The author of this brief report has been asked to speak about a couple of things as it pertains to the Book of Tobit, one of the books of the Apocrypha. These items include an outlining of the setting and context for the work, a brief precis about the work and a critical assessment of its significance in a historical, religious or sociocultural context in the modern times as it relates to second temple Judaism. While the verdict is far from definitive, there is a lot that can and should be seen about the Book of Tobit, what it meant then and what it means in a modern context.The Book of Tobit is held as an important work in certain sects of the Christian church, with the Catholics being the major one. The book, as the title infers, is about a man named Tobit. He was an Israeli that lived about seven centuries before the time of Christ. One of the main things he made it a point to do was offer proper burial and final resting for fellow Israelites that had fallen. The man ends up living to an old age and he is highly regarded for the works he completed. When it comes to Judaism, he is highly regarded...

Just a few topics that are covered in significant fashion are the giving of alms, fasting and the pronounced use of prayer. Marriage and weddings are also highly focused upon in the book. This is very much a second temple of Judaism work in that this period ran from the late sixth century before Christ and it ran up until about 70 CE. For much of that time period, Jews lived under the rule of others [footnoteRef:1]. [1: Bible Odyssey. "Second Temple Judaism." Bibleodyssey.Org. Last modified 2016. Accessed August 26, 2016. http://www.bibleodyssey.org/tools/timeline-gallery/s/second-temple-judaism.aspx.]
As for what Tobit is all about, it is not unlike the Bible and other religious texts in that it focuses a great deal on what it means to be ethical, pious and live a Godly life. The proper burial of brethren, the focus on marriage as a pure institution and so forth are just a few examples of this in action. Even though two millennia have passed since then, it is clear that many of the precepts and lessons offered in the…