Tobit In Galilee

Abstract

The Book of Tobit is unique in numerous ways, many of which have been repeatedly discussed in scholarly publications. Originally written in Aramaic and probably composed between 300-200 B.C.E., this book is a typical post-biblical composition. The emphasis laid on the Land of Naphtali in the biblical account of the Assyrian conquest supplied the author of Tobit with an obvious candidate for his protagonist's origin, namely the tribe of Naphtali. The Galilean picture depicted by The Book of Tobit is a tapestry of biblical allusions, in both its geographical and historical respects. The artificial character of the northern Israelite context is reflected by other facets of the narrative. The Book of Tobit is a fictional story set in authentic historical context. The Israelite Diaspora was selected as emblematic of a Jewish population in exile and in order to vehicle the exemplary Judaic religious ethos to be adopted by exiled Jews. Keywords: Assyria; galilean picture; Israelite diaspora; Jewish population; Naphtali; The Book of Tobit