Young Tobias seeking a guide for his journey, the angel Raphael, in shape of a man, undertaketh this office.
Yong Tobias seeking a guide for his iourney, Raphael the Angel in shape of a man presenteth himself, and vndertaketh this office. 23. The mother lamenteth the abscence, and danger of her sonne.
1Then Tobias answered his father, and said: I will do all things, father, which thou hast commanded me.Allora Tobia rispose a suo padre, e disse: Io farò, o padre, tutto quello, che mi hai comandato.THEN Tobias answered his father, and sayd: I wil doe al things, father, whatsoeuer thou hast commanded me.Tunc respondit Tobias patri suo, et dixit: Omnia quæcumque præcepisti mihi faciam, pater. 2But how I shall get this money, I cannot tell; he knoweth not me, and I know not him: what token shall I give him? nor did I ever know the way which leadeth thither.Ma io non so come andare a prendere quel denaro: quegli non mi conosce, e io non conosco lui; qual segno gli darò io? Ma nemmeno ho mai saputa la strada per giugner colà.But how I shal require this money, I can nor tel, he knoweth not me, and I know not him: what token shal I geue him? Yea neither the way which leadeth thither, did I euer know.Quomodo autem pecuniam hanc requiram, ignoro: ille me nescit, et ego eum ignoro: quod signum dabo ei ? sed neque viam per quam pergatur illuc aliquando cognovi. 3Then his father answered him, and said: I have a note of his hand with me, which when thou shalt shew him, he will presently pay it.Ma il padre gli rispose, e disse: Io ho nelle mani mie il suo chirografo, e subito che gliel farai vedere, restituirà il denaro.Then his father answered him, and sayd: I haue the bil of his hand with me, which when thou shalt shew him he wil forth with restore it.Tunc pater suus respondit illi, et dixit: Chirographum quidem illius penes me habeo: quod dum illi ostenderis, statim restituet. 4But go now, and seek thee out some faithful man, to go with thee for his hire: that thou mayst receive it, while I yet live.Ma va adesso, e cercati qualche uomo fedele, il quale dandogli noi la sua mercede, venga con te, affinchè tu lo riscuota, mentre io sono ancora in vita.But goe now, and seeke thee out some faythful man, that may goe with thee being sure of his hyre: that thou mayst receiue it, whiles I yet liue.Sed perge nunc, et inquire tibi aliquem fidelem virum, qui eat tecum salva mercede sua, ut dum adhuc vivo, recipias eam. 5Then Tobias going forth, found a beautiful young man, standing girded, and as it were ready to walk.Allora Tobia nell'uscire di casa trovò un giovane di bell'aspetto, che stava succinto, e come allestito a fare strada.Then Tobias going forth, found a goodlie yongman, standing girded, and as it were readie to walke.Tunc egressus Tobias, invenit juvenem splendidum stantem præcinctum, et quasi paratum ad ambulandum. 6And not knowing that he was an angel of God, he saluted him, and said: From whence art thou, good young man?E non sapendo, ch'ei fosse un Angelo di Dio, lo salutò, e disse: Donde sei tu, o buon giovine?And not knowing that it was an Angel of God, he saluted him, and sayd: From whence haue we thee, good yongman?Et ignorans quod angelus Dei esset, salutavit eum, et dixit: Unde te habemus, bone juvenis ?
