Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Project central

I've been doing lots of final projects. Here is part of my presentation on Tobit. My group decided to do a presentation on the apocrypha, because we get nothing on it here. Tobit is an awesome book, and I hope my little character sketches will inspire you to read this hilarious and inspiring book.

Introducing Tobit
Five of the many unusual characters from the book of Tobit.

Tobit:
Shalom! I am Tobit, I have walked in righteousness all the days of my life. Even when my kindred and I were taken captive into Assyria, and all my people sacrificed to calves, I kept the law completely. No orphan, widow, or stranger ever went hungry in my sight. When the Assyrian king began killing my kinsmen and leaving them outside as examples, I buried my brothers in violation of the king’s law, under the cover of night, I was a vigilante for the Lord! One night I slept and the sparrows also slept, but their fresh droppings fell into my eyes and I was blinded. I prayed for God to end my life. I sent my son Tobias to my cousin to retrieve money I had left, when he returned I was healed through magic and I met an angel. Blessed be the God who lives forever!

Tobias:
Hello, I am Tobias son of Tobit. I went on an adventure with a kinsman, Azariah, to retrieve money for my father, my dog came along too. On my adventure I was bitten by a fish, which I hauled right out of the Tigris! Azariah taught me how to use the fish’s organs for magic. While getting the money for my dad, I found my true love, a fully lawful marriage too! I used the magic Azariah taught me to free my wife from a demon and heal my father’s blindness, also, I met an angel!

Sarah:
I used to be unlucky in love. My first seven husbands all died on our wedding night. The source of my bad luck was Asmodeus, the demon. I prayed that God would take my life so I would no longer disgrace my father. But along came Tobias, whom I loved at first sight. He did a strange thing: Tobias, on our wedding night, cooked fish liver and heart in our room, it stank to high heaven. After that though everything was peachy, Tobias even survived our wedding night!

Raguel:
I am Raguel, Tobit’s cousin. I held money in trust for Tobit which his son Tobias retrieved. Tobias married my daughter Sarah. I’ll admit I was worried he’d be yet another dead husband. I even had my servants dig his grave after the wedding. When I sent my wife to check on them, the boy still breathed! I had those servants fill in the grave, maybe this one will take?

Raphael:
I am the archangel Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord. I carry your prayers directly to the Holy One, I carried Sarah’s and Tobit’s prayers to the Almighty. God sent me to restore faithful Tobit’s family. I disguised myself as Azariah and led Tobias on adventures and taught him some tricks with fish organs; which drove Asmodeus the demon to Egypt, I caught up with him and bound him there. When I finally disclosed that I was an angel I said, “Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God forevermore.” That’s good advice, take it from me, I’m an angel.

2 comments:

David Henson said...

Have you ever read Buechner's "On the Road with the Archangel," a retelling of tobit. I love that book. Actually, we included a few verses from tobit in our wedding.

Unknown said...

Yes, "On the Road w/ the Archangel" is such a beautiful book. The opening paragraph is astonishing.