Author Description

The Book of Tobit tells the story of a pious Jew struggling to live according to Jewish law in the hostile environment of Assyrian exile. Most scholars consider this text as a typical example of diasporic literature. This common reading of the Book is based on the storyline. However, by focusing on this aspect it neglects the fact that the structure of the Book is determined by the long speeches of the main characters Tobit and Raphael. This doctoral thesis shows that the consistent distinction between the speeches and the narrative sequences of the text leads to a different interpretation. The Book of Tobit offers two concepts of belonging to the Jewish community which do not relate to any local conditions. In terms of sociogical theory these concepts relate to either a primordial or a universalistic model of society. Rather than dealing with the problems of living in »geographic« exile, the Book of Tobit demonstrates the processes of exclusion from and inclusion in the community and therefore views »exile« from a social perspective.