7But he answered: Of the children of Israel. And Tobias said to him: Knowest thou the way that leadeth to the country of the Medes?E quegli rispose: Sono un Israelita. E Tobia gli disse: Se tu pratico della strada, che conduce nel paese de' Medi?But he answered: Of the children of Israel. And Tobias sayd to him: Knowest thou the way, that leadeth vnto the countrie of the Medes?At ille respondit: Ex filiis Israël. Et Tobias dixit ei: Nosti viam quæ ducit in regionem Medorum ? 8And he answered: I know it: and I have often walked through all the ways thereof, and I have abode with Gabelus our brother, who dwelleth at Rages a city of the Medes, which is situate in the mount of Ecbatana.E quegli rispose: Ne son pratico, e ho battute sovente tutte quelle strade, e sono stato in casa di Gabelo nostro fratello, che dimora in Rages, città de' Medi situata, sul monte di Ecbatanes.To whom he answered: I know it: and al the wayes therof I haue often walked, and I haue taried with Gabelus our brother, who abydeth in Rages a citie of the Medes, which is situate in the Mount Ecbatanis.Cui respondit: Novi: et omnia itinera ejus frequenter ambulavi, et mansi apud Gabelum fratrem nostrum, qui moratur in Rages civitate Medorum, quæ posita est in monte Ecbatanis. 9And Tobias said to him: Stay for me, I beseech thee, till I tell these same things to my father.E Tobia a lui: Aspetta di grazia, che io vada a dir queste cose a mio padre.To whom Tobias sayd: Stay for me I beseech thee, til I tel these same things to my father.Cui Tobias ait: Sustine me obsecro, donec hæc ipsa nuntiem patri meo. 10Then Tobias going in told all these things to his father. Upon which his father being in admiration, desired that he would come in unto him.Allora Tobia entrò, e riferì ogni cosa a suo padre. E ammirato di ciò il padre lo fece pregare di entrar in casa sua.Then Tobias going in told al these things to his father. Whereupon his father marueiling, requested that he would come in vnto him.Tunc ingressus Tobias, indicavit universa hæc patri suo. Super quæ admiratus pater, rogavit ut introiret ad eum. 11So going in he saluted him, and said: Joy be to thee always.E quegli entrato che fu salutò Tobia, e gli disse: Sia sempre a te allegrezza.Going in therfore he saluted him, and sayd: Ioy be to thee alwaies.Ingressus itaque salutavit eum, et dixit: Gaudium tibi sit semper. 12And Tobias said: What manner of joy shall be to me, who sit in darkness and see not the light of heaven?E Tobia disse: Qual sorta di allegrezza faravvi per me che sto nelle tenebre, e non veggo il lume del cielo?And Tobias sayd: What maner of ioy shal be to me, which sitte in darkenes, and see not the light of heauen?Et ait Tobias: Quale gaudium mihi erit, qui in tenebris sedeo, et lumen cæli non video ?
13And the young man said to him: Be of good courage, thy cure from God is at hand.E il giovane a lui. Sta di buon cuore; non andrà molto, che Dio ti guarirà.To whom the yong man sayd: Be of good cheere, it is very neere that thou mayst be cured of God.Cui ait juvenis: Forti animo esto: in proximo est ut a Deo cureris. 14And Tobias said to him: Canst thou conduct my son to Gabelus at Rages, a city of the Medes? and when thou shalt return, I will pay thee thy hire.Tobia allora gli disse: Potrai tu condurre il mio figliuolo a casa di Gabelo a Rages città dei Medi? e al tuo ritorno ti pagherò la tua mercede.Tobias therfore sayd to him: Canst thou bring my sonne to Gabelus into Rages a citie of the Medes? and when thou shalt returne, I wil pay thee thy hyre.Dixit itaque illi Tobias: Numquid poteris perducere filium meum ad Gabelum in Rages civitatem Medorum ? et cum redieris, restituam tibi mercedem tuam. 15And the angel said to him: I will conduct him thither, and bring him back to thee.E l'Angelo gli disse: Io lo condurrò, e ricondurrò a te.And the Angel sayd to him: I wil conduct him, & bring him to thee againe.Et dixit ei angelus: Ego ducam, et reducam eum ad te. 16And Tobias said to him: I pray thee, tell me, of what family, or what tribe art thou?Tobia gli soggiunse: Dimmi, ti prego, di qual famiglia se tu, e di qual tribù?To whom Tobias answered: I pray thee, tel me, of what house, or what tribe art thou?Cui Tobias respondit: Rogo te, indica mihi de qua domo aut de qua tribu es tu. 17And Raphael the angel answered: Dost thou seek the family of him thou hirest, or the hired servant himself to go with thy son?E l'Angelo Raphaele a lui: Cerchi tu la stirpe del mercenario, ovvero il mercenario stesso, che vada col tuo figliuolo?To whom Raphael the Angel sayd: Seekest thou the kinred of an hyred seruant, or an hyred seruant himselfe, that may goe with thy sonne?Cui Raphaël angelus dixit: Genus quæris mercenarii, an ipsum mercenarium qui cum filio tuo eat ? 18But lest I should make thee uneasy, I am Azarias the son of the great Ananias.Ma per non tenerti in inquietudine, io sono Azaria, figliuolo di Anania il grande.But lest perhaps I make thee careful, I am Azarias the sonne of Ananias the great.sed ne forte sollicitum te reddam, ego sum Azarias Ananiæ magni filius. 19And Tobias answered: Thou art of a great family. But I pray thee be not angry that I desired to know thy family.E Tobia rispose: Tu se' di una gran casa: ma, ti prego, non ti offendere, se io ho bramato di saper la tua stirpe.And Tobias answered: Thou art of a great kinred. But I pray the be not angrie that I would know thy kinred.Et Tobias respondit: Ex magno genere es tu. Sed peto ne irascaris quod voluerim cognoscere genus tuum.
