The “Whole Truth”: Rethinking Retribution in the Book of Tobit
Overview
Micah Kiel discusses the overly simplistic designation of “deuteronomistic” given to Tobit’s perspective on retribution. By coordinated analysis with Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch, Kiel contends that Tobit’s view is much more complex than is normally asserted. He argues that the return of Tobit’s sight is a catalyst that ushers in new theological insight, specifically, that the world does not run to the tightly mechanized scheme of act and consequence. Kiel’s close comparison between Tobit and selected contemporaneous literature provides context and support for such narrative observations. Sirach and parts of 1 Enoch demonstrate how authors at the time of Tobit were expressing their views of retribution in the realm of creation theology. The created order in Tobit is unruly and rises up in opposition to God’s righteous characters. By way of this quirky tale, the author of Tobit suggests that God doesn’t function strictly according to old formulae. Instead, a divine incursion into human reality is necessary for the reversal of suffering.
- Title: The “Whole Truth”: Rethinking Retribution in the Book of Tobit
- Author: Micah D. Kiel
- Series: Library of Second Temple Studies
- Volume: 82
- Publisher: Bloomsbury
- Print Publication Date: 2013
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Tobit › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Retribution › Religious aspects
- ISBNs: 9780567458858, 9780567635129, 0567458857, 0567635120
- Resource ID: LLS:WHLTRTH
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T21:07:40Z