📘 Outline of the Book of Tobit (14 Chapters)
Setting: Assyrian exile (8th–7th century BCE), written c. 200 BCE
Themes: Divine Providence, Family Devotion, Healing, Angelic Guidance
I. Tobit’s Righteousness and Suffering (Ch. 1–2)
- Tobit, a devout Jew in Nineveh, buries the dead despite danger
- Blinded by bird droppings; prays for death
- His wife Anna supports the family
II. Sarah’s Affliction and Prayer (Ch. 3)
- Sarah in Media loses seven husbands to a demon (Asmodeus)
- She also prays for death
- God hears both Tobit and Sarah
III. Raphael’s Mission Begins (Ch. 4–6)
- Tobit sends his son Tobias to retrieve silver in Media
- God sends the angel Raphael (disguised) to guide him
- Tobias catches a fish; Raphael instructs him to save its organs for healing
IV. Tobias Marries Sarah and Defeats the Demon (Ch. 7–8)
- Tobias marries Sarah
- Uses fish organs to drive away Asmodeus
- Prays with Sarah before consummating the marriage
V. Healing and Revelation (Ch. 9–12)
- Tobias returns with Sarah
- Uses fish gall to heal Tobit’s blindness
- Raphael reveals his identity and mission
- Key verse: “Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness.” — Tobit 12:8
VI. Tobit’s Final Words and Death (Ch. 13–14)
- Tobit praises God and prophesies Jerusalem’s restoration
- He dies at 112; Tobias and Sarah live faithfully
📜 Canon Status: Why Tobit Is Included or Excluded
✡️ Jewish Canon (Tanakh) — ❌ Not included
- Tobit was written in the Second Temple period, likely in Aramaic or Hebrew
- Though fragments were found at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls), it was not part of the final Hebrew canon
- Possibly excluded due to its folktale style, angelic intervention, and diaspora setting
✝️ Protestant Canon — ❌ Not included
- Reformers (16th century) returned to the Hebrew canon for the Old Testament
- Tobit is considered Apocrypha: useful for reading, but not inspired Scripture
- Martin Luther placed it in a separate section, not equal to canonical books
✝️ Catholic Canon — ✔️ Included
- Tobit is part of the Deuterocanonical books, affirmed at the Council of Trent (1546)
- Long used in liturgy and teaching
- Emphasizes faithfulness, angelic guidance, and divine healing
✝️ Eastern Orthodox Canon — ✔️ Included
- Accepted as Scripture, often with additional books
- Tobit appears in the Septuagint, the Greek Bible used by early Christians
- Quoted or echoed in early Christian writings (e.g., Didache, 2 Clement, Origen)
🕊️ Summary Chart
| Tradition | Tobit Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish | ❌ Not Canon | Not in final Hebrew canon |
| Protestant | ❌ Apocrypha | Not in Hebrew canon; excluded at Reformation |
| Catholic | ✔️ Canonical | Included in Septuagint; affirmed at Trent |
| Orthodox | ✔️ Canonical | Used in early church; part of Septuagint tradition |