20And the angel said to him: I will lead thy son safe, and bring him to thee again safe.E l'Angelo gli disse: Io condurrò sano il tuo figliuolo, e sano tel rimenerò.And the Angel sayd to him: I wil lead thy sonne safe, and bring him to thee agayne safe.Dixit autem illi angelus: Ego sanum ducam, et sanum tibi reducam filium tuum. 21And Tobias answering, said: May you have a good journey, and God be with you in your way, and his angel accompany you.E Tobia rispose, e disse: Andate felici, e il Signore sia con voi per viaggio, e il suo Angelo vi accompagni.And Tobias answering, sayd: Wel may you walke, a•• God be in your iourney, and his Angel accompanie you.Respondens autem Tobias, ait: Bene ambuletis, et sit Deus in itinere vestro, et angelus ejus comitetur vobiscum. 22Then all things being ready, that were to be carried in their journey, Tobias bade his father and his mother farewell, and they set out both together.Allora, allestite tutte le cose, che dovean servire per viaggio, Tobia disse Addio al padre, e alla madre, e i due insieme si misero in cammino.Then al things being readie, that were to be caried in the way, Tobias bid his father and his mother, fare wel, and they walked both together.Tunc paratis omnibus quæ erant in via portanda, fecit Tobias vale patri suo et matri suæ, et ambulaverunt ambo simul. 23And when they were departed, his mother began to weep, and to say: Thou hast taken the staff of our old age, and sent him away from us.E quando furon partiti, la madre cominciò a piangere e a dire: Tu hai tolto, e mandato lungi da noi il bastone di nostra vecchiaia.And when they were departed, his mother began to weepe, & to say: Thou hast taken the staffe of our old age, and sent him away from vs.Cumque profecti essent, cœpit mater ejus flere, et dicere: Baculum senectutis nostræ tulisti, et transmisisti a nobis. 24I wish the money for which thou hast sent him, had never been.Non foss'egli mai stato al mondo quel denaro, per causa del quale tu l'hai mandato.I would the money had neuer bene, for the which thou hast sent him.Numquam fuisset ipsa pecunia, pro qua misisti eum: 25For our poverty was sufficient for us, that we might account it as riches, that we saw our son.Perocchè ci contentavamo noi di nostra povertà, e tenevamo per una ricchezza il vedere il nostro figliuolo.For our pouertie sufficed vs, that we might account this thing riches, that we saw our sonne.sufficiebat enim nobis paupertas nostra, ut divitias computaremus hoc, quod videbamus filium nostrum. 26And Tobias said to her: Weep not, our son will arrive thither safe, and will return safe to us, and thy eyes shall see him.E Tobia le disse: Non piangere, il nostro figliuolo andrà salvo, e tornerà salvo a noi, e gli occhi tuoi lo vedranno.And Tobias sayd to her: Weepe not, our sonne shal come thither safe, and shal returne safe to vs, and thyne eies shal see him.Dixitque ei Tobias: Noli flere: salvus perveniet filius noster, et salvus revertetur ad nos, et oculi tui videbunt illum.
27For I believe that the good angel of God doth accompany him, and doth order all things well that are done about him, so that he shall return to us with joy.Perocchè io credo, che il buon Angelo di Dio lo accompagna, e provvede a tutto quel, che gli occorre, affinchè a noi ritorni con gaudio.For I beleue that the good Angel of God doth accompanie him, & doth wel dispose al things, that are done about him, so that he shal returne to vs with ioy.Credo enim quod angelus Dei bonus comitetur ei, et bene disponat omnia quæ circa eum geruntur, ita ut cum gaudio revertatur ad nos. 28At these words his mother ceased weeping, and held her peace.A tali parole la madre finì di piangere, e si tacque.At this voyce his mother left weeping, and held her peace.Ad hanc vocem cessavit mater ejus flere, et tacuit.
