ed to take five
ready scribes, with a promise that the holy writings which are lost
shall be restored to his people. The next day the voice calls to him
again, commanding him to open his mouth and drink the cup which is
offered to him, "full as it were with water, but the color of it was
like fire." Upon this he is filled with the spirit of inspiration, and
dictates to his five scribes in forty days 204 books (according to some
94). Of these the last 70 are secret, to be delivered only "to such as
be wise among the people." The rest are to be published openly, that the
worthy and unworthy may read them. The historic truth underlying this
fabulous revelation seems to be the revision of the canon of the Old
Testament by Ezra and his associates. Chap. 15, No. 17. It is agreed
that this book is the production of a Jew, but the date of its
composition is a disputed point. Some assign it to the first century
after Christ; others to the century preceding our Lord's advent, but
with interpolations that manifestly belong to the Christian era.

II. TOBIT.

8. The book of Tobit contains a narrative of the piety, misfortunes, and
final prosperity of Tobit, an Israelite of the tribe of Naphtali, who
was among the captives brought to Assyria by Enemessar (Shalmaneser)
king of Assyria. With Enemessar he was in favor, became his purveyor,
and was able to deposit ten talents of silver with Gabael at Rages, a
city of Media. But Sennacherib, the successor of Enemessar, persecuted
him, especially for his pious care in burying the bodies of his Jewish
brethren whom that king had slain, and he was obliged to flee with his
wife Anna and his son Tobias, leaving all his goods as plunder to the
Assyrian king. Under Sarchedonus (Esarhaddon) he returned again to his
home, but soon a new misfortune overtook him. As he lay one night by the
wall of his courtyard, being unclean from the burial of a Jew whom his
son had found strangled in the market-place, "the sparrows muted warm
dung" into his eyes, which deprived him of sight. Wishing now to send
his son Tobias for the ten talents of silver deposited with Gabael at
Rages in Media, he directs him to seek a guide for the way; when the
angel Raphael offers himself under the name of Azarias the son of
Ananias the great, one of Tobit's brethren. As the angel and Tobias
journey together, they come one evening to the river Tigris. As the
young man goes down to the river to bathe, a fish assaults him; bu