The coordinating committee for the Bible translation, of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), launched on September 1, 2026 the new version of the Book of Tobit, a work of the Old Testament. The book is described as a short and simple narrative, written in a register of irony and lightness, that revolves around the illness of Tobit and the vicissitudes that lead to the marriage of his son Tobias, mediated by divine action.
According to specialists, the book was likely composed between the 3rd-2nd centuries B.C., before the Maccabean revolt. The original language was "most likely" Aramaic. The figure of Tobit is presented as the model of the observant Jew, who risks his life and the well-being of his family to do good, symbolizing the suffering of the righteous and the problem of retribution.
The Book of Tobit belongs to the set of deuterocanonical books, is absent from the Jewish canon, and came to the Christian tradition through its inclusion in the LXX, adopted by the early Church. This question was resolved at the Councils of Hippo (393), Carthage (397), and Florence (1442), and confirmed by the Council of Trent (1546).
The provisional translation of the book is available for download on the website of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. The CEP informs that comments should be sent to [email protected]. Since August 2021, a new book of the Bible has been made available monthly in digital format, with the first volume having been presented in March 2019.