5:2
Haydock
I cannot. Greek, "as I know him not; and he gave him the handwriting, and said to him: Seek," etc. (Haydock)
Calmet
The Greek, etc., had not before noticed this token. (Calmet)
Haydock
Hitherto Tobit had spoken in the first person. (Haydock)
5:5
Calmet
Beautiful; resplendent with celestial majesty. (Calmet)
Haydock
Greek, "he found Raphael, who was an angel, and he knew it not, and said to him: Canst thou go with me to Rages, of Media, and art thou acquainted with the places?" (Haydock)
Worthington
This angel prefigured Jesus Christ, who took indeed our human nature. (Ven. Bede) (Worthington)
5:7
5:8
Often. Greek, "lodged with Gabael, our brother, and Tobias," etc.
5:11
Haydock
He saluted. Greek, "they saluted each other," (Haydock)
Calmet
The rest till ver. 16, is omitted also in Syriac and Fagius. But the Hebrew of Munster nearly agrees with the Vulgate. (Calmet)
5:18
Haydock
But lest. Greek Comp., "and Tobit said, brother, I wish to know thy race and thy name. But he replied, I am of the race of Azarias, and of Ananias, who is also thy brother." Whitaker would have this to be a lie. (Haydock)
Calmet
But the apparitions of angels are not to be examined by the ordinary rules of life. They take the name of God without scruple, as they acted in his name, Genesis 31:11. (Calmet; Menochius; Tirinus)
Challoner
Azarias. The angel took the form of Azarias; and therefore might call himself by the name of the man whom he personated. Azarias, in Hebrew, signifies the help of God; and Ananias, the grace of God. (Challoner)
Haydock
Tobias had not inquired whether he was a man or an angel, as Houbigant answers the objection of Prideaux. (Haydock)
Worthington
The "help and medicine of God" nearly correspond. (Worthington)
5:19
Haydock
Thy family. Greek, Syriac, etc., add, "Thou art my brother, of a noble and good race. For I know Ananias and Jonathan, sons of the great Semei, as we went together to Jerusalem to adore, carrying the first-born, and tithes of the produce; and they did not join in the error of their brethren. Thou art of a great stock, brother. But tell me what reward I shall give thee? A drachm a day, and what may be requisite for thee and for my son. And I will give more than the hire if you return in health. And they agreed; and he said to Tobias, Be in readiness for the journey, and may you be directed: and his son prepared the requisites for the journey," etc. (Haydock)
5:22
Then all. It was not easy to procure provisions on the road.
Together. Greek and Syriac add, (Calmet) "and the dog of the child with them."
5:27
Calmet
Angel. This was the persuasion of the ancient Hebrews, approved by the gospel, Matthew 18:10. Some of the fathers also believed that each person had an evil angel tempting him to sin. (Origen, St. Gregory Nyssa, Vit. Mosis.; Cassian, col. 8:17. (Calmet)
Haydock
But this opinion is discarded. (Haydock)
5:18
Azarias.... The angel took the form of Azarias: and therefore might call himself by the name of the man whom he personated. Azarias, in Hebrew, signifies the help of God, and Ananias the grace of God.
5:5
The Angel Raphael appearing in forme of a man prefigured our Sauiour who indede became a verie man. S. Beda.
5:17
Raphael signifying mede •in• of God. •. Greg. ho. 34. calleth himselfe Azarias, whose shape and vita •e he tooke vpon him, which name also signifieth the helpe of God.
