«...Иисус Наставник, помилуй нас!»

3–19. Tobit's instructions to his son, vv. 3-19, have the character of a general biblical moral teaching; many parallels from other biblical books can be pointed out to individual precepts, but there are also individual and historical features that do not allow us to see (with Fritzsche and others) in these precepts a tendentious selection of moral teachings, freely composed in imitation of other biblical books.

Thus, Tobit's admonition to his son about reverence for his mother (vv. 3-4) is based on the whole Old Testament view of honoring parents, first of all in the law of Moses (Exodus XX:12; Deuteronomy V:16), then in the teaching books (Sir III:1-16; VII:29) and other parts of the Holy Scriptures. Hagiographa; in the same way, Tobit's desire to be buried with his wife was characteristic of the patriarchs of the Jewish people (Gen. XXV:10; XLIX:29) and other biblical persons and quite naturally follows from the true biblical idea of the marital union as an indissoluble union (Genesis II:24; 1 Corinthians VI:16). But at the same time, this exhortation characterizes precisely the marital union of Tobit and Hannah from the point of view of the moral strength of their marriage, despite the wife's reproaches to her husband (II:14). The instruction on the constant fear of God and the keeping of God's commandments (vv. 5-6), which expresses the essence of godliness according to the Old Testament teaching (Deuteronomy VI:2; Ecclesiastes XII:13), is quite appropriate in the address of the God-fearing Tobit to his son, who is entering life. Instruction on alms (vv. 7-11) [8], with a very understandable similarity with the teaching on this subject in other Holy Books of the Old and New Testaments (see, e.g., Proverbs III:9; Sir IV:8; XIV:13; XXlX:15; XXXV:9; Luke XIV:13 and others) had a special significance and application in the captivity, where there were so many needy Jews (see I:16 ff.). The idea of the sinful significance of almsgiving, which is also found in the book of Daniel (Dan IV:24; cf. Sir XXIX:15; Luke XI:41), is expressed here especially strongly: "Alms deliver from death, and do not suffer to descend into darkness" (v. 10): it evidently speaks of the posthumous reward beyond the grave, and in view of the latter, the great importance of alms in the matter of delivering man from "the second death" (Rev. XX:4) and "utter darkness" (Matthew VIII:12; XXV:30), and not from the death of the first and the grave, which are inevitable even for the righteous. The commandment of chastity (12a) as a conjugal virtue is connected with Tobit's advice to his son to take a wife from among his people and tribe, and the purity of Tobit's family and his fellow-countrymen is indicated: "We are the sons of the prophets" and the patriarchs, who in marriages equally guarded the purity of their family (12b, cf. Gen. xxiv:3 ff.), and this instruction is raised to a general rule — not to despise one's own tribe, not to exalt oneself before the sons and daughters of one's own people (v. 13), a rule which was no doubt of great practical importance, on account of the age-old tendency of the Jews to marry women of foreign tribes without their own tribe; this rightly indicates pride, from which is destruction. The instruction on justice in the treatment of the hireling (14a) is given twice in the Mosaic law (Lev XIX:13; Deuteronomy XXIV:14), and in the Assyrian captivity, where the poor Jews undoubtedly earned their living by the labor of day laborers, there was a special need for strict observance of this rule (cf. James V:4). The rule, "what you yourself hate, do not do to anyone" (v. 15a) is expressed by the Lord the Savior in a positive form: "In all things, whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them" (Matthew VII:12; Luke VI:31), according to the word of the Lord, "this is the law and the prophets." The prohibition of drunkenness (v. 15b) may have referred to the prevalence of this vice in Assyria (Nahum I:10). Further, when repeating the instruction about giving alms to the needy (v. 16), a special instruction is given: "Distribute your bread at the grave of the righteous, but do not give it to sinners" (v. 17): this refers to the common custom of the biblical Jews to bring the bread of sorrow and the cup of consolation to those who mourn for the dead, to give alms to the poor for the dead, and to offer prayers and propitiatory sacrifices for them (2 Samuel III:35; XII:17; Jeremiah IX:16; XVI:7; Ezekiel XXIV:17; Hose IX:4; Sir VII:36; 2 James XII:42–45); and at the same time it is forbidden for the Jews to participate in the funeral rites of the Assyrians, who, as can be seen from some of the inscriptions of Asurbanipal, were in the habit of bringing food and drink to the shadows of the dead. (See Prof. Drozdov, pp. 61-65 and 468). This exhortation may have been of a wider scope, containing the advice not to give alms to the Gentiles at all, an exhortation which is quite understandable in the mouth of an Old Testament man (cf. Matthew V:43), and moreover during the difficult time of captivity, when the Jews suffered great bitterness from the Gentile Assyrians and, naturally, had the same feeling for them themselves (cf. Psalm CXXXVI).

