Tobit Transformed: Re-reading Tobit Through the Lens of Grief and Loss

Re-reading Tobit through the lens of grief and loss theory yields a very different interpretation of this character to the negative one that I previously put forward (Efthimiadis-Keith 2013). For example, it is seen that Tobit suffers from all six of the principal loss types identified by Mitchell and Anderson (1983). After a brief introduction to grief, loss and transformation, I trace Tobit’s grief and transformation through the various stages of his life. I conclude that his transformation is due to five interlinking factors: the joy brought back by his supposed kinship connection to Azariah, his slow but steady recognition of his family and his emotions, his family’s care, and God’s seemingly late but timely intervention.