5:5
5. Then Tobias going forth found a young man splendid, standing girded, and as it were prepared for travelling. — Raphael appeared to Tobias, as a "young man," on account of vigour and strength, as being immortal, eternal, immutable, and therefore never growing old or failing; as "splendid," on account of splendour, both of the Angelic nature, which is a pure and most lucid spirit, and of beatific glory, as "standing girded," as a guide of the way; for Raphael is the president of ways and travellers. Wherefore Vasco da Gama himself, sent by Emmanuel king of Portugal to open a way to the East Indies, opened the same to him and to the Christian faith in the year of the Lord 1496. Hear our Maffei, book I of the History of India: "The flagship was given the name of St. Gabriel, so that the ship which from our world was fortifying the way to the antipodes for the Gospel, might lie hidden under the protection and guardianship especially of that Archangel, who first from heaven brought the Gospel to the earth: they dedicated a second to the Archangel Raphael, the guide and guardian of travellers." Then, having overcome the Cape of Good Hope, they arrived at a place, to which, as Maffei saith, "the name Good Signs was given, and friendship with the Barbarians was made, the ships were drawn up, and repaired in many places: there a column with the title of Raphael the Archangel was fixed in the usual manner." Thus the army of the Emperor Theodosius, led by an Angel (Raphael, or his follower in the person of a shepherd) through marshes and impassable ways, withdrew to Ravenna, and defeated John the tyrant, in the year of the Lord 425, as Socrates relateth, book VII, chapter LXXIII, and from him Baronius, tome V. In a like manner truly of a traveller's appearance did the Angel Raphael offer himself as a guide to St. Macarius the Roman; and in almost the same words with which he addressed Tobias here, nay he led him to the places of torments, in which the wicked are tormented, and of joys in which the just exult. Thus it is in the life of St. Macarius in the Lives of the Fathers, with our Father Heribert Rosweyde.
5:7
7. From the children of Israel. — Raphael speaks truly, both because he himself came from the cities of the children of Israel, namely of the faithful, for whose health and salvation the care had been entrusted to him by God. Whence Lyra and Dionysius the Carthusian say: "Those things which are said and done by Angels among men are figurative; and the speech by which Raphael says he is from the sons of Israel signifies a conjunction of charity, by which the holy Angels are joined to devout faithful ones"; and also because "Israel" in Hebrew is the same as God rules, or ruling God, of whom he himself, equally as the other Angels, is a creature, and as it were a son, according to that passage in Job, cap. XXXVIII: "Where wast thou when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody?" namely the holy Angels. Otherwise Sanchez: Israel, he says, in Hebrew is the same as a man seeing God. Raphael therefore is Israel and an Israelite, because he sees God face to face, and is blessed by this vision.
5:8
8. Which (the city Rages) is situated on the mount Ecbatana. — Ecbatana, or Ecbatanis, is the indeclinable name of a city of the Medes, which afterwards gave its name to the whole mountain and the adjacent plain, where Rages was situated. Whence the Hebrews have: There is a journey of two days from Ecbatana to Rages; and Rages indeed is in the mountainous region, but Ecbatana is in the plain of the field.
5:12
12. And Tobias said: What joy shall there be for me, who sit in darkness, and see not the light of heaven? — First, Hugo thus explains it, as if to say: Thou hast promised me joy: thou seemest therefore to know the manner by which I may receive sight, and therefore be able to rejoice; tell me that manner if thou knowest it. Second, Dionysius, as if to say: I do not desire joy in this life, since I now live blind, and am soon to die; I desire the joys that are to come. Third and genuinely, as if to say: Alas, by what means can I rejoice, who, destitute of all light, lead an obscure, miserable and sorrowful life in the darkness of blindness?
5:17
17. You ask what kind of hired servant. — See here the wonderful condescension and humility of the great St. Raphael, who calls himself and makes himself as it were a hired servant of Tobias; whence also he had assumed the form and appearance of a servant. St. Augustine gives the reason, serm. 226 De Temp., which is De Tobia: "What," he says, "have you merited, father Tobit (for thus the Greek calls the father of Tobit) and son Tobias, to have a heavenly hired servant, and as it were to hire an earthly workman? The Angel concealed his name from you, I am Azarias, he said, son of the great Ananias: and he did not say: I am Raphael the Angel. He concealed in the first name his dignity, lest he should cause terror to the one who hired him. For if he had said: I am an Angel, he would not have been a hired servant to Tobias. The dignity of the name was preserved, so that afterwards the greatness of his dignity might be made clear. Whence rightly does he draw this moral lesson and add: See, dearest ones, how great is the merit of almsgiving. He merited to have an angel as a workman. Do you see how much it profits to bury the dead, so that his offering through the Angel Raphael might ascend to heavenly majesty. Do you see that almsgiving frees from death, and it itself purges sins, brings about purification of the eyes, frees from the darkness of sins." Learn therefore here that almsgiving and the piety of both Tobias, namely the father and the son, merited so great a guide, namely St. Raphael.
