Source criticism, also known as literary criticism,  is something that is used to identify the different sources used when a particular book was written. The closer the source is to the event it is describing the more likely it is to be accurate. Textual criticism deals with the identification of text and different manuscript errors.

The story Tobit is based on the Israleite Tobit. Tobit is captured and exiled to Ninevah. While in Assyrian captivity Tobit disobeys the king’s orders and buries people who the king did not want buried. Tobit falls asleep when preparing for a burial. The next day Tobit wakes up blind and is really depressed. Because of this, Tobit wants to committ suicide. Tobit later meets a woman by the name of Sarah who is also feeling down. She is feeling this way because she has been married seven times, and she is still a virgin.  Sarah also wants to kill herself.  Each time Sarah is married a demon appears and kills her husband. God sends the angel of healing, Raphael to help them. Tobit’s son Tobias is sent to Media to collect money from a man that owes him money. The angel of healing, Raphael, takes on human form and accompanies Tobias to Media. Tobias is nearly swallowed by a fish. Tobias ends up killing the fish and surviving. Tobias and Raphael continue to Media and they stay with Sarah and her family. Surprisingly Tobias and Sarah get married even though Tobias knows about the demon and how he had slain each of Sarah’s husbands on their wedding night. Tobias is instructed by Raphael to burn the fish heart and liver. Raphael tells Tobias to do this so that the smoke will drive Asmodeus to Egypt. He is taken captive their by Raphael. Tobias and Sarah return to Ninevah with Tobit’s debt. Tobit is able to see again once the gall bladder of the fish is rubbed in his eyes.

The Maccabees may be considered as heroes because they fought against the king. King Antioch does many things throughout his time. Some being he makes circumcision illegal and also worships false gods. Maccabee was the only one who was not afraid of King Antioch unlike the other people. To everyone’s surprise Maccabee successfully defeated King Antioch.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Week 11: Respond Again. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.