎
  2. Council of Trent, “Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures.” Authoritative canon list. papalencyclicals.net (English trans.) ↩︎