I’ve been reading the books of the Apocrypha recently, those bits of the traditional Bible that have been left out in more modern versions. It’s been a useful experience, as I’ve gotten a feel for the books. Most of them are purely historical, or collections of proverbs, and understandably uninteresting to most readers.
But I read the book of Tobit last night, and I was bowled over. It’s a genuinely
And that’s what amazed me: it’s a good story. The entire book is one continuous story (much like the book of Ruth, for example), with no sidetracking. It’s a joy to read.
I’m sad to realize that most Christians will never read Tobit.
(I’m afraid my writing is rather disorganized today; I feel tired and disoriented. It’s purely physical, I think; comparatively little sleep the past few nights, combined with a long, deep sleep last night, have made me feel like the boar tribe in Princess Mononoke: “We grow small, and we grow stupid.”)