Edna: Apocrypha
In the Book of Tobit, Edna is Raguel’s wife, Sarah’s mother, and the mother-in-law of Tobias, Tobit’s son. Edna has no biblical namesake. Perhaps the author of Tobi means to recall Eden’s idyllic existence, or, more likely, to convey by the name something about the type of woman, wife, and mother Edna is. Edna is a matriarch of a harmonious household, an agreeable but not silent partner, a loving mother, and a gracious host. She fits into her patriarchally defined role while gently nudging its limitations.
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Bow, Beverly, and George W. E. Nickelsburg, “Patriarchy with a Twist: Men and Women in Tobit.” In “Women Like This”: New Perspectives on Jewish Women in the Greco-Roman World, edited by Amy-Jill Levine, 127–143. Atlanta: 1991.
Meyers, Carol, General Editor. Women in Scripture. New York: 2000.
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