Comical moments and comical characterisations in Tobit: The undermining of self-righteous piety, simplistic retribution, and limited Yahwism
This article argues that comic moments and comic characterisation are used in Tobit as a means of satirically exposing a type of Yahwism characterised by inward-looking piety, religious and ethnic endogamy, and simplistic notions of retribution. Comic moments and comic characterisation, are therefor...
| Published in: | Journal for the study of the Old Testament |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2022
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2022, Volume: 46, Issue: 4, Pages: 443-459 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Comedy
/ Endogamy
/ Diaspora (Religion)
/ Tobit
/ Ethics
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament NCA Ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
Tobit
B Diaspora B Television comedies B endogamy |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article argues that comic moments and comic characterisation are used in Tobit as a means of satirically exposing a type of Yahwism characterised by inward-looking piety, religious and ethnic endogamy, and simplistic notions of retribution. Comic moments and comic characterisation, are therefore important ethical devices in Tobit used to expose the problematic nature of an obsessive emphasis on religious boundary maintenance as demonstrated by the extreme version of endogamy that Tobit endorses. The article argues that the theme of “insults” in Tobit, and the distinction between public and private behaviour serves to destabilise the main character’s hyper-religiosity. The article suggests that Tobit’s restrictive form of Yahwism and his overzealous Yahwistic piety are exposed and undermined in Tobit to illustrate for audiences that the deity Yhwh does not operate within a mechanistic moral calculus. The article pays close attention to the significance of the language and translations of Tobit when making this case. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/03090892221081157 |