5:18
18. I am Azarias, son of the great Ananias. — Witaker, writing against Fr. Edmund Campion, p. 77, says that Raphael here lies: but this is openly impudent blasphemy. I say therefore that the Angel speaks the truth: first, because, as St. Athanasius says in the Synopsis, Raphael, accompanying Tobias, assumed the appearance and form of Azarias, and bore his person before him: thus we truly call the image of St. Peter, by metonymy, St. Peter himself. Thus in Genesis XXXI, 13, the Angel truly says: "I am the God of Bethel," because he spoke in the person of God, as it were his legate. Thus in Exodus XX, the Angel, promulgating the Decalogue in place of God, says: "I am God," because he speaks in the person of God. Some add from St. Thomas, I part. Quest. LI, art. 2, that Raphael is called Azarias because he had assumed and put on from the sepulchre the body of Azarias already dead. But this would have been unseemly, nor would it suffice, because the body of Azarias is not Azarias. Finally, they collect this badly from St. Thomas, who attributes an aerial body to Angels. Second, because, as St. Gregory says, hom. 34, Angels do not have names in themselves, since they see one another and converse face to face, but they receive and assume them by reason of the ministry which they perform among men. Thus Michael, fighting for the faithful against the proud dragon, assumes the name of humility, and calls himself Michael, that is, "Who is like God?" Apocalypse XII. Gabriel indeed is the same as "the strength of God," because he presides over God's battles. Raphael is the same as "the healing of God," because he himself healed the blindness of Tobias. Here he calls himself "Azarias," that is the help or aid of God, because he himself, as well as all Angels, are "ministering spirits," as the Apostle says, Hebrews cap. I, vers. ult., that is ministers and helpers of God. Moreover the Greek texts have: I am of the race of Azarias and of the great Ananias and of your brother, as if to say: I am the younger, or lesser Azarias, son of the elder Azarias, who was the son of the great Ananias, or of the father Ananias, as the Hebrew has it. For Raphael and the other Angels are sons of the elder Azarias, that is sons of God, who is the equal and helper of the great Ananias, that is God the Father. Moreover, Azarias could signify prohibition, or restraint of God, from the root עצר atzar, that is, he prohibited, restrained, shut, because Raphael restrained Asmodeus, and shut him up in the desert. Again, "Azarias" could signify the rich one, or the riches of God, from the root עשר ashar, that is, he was rich: or the treasure of God, from the root אוצר otsar, that is, treasure: for he himself contains the treasures of God's wisdom and beneficence, and is their minister and dispenser. Finally, "Azarias" could be translated blessed, or the blessedness of God, from the root אשרו asro, that is, blessedness. Son of the great Ananias. — Ananias, if written with ח chet, as it is said in Hebrew Chananias, is the same as the grace of God, says Bede, or as Pagninus says, the gift, mercy and gratification of God, or God giving, having mercy and gratifying; for the Angels are sons of this one, and Raphael himself, because they freely received from him their angelic nature, grace and glory, and this, as Francis Suarez and others wish, through the merits of Christ, who therefore can be understood here through Ananias, so that he himself is the father, prince and Lord of Raphael and of all Angels, as the Apostle teaches, Ephesians I, and Hebrews I. But if Ananias is written with ע ain, it is the same as ענני anan ia, that is the cloud of God, because namely Raphael and the Angels are sons of God, who is invisible, and by glory incomprehensible, of which the cloud is a symbol. Whence the cloud in Scripture is called the hiding place, and as it were the garment of God, because God hid himself in the cloud and spoke, giving answers from the mercy seat, Leviticus XVI, 2, and appeared throughout the cloud to Moses and the children of Israel. Raphael did the same in imitation of God, who by his nature was invisible to Tobias, and therefore covered himself with his body as with a cloud, and for this reason was unknown to Tobias on the way. Hence it is clear that the name Azarias and Ananias here is more appellative than proper, of which more presently. Allegorically Raphael was here a type of Christ. He is "Azarias," that is, helper of God, to illuminate, redeem and save men who are blind, and son of the great Ananias, that is, God the Father, and of His grace and mercy, because