RT Article
T1 A Preferential Option for the Rich: Wealth as the Facilitator for Faithfulness in the Book of Tobit
JF The catholic biblical quarterly
VO 81
IS 2
SP 217
OP 234
A1 Cason, Thomas Scott 1973-
LA English
PB Catholic Biblical Association of America
YR 2019
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1667685511
AB Scholars have interpreted Tobit as a paragon of piety in the Book of Tobit. A materialist reading of the tale, however, suggests that Tobit's assets are what facilitates his religious devotion over the course of the story. In this way, the narrative establishes a rhetorical reality in which the persistence of faithfulness in exile is less a matter of resolve than the result of accumulated wealth, as well as economic systems, which make it possible to continue traditional practices while living in a foreign land. Where wealth proves most advantageous is in Tobit's vision of the New Jerusalem. The affluent have maintained their conventional beliefs while in exile, and their wealth-enabled faithfulness forms a vetting process to determine inheritance rights in the New Jerusalem.
K1 ASSET management
K1 FAITHFULNESS of God
K1 Social status
K1 TOBITS
K1 Tobit
K1 Wealth
K1 Faithfulness
K1 Materialism
K1 Poverty
DO 10.1353/cbq.2019.0136