20. Now I will reveal to you that I gave ten talents of silver for the preservation of Gibael the son of Gabriel in the Ragae of the Medes. 21. Do not be afraid, my son, that we have become poor: you have much, if you fear the Lord and shun all sin and do what is right in His sight.

Chapter V

1–17. Departure of Tobias to the Ragas of the Medes, accompanied by the Angel Raphael, who appeared in the guise of the young man Azariah. 18–22. Hannah's sorrow for separation from her son and her consolation by Tobit. 1. And Tobias answered and said to him, "My father, I will do all that you have commanded me; 2. But how can I get silver without knowing that person? 3. Then his father gave him a receipt and said, "Find yourself a man to accompany you; I will give him wages while he is still alive, and go and get the money.

1–3. In the accepted Greek text, as well as in the Slavic-Russian. translations, vv. 2-3 is shortened to darkness: thus the time when Tobit left the money with Gibael is omitted (I:14; IV:20), namely, twenty years ago (code Sinaisk. Vet. Latin.); in the same way, it is not clear from the accepted text what kind of receipt and for what purpose Tobit gave to his son: in it the one that is in Sinai is omitted. code. and Vet. Latina reports that, in addition to the receipt written by Gibael and which was in the possession of Tobit, there was another receipt written by Tobit and "put with money from Obael (χειρόγραφον αυτού έδωκεν μοι καί χειρόγραφον έδωκα αύτφ, καί διείλον εις δύο. καί ελάβομεν εκάτερος έν, καί έθηκα μετά τού αργυρίου v. 3 according to Sinaisk. list LXX). This version is justified by historical data. In Assyro-Babylonia, as can be seen from the many extant so-called contract tables or private documents of a legal and business nature, the custom of protecting the right of ownership by written documents was very widespread, and these documents were drawn up with such care that they can cause surprise even on the part of modern lawyers. In particular, when giving money to someone for safekeeping, in addition to the person who accepted the money for safekeeping, there was also a receipt from the owner of the money, which was usually put together with the money. Thus, the report of the book of Tobit (according to the code Syn. and Vet. Lat) on two bank receipts is quite consistent with the customs of Assyro-Babylonia, to which the captive Israelites had to be more or less applied. And the account of the book of Tobit, that Tobit sent his son Tobias to Media only in the reign of Asargaddon to receive the money left by Gabael 20 years earlier, is also confirmed historically by the lack of safe routes and peaceful relations with Media during the turbulent reign of Sennacherib (cf. I:15), as well as in the first years of the reign of Asargaddon, which were engaged in a number of wars to quell the rebellions. But even in the time of peace that followed, a distant journey, as in ancient times, could not be undertaken without a companion, for whom Tobit is therefore concerned, v. 3, etc.

4. And he went to look for a man and met Raphael. It was an Angel, but he didn't know 5. And he said to him, "Can you go with me to the Ragas of the Medes, and do you know these places?" 6. The angel answered, "I can go with you, and I know the way; I have already stayed with Gabael our brother. 7. And Tobias said to him, "Wait for me, and I will tell my father." 8. He said, "Go, but don't delay." 9. When he came, he said to his father, "Behold, I have found a companion." The father said, "Invite him to me; I will find out what tribe he is from, and whether he is a reliable companion to you. 10. And he called him, and he went in, and they saluted one another. 11. Tobit asked, "Tell me, brother, of what tribe and of what family are you?" 12. He answered, "Are you looking for a tribe and a generation, or a hired man to go with your son?" And Tobit said to him, "Brother, I want to know your family and your name." 13. He said, "I am Azariah, of the family of Ananias the Great, of your brothers." 14. Then Tobit said to him, "Brother, go safely, and don't be angry with me because I asked about your tribe and your family." You happen to be my brother, from an honest and good family. I knew Ananias and Jonathan, the sons of Shemei the Great; we went together to Jerusalem to worship, with the firstborn and tithes of earthly products, for we were not carried away by the error of our brethren: "You, brother, are of a good root!" 15. But tell me, what wages shall I have to give you? I will give thee a drachma for the day, and all that is necessary for thee, and for my son; 16. And I will add more to you on top of this wages, if you return safely. 17. And so agreed. Then he said to Tobias, "Be ready for the journey, and depart safely." And his son prepared what was necessary for the journey. And the father said to him, "Go with this man; but God who dwells in heaven will make your way prosperous, and may his angel accompany you. And they both went, and the young man's dog with them. 18. His mother Hannah wept and said to Tobit, "Why did you let our son go? Was he not the support of our hands when he went in and out before us?

