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" A study of marriage in the Book of Tobit "
Geoffrey D. Miller
A. A. D. Lella
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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52985
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| Doc. No
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TL22939
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| Call number
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3257641
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| Main Entry
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Geoffrey D. Miller
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A study of marriage in the Book of Tobit\ Geoffrey D. Miller
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| College
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The Catholic University of America
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| Date
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2007
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2007
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| Page No
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278
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| Abstract
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The Bible never describes marriage in a systematic way, and one must piece together the various passages spread throughout Scripture in order to understand its view of marriage. The Book of Tobit contributes much to this enterprise since it contains more information about marriage than any other biblical book, with the possible exception of Genesis. Although a few commentaries and articles have touched on the subject of marriage in Tobit, no scholar has undertaken a thorough analysis of the topic. In this study, I utilize the historical-critical and literary methods of biblical interpretation in order to elucidate how the book depicts the institution of marriage. Sources include the literature of the Ancient Near East, the rest of the OT, and finally, the Book of Tobit itself. The first chapter discusses preliminary matters such as the text of Tobit, the date and place of composition, a summary of the passages pertaining to marriage, a survey of previous studies on the topic, and an outline of my purpose and methodology. Chapters 2-4 each examine a specific aspect of marriage: the qualities a man looks for in a wife, marital customs employed in the Ancient Near East, the role of God in marriage, and the nature of the marital relationship. Through his depiction of marriage, the author of Tobit encourages Diaspora Jews to value kinship and adherence to the Mosaic Law as the most important factors in selecting a bride. He also downplays the significance of monetary matters in the betrothal process and highlights instead the marriage contract, verba solemnia, the father's entrusting of his daughter to his son-in-law, and the wedding feast. Furthermore, although God does not play an active role in all marriages, God becomes involved in the marriage of Tobiah and Sarah in order to insure that the nation of Israel will not die out. Finally, the author's portrayal of the three married couples in the book illustrates that hardship and conflict are inevitable features of the marital relationship but so, too, are love and joy.
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Philosophy, religion and theology; Marriage; Tobit; Bible; 0321:Bible
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| Added Entry
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A. A. D. Lella
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The Catholic University of America
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