06_Biblica_AM_MacAgantay_Layout 1 16/12/13 12:28 Pagina 581 581 Μισθός AND IRONY IN THE BOOK OF TOBIT he does not know in particular that the travel companion who has led, ad- vised and guided Tobias is in fact Rafael 11, “one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord” (12,15), it is no sur- prise that Tobit acts the way he does with the angel here in Tobit 12. The reader, on the other hand, endowed with the knowledge that Rafael is an angel sent by God, discerns the irony that Tobit unwittingly acts in a way that is inappropriate to the situation, since paying and giving the angel added compensation would be rather odd, even ridiculous. The long dis- cussion between father and son regarding the proper wage due to the angel (12,1-5) is as funny as it is moot and academic since an angel does not need any payment. As the angel would later say, even though Tobit and Tobias watched him eat and drink, he did not really do so (12,19). For all their talk of bonuses and wages, the father and the son have only the slightest clue as to what true μισθός is all about. And so, Tobit and his son were about to pay the faithful man his wages for a job well done, but instead the divinely commissioned angel rewards them with a vision and a revelation (12,19.22). Instead of giving the angel his μισθός, Tobit and Tobias receive unexpectedly a reward. Unlike the first appearance of μισθός as a bonus that caused conflict between Tobit and Anna, the narrative indication of a reward this time around addresses the problems that beset the characters. In the telling of this episode, the transition which occurs in Tob 12,5- 6 can in truth be a bit jarring for its abruptness. And yet, the similarity in rhythm, the proximity, and the parallel construction of vv. 5 and 6a seem to link them as the sense of μισθός shifts. These verses connect the μισθός that Tobias offers the angel in v. 5 with the many “good things” (ἀγαθά) and marvelous deeds that God has done secretly for them in v. 6. There is thus a verbal interaction within these verses that allows for meanings to shift from the proffered to the implied. To illustrate, Tobias calls and orders Rafael to take half of everything he has as his wages. One would expect a reply proper to the command. For a response, however, Rafael also calls the two men and orders them to acknowledge, thank and praise God for the many good things he has done for them. It is as if a battle of points of view with regard to μισθός is going on, one concerned literally with proper wages and the other with acknowledging the mysterious deeds of God for Tobit and his family. The extensive discussion of payment between Tobit and Tobias yields to Rafael’s long speech on God’s marvels. Rafael’s lengthy exhortation im- 11 See for instance I. NOWELL, “The ‘Work’ of Archangel Raphael”, and B. EGO, “The Figure of the Angel Raphael According to His Farewell Address in Tob 12:6-20”, Angels. The Concept of Celestial Beings – Origins, Devel- opment and Reception (eds. F.V. REITERER – T. NICKLAS – K. SCHÖPFLIN) (DCLY; Berlin 2007) 227-238; 239-254.