4–18. The narrative of the Book of Tobit about the image of the appearance of the angel Raphael on earth and about his relationship to Tobit and Tobias is fully confirmed by similar examples found in the canonical writings of the Old Testament (Genesis XVIII-XIX chapters, Judges XIII:1-21, etc.). In Raphael's acceptance of the image of a person who could be Tobias's companion, one can see the adaptation to the circumstances of the time and to the position of persons, which is evidenced by many biblical legends about the apparitions of angels (see A. Glagoleva, The Old Testament Biblical Teaching on Angels, p. 148, cf. Prof. Drozdov, pp. 373-378). With regard to Raphael's perplexing course of action, namely, that he pretended to be Azariah, the son of Ananias (v. 13), it may be said that "what Raphael said of himself was true (as being in full accord with the manner he had adopted), but he did not tell the whole truth, because Tobit should not have known it until a certain time" (cf. Prof. Drozdov, p. p. 375); if he had appeared in the form of an angel, he would have made Tobit and Tobias tremble and would not have fulfilled the mission entrusted to him, as Blazh explains. Augustine (Curs. S. Scr. t. XII, col. 546).

19. Do not prefer silver to silver; let it be like rubbish in comparison with our son! 20. For as long as the Lord has ordained for us to live, we have enough for this. 21. Tobit said to her, "Don't be sad, sister; he shall come well, and thy eyes shall see him; 22. for a good angel will accompany him; his path will prosper, and he will return healthy.

19–22. Both Raphael's activities on earth and Tobit's belief in the companionship of Tobias the good angel, v. 22, cf. Gen XXIV:7, testify to the profound vitality of the belief in angels and their salvific activity for people at all times of Old Testament history (see A. Glagolev, op. cit., p. 489).

Chapter VI

1–9. An adventure on the way of Tobias and Raphael to Media. 10–18. Advice of the angel Tobias about marriage with Sarah and about the means of salvation from the malice of the demon Asmodeus. 1. And she stopped crying.

1. In the accepted Greek text, as in the Slav. and Russian. transl., omitted in the Sinai code. LXX remark on the dog's following travelers (καί ό κύων 'εξήλθεν μετ' αυτού καί επορεύθη μετ αύτων Syn. code), which remark was probably erroneously transferred from here (in the accepted Greek t., Slavonic-Russian) in V:17 (cf. XI:3). The dog belonging to Tobias was evidently a domestic animal, and enjoyed a certain kind of attention from its master: this was the case only in Assyro-Babylonia (as early as Greece), but not among the Jews in Palestine, where dogs were until later times semi-savage, wandering animals (Psalm XXI:17, 21; LVIII:7, 15), were considered unclean and contemptible (1 Kings XIV:11; XIX:21; 4 Samuel IX:35-36 and many others, see Prof. Drozdov, pp. 502-507).

Tobias and Raphael, when they went from Nineveh to Media, spent the first night on the banks of the Tigris (v. I): there is nothing impossible in this (contrary to the opinion of Ewald and others), for, although Nineveh itself lay by the Tigris River, and precisely on the left, eastern side of that river, the direction of the way of Tobias and Raphael, to Ragas and Ecbatana, was necessary for the eastern,  But the Tigris had many very significant deviations in its course, and it is quite understandable that travelers heading east (or southeast) could meet the Tigris or one of its tributaries (e.g., the Great or Upper Zab) on their way. Cm. by Prof. Drozdov, pp. 505–508.