Geoffrey D. Miller, «Canonicity and Gender Roles: Tobit and Judith as Test Cases», Vol. 97 (2016) 199-221
Clues from rabbinic literature suggest that several factors were at play in establishing the early Jewish canon, including the dating, theology, and language of disputed texts. Another vital yet overlooked criterion is adherence to patriarchy, and a careful analysis of the Books of Judith and Tobit illustrates how these texts failed to meet rabbinic standards for gender roles. Most notably, the countercultural figures of Judith and Anna would have scandalized the rabbis by their encroachment on traditionally male spheres of activity, their freedom of movement inside and outside the home, and their ability to chastise male characters without repercussions.
218 GeoFFreY d. MILLer
was false and insisted that she return the stolen property. Now she re-
taliates in kind, accusing him of lying and demonstrating that “she no
longer trusts him” 51.
More cunning are her comments about the “light of my eyes”, her
references to “my son/child”, and her claim that she has let Tobiah go
on this journey. Anna identifies her son as “the light of my eyes”, an
indirect allusion to her blind husband, who is standing within earshot.
Whereas she is still able to see, no light is able to enter his eyes. Anna
also identifies Tobiah in this scene as “my son” and “my child”, once
again chipping away at Tobit’s role as father. It was actually Tobit
himself who sent their son to a faraway land, but now Anna insinuates
that Tobit did so only with her permission. Tobit excluded her from
his conversation with their son about the trip to Media, just as he had
done in sending Tobiah into the street to find compatriots to share their
Pentecost meal (2,1-3). In retaliation, Anna misrepresents the facts
to her advantage; she had protested Tobiah’s expedition in chap. 5
but now pretends that she gave the official approval for his departure.
Tobit’s ability to dictate when and where his family members go cannot
remain unchecked. As the primary caretaker of her disabled husband
and sole source of income, Anna implies that she shares this responsi-
bility with him and can nullify his commands if she so chooses.
After Tobiah returns home with his new bride and his father’s
cure, Anna recedes into the background of the story, but her assertive
presence has left an indelible mark on the narrative. Her first three
conversations with Tobit all descend into bickering, and this threefold
repetition underscores their deeply contentious relationship 52. Certainly
Anna is not the only ancient wife to berate her husband, but she does
so with impunity. Apart from his unsubstantiated accusations in
chap. 2, Tobit never tries to put Anna in her place. He lets her speak
her mind freely and merely offers soothing words to allay her fears.
Her increasing independence is putting a strain on their marriage 53,
and the rabbis would not condone Tobit’s gentle approach to her caustic
behavior. In their view, women should be confined to the home,
51
r. PeTrAGLIo, “Tobit e Anna: un cammino difficile nelle crisi di una cop-
pia”, RivBibIt 52 (2004) 385-402, here 400.
52
The number three connotes the superlative degree in the oT (M. PoPe,
“Number, Numbering, and Numbers”, IDB III, 561-567, here 564), symbolizing
Anna’s consummate assault on Tobit’s authority as head of the household.
53
J.Q. deL río, “La situación de la mujer en el libro de Tobías”, RevBíb 71
(2009) 149-180, here 158.