in Him are all the treasures of the wisdom and grace of God hidden, and in Him "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Colossians II, 9, and therefore He justly is and is called the son of Ananias, that is, of graces and gifts. This is what Christ says, Isaiah cap. L, vers. 7: "The Lord God is my helper;" and cap. LXIII, vers. 7: "I will remember the mercies of the Lord." Tropologically Azarias was St. Paul and the Apostles, and apostolic men; for these are God's helpers in procuring the salvation of men. Whence he himself says II Corinthians V, 19: "And hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us. We beseech you for Christ, be ye reconciled to God." Furthermore the name Azarias was illustrious among the Hebrews, and therefore belonged to great Kings, Princes, Pontiffs, Prophets, Singers. For King Ozias son of Amaziah was called Azarias; and the Pontiff, who bravely resisted King Ozias wishing to offer incense, was likewise called Azarias, as appears II Paralipomenons XXVI, and was the son of Johanan the Pontiff, as appears I Paralipomenons VI, 10. Now Johanan is the same as Ananias: Tobias was contemporary with him. There was again another Azarias Pontiff son of Sadoc the Pontiff in the time of Solomon, of whom III Kings IV, 2, and I Paralipomenons VI, 9. And there was a third Azarias son of Helcias and father of Saraias the Pontiffs, and grandfather of Esdras, who aided the piety of King Ezechias, II Paralipomenons XXXI, 10, and I Esdras VII, 1. There was moreover Azarias son of Nathan prefect of the court of Solomon, III Kings IV, 5. There was Azarias son of Ethan, grandson of Phares and great-grandson of the Patriarch Judah, I Paralipomenons II, 8, 38, another is named Azarias son of Jesus. Besides this there was Azarias the prophet, who by prophesying encouraged King Asa of Judah to destroy idols, II Paralipomenons XV, 1 et seq. Again the son of King Josaphat of Judah was called Azarias, II Paralipomenons XXI, 2. And there was Azarias, prince of Israel, who generously compelled the Israelites to restore the spoil carried off from Judah, II Paralipomenons XXVIII, 12, in the time of King Achaz of Judah, with whom Tobias was likewise contemporary. And to pass over many others, Ananias, Azarias and Misael were three royal youths, companions of the Prophet Daniel, who on account of the worship of God were cast into a burning furnace, and remained unharmed in it, Daniel III, and from Azarias the Levite was descended the Prophet Samuel, and his grandson Heman the Singer in the temple, in the time of David, I Paralipomenons VI, 46. To all these does Raphael here allude, but especially to Azarias the Pontiff son of Johanan, or Ananias. For Raphael is king of the Angels, as Asmodaeus is of demons, as I have said. He as it were a Pontiff offered incense to God, namely the prayers of Tobias, cap. XII, vers. 12; he as a singer continually sings to God: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth," Isaiah VI, 3. For he is of the Seraphim. He is a Prophet, because here he foretells to Tobias the cure of blindness, nay rather he effected it. Wherefore Salianus rightly notes, tom. IV, anno mundi 3226, num. 3, that the name Azarias is not so much proper as appellative, inasmuch as many Pontiffs assumed it to themselves as an honorific title, as it were requesting and hoping for the help of God (for this is what Azarias signifies). For the Septuagint of Sixtus calls the son of Joiada, not Zacharias, but Azarias, II Paralipomenons XXIV. And King Ozias himself in the books of Kings is called Azarias, and indeed as a cognomen, as St. Jerome says in cap. I Amos. And the Pontiff who flourished in the time of Ezechias, is called by Josephus and Hebrew Chronologists Nerias, II Paralipomenons XXXI, 10 and 13, but is named Azarias.
5:19
19. And Tobias answered: Thou art of a great kindred. — The Greek texts add that he subjoined: Ananias and Jonathan, sons of that great Samias (Hebrew, Semelias, that is, of the peaceful one, or of him who repays), I knew already at that time, when we were going to Jerusalem together to adore, and to consecrate the firstfruits and tithes of the fruits; for they were not led into the error of our kinsmen, so as to adore the golden calves set up by Jeroboam in Israel. From these words it is clear: first, that Azarias son of Ananias truly existed in the age of Tobias; second, that Ananias was an Israelite, not a Judahite; third, that he was a faithful and pious man; fourth, that he was known to and a friend of Tobias, and therefore Raphael assumed the appearance and name of his son Azarias.
