Two Delightful Traveling Companions for Tobias

The fact that I am dog-sitting this weekend for my neighbor’s two wonderful canine companions had absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this post, ahem. Well, maybe a little.

Be that as it may, Tobias in the Book of Tobit had two traveling companions—an angel and a dog—both of whom are significant for our lives of faith. Let’s take a look at this brilliant story.

Historical Fiction

The Book of Tobit is easily one of my favorite books in the Bible. Today we’d call the genre historical fiction, which in this case is based on some facts of actual Israelite history (i.e., the Assyrian exile in the 8^th century BC).

Most importantly, like the books of Esther and Judith, it is a religious novel meant to convey both moral and religious messages. The moral message of all three is that evil actually gets punished, even in this world—and if not here, certainly in the world to come. That’s good news!

The religious dimension of these works revolves around God’s blessings on His Chosen People although the overall religious messaging is multi-faceted and much of it forms the basis of our Christian worldview.

One very strong Judeo-Christian theme is the doctrine of guardian angels. Tobit’s message: angels go with us on our journey through life. In fact, the book of Tobit is preeminent in the Bible for its revelations about angels, or one angel in particular: the Archangel Raphael.

The Angelic Companion

Indeed, in this book, we learn some amazing details about this great Archangel and other facts which we can understand as applying to all angels in some way or another:

• First, Raphael is a high-level angel: he describes himself as “…one of the seven angels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord” (Tobit 12:15)—wow! God sent His very best on this mission.

• His name means “God heals” which is something he caused to happen when he gave Tobias a healing remedy for his father Tobit’s blindness (11:13-16).

• In this, he represents a foreshadowing of the Savior who in the Gospel of John (9:6-7) healed a blind man in much the same manner as Raphael’s unusual remedy: by smearing some natural substance on the eyes (fish gall and mud);

• Raphael guides Tobias on his long and dangerous journey. He stays with him both going and coming, signifying that a guardian angel never abandons his charge.

• He is also an exorcistic angel: he drives out a high-level demon from Sarah’s life that was blocking her marriages (8:1-3). In other words, good angels take power over evil angels, and perhaps only in heaven will we come to realize how much they have done to protect us from evil on earth.

• Above all, Raphael is an intercessor: when Tobit and Sarah were desperate (they were both contemplating suicide), he “presented the record of [their] prayer before the Glory of the Lord” (12:12). Raphael then intervened to help them, albeit through some indirect means, such as Tobias.

Given this angel’s exalted standing and his almost unlimited ability to execute God’s will, Raphael has always been considered by the Church as one of the three revealed Archangels in Scripture.

Model for All Guardian Angels

The Archangel Raphael is the perfect model for all those blessed spirits we call our guardian angels. Our prayer says they “enlighten, guard, rule and guide” us each day. Given the truths revealed in Tobit, we can add other powers such as healing, exorcism, and the use of indirect influences to effect change.

There you have the mission of our guardian angels. Just read Raphael’s final speech in Chapter 12 of Tobit to hear an angel explain how he works for God. It’s marvelous.

My favorite part of Raphael’s ministry is in that chapter. All throughout the book they thought he was a man, but when he reveals himself as an angel, they immediately fall down in terror! (Which, by the way, is a pretty standard reaction to meeting an angel in the Bible.)

And after he finished his speech and his mission, he simply vanished and went back to God. The passage says: “And he ascended. They stood up but were no longer able to see him” (12:20).

Details from Renaissance Artists: Titian, Rembrandt, Strozzi

The Canine Companion

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the whole book—for me anyway—is the presence of a dog who spontaneously sets out on the journey with his master Tobias as he leaves the house. The poor little guy doesn’t have a name, but we can gather that he was their household pet. In chapter 4 it says,

When the young man left home, accompanied by the angel, the dog followed Tobias out and went along with them (6:2).

Unfortunately, the Bible isn’t very flattering regarding dogs in general (2 Kgs 9:36; Mt 15:21-28; Lk 16:19-21). However, the Tobit Family’s little dog breaks the negative stereotype and shows this little fellow in a very positive light even though there are only two short references to him in the book. The second reference is equally delightful.

At the end of the story, when Tobias and Raphael head back home, the book says, “And the dog ran along behind them” (11:4), meaning that he had been with them the whole way! A truly faithful Fido.

Was He an Angel?

Some have speculated that this dog was really an angel, which is artistically evident in the Renaissance artist Verrocchio’s painting above. You might miss him if you’re not looking because Verrocchio paints the dog as a faint translucent presence marching alongside Tobias and the angel.

But I don’t see why Tobias would have needed another angel if he was already accompanied by the mighty Archangel Raphael. I believe the dog is a metaphor for something else.

Whereas an angel has broad-ranging abilities to speak and communicate with humans, the dog doesn’t. He can’t explain himself, which means he is the message.

Like the angel, the dog does not abandon his companion on the journey at any point, but, in a way, he symbolizes something more than the angel. He is there before the angel is sent, and he remains there after the angel is gone. In other words, the dog is a metaphor for God’s undying love for us and fidelity to us through thick and thin.

Angels are special visitors from another dimension, sent to perform services and deliver messages. They return to heaven when their work is done.

Dogs, on the other hand, are creations of this physical world, and are sent to be “man’s best friend.” Their devotion to us (entirely undeserved on our part) fills our lives with joy. When seen with the eyes of faith, they are living icons of God’s presence, sacred windows of God’s love.

A Great Story

If you’re looking for a story that outclasses Hollywood by a sacred mile, make sure to read the Book of Tobit during Lent. It’s only 14 short chapters and is full of drama, pathos, and a tale of victory and happiness that can’t be beat.

And a dog. A blessed dog!

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Photo Credits: via Wikimedia: Statue by Giuseppe Torretto (Jesuit Church Venice); all other images in the public domain.

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A HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT

I’m happy to tell our Sacred Windows readers that my new book—Praying with Fire: Learning to Pray the Catholic Way—arrived from the printer on Friday, exciting!!!

In next week’s Sacred Windows Newsletter I’ll have a special introductory offer for Sacred Windows readers to get an autographed copy—it promises to soar in value when I hit the big time, so you’ll want to get a first edition haha.