5:21
21. His angel go with you. — Hence it is clear that in that age Tobias and the faithful believed in guardian Angels appointed by God to individual men, to accompany them, direct them, instruct them, defend them, etc. The Greek texts add that Tobias promised the Angel as a reward for his guidance a drachma per day, and necessaries for life and sustenance, and if they returned in health, he would add an honorarium beyond the wages. A drachma of gold is a French crown, which was too much a price for poor Tobias; wherefore a drachma of silver, which is worth a Spanish Real of five stufers, or ten bajoccos, seems to be understood here.
5:23
23. And when they had departed, — the Greek texts add, and the dog of the boy with them, which the following chapter has, verse 1.
5:27
27. Let him accompany him, — that is, him or with him. Nor do you think this to be a solecism, for thus Cicero speaks in the Tusculan Questions, chapter V, and thus we speak in Latin: he himself is my companion; for to accompany is to be a companion.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
5:5
The biblical apparitions are brought about by God (v. ANGELO DI JAMNIEH; TROFANIA) or by the angels; the angel Raphael appears to Tobit and accompanies him on the journey (Tob. 5, 5-12, 22); Gabriel appears to Zechariah (Lk. 1, 8-22), and to Mary (Lk. 1, 26-38); an angel appears several times to St. Joseph (Mt. 1, 20; 2, 13); the angels announce to the shepherds …
… Under the appearance of Azariah (v.), son of Ananiah, he offers to accompany the young man from Nineveh to Rages (v.) in Media (Tob. 5:5-21). During the stop on the first evening of the journey along the Tigris, he commands Tobiah, frightened by a large fish that tries to attack him, to seize the animal and extract its …
5:6
Gabelus (Gr. Gabaēlós, «Ecciso è Dio», According to Hebrew)
In the Latin recension of the book of Tobit it is stated that Rages, identified with the ruins of Rai, 15 km. from Tehran, was situated on the mountains of Ecbatana; in the Sinaitic codex it is specified that it was days of journey distant from this city (Tob. 5, 6; Vulg. 5, 8). G. not only returns the large sum (from the Greek text of Tob. 9, 5 it appears that it was a deposit) to Raphael under the guise of Azariah, but also joyfully accompanies …
5:17
… They have care of men: they save Lot (Gen. 19), Isaac (Gen. 22:11), the three young men in the furnace (Dan. 3:49). They bring men's prayers to God and bring back his graces (vision of Jacob's ladder, Gen. 28:12). One of them, Raphael, acts as a visible guardian to the young Tobiah (Tob. 5:17). From the book of Daniel it can be deduced that
… V, 11:3, and sim. I, 1:6 cites Tob. 4:19; 5:17; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, I, 21, cites Tob. 4:19 etc.; likewise Origen, Cyprian) and placed it in the first lists or canons of the sacred books (Councils of Hippo [393] and …
5:18
Ananias (Greek 'Ανανίας, from Hebrew Hānanyāh «Jahweh Has Shown Mercy»)
… In the Greek text, Tobit adds: "I came to know A. and Jonathan, sons of the great Shemei, when they went together to worship in Jerusalem" (Tob. 5:18 ff.).
Azarias (Hebrew: 'Azaryah[û] «Yahweh helps»)
4) Name assumed by the archangel Raphael (Tob. 5:18; 6:7; 9:1) from the time when he offered himself to Tobit to lead his son to Rages (v. ANANIA, 2). This name, with its etymological meaning, expresses the "help of God," personified …
5:23
… Her irascible character showed itself in a quarrel with her blind husband who, hearing the bleating of a kid received by A. as wages, feared it was a theft (Tob. 2, 19-23), and on the occasion of their son's journey to Rages (Tob. 5, 23-25; 10, 4-7). Her sadness turned to jubilation when, from the hill where she often went to scan the horizon, she caught sight of her son returning (Tob. 11, 5-6). In the Septuagint the …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.