Raphael—Azarias the Son of Ananias: Advanced Revelation in the A.V. 1611

A common complaint given by Protestants against the apocryphal book of Tobit is how the angel Raphael supposedly lies about his identity to Tobit at first and claims to be a certain Azarias, the son of Ananias. This issue is poorly addressed in Roman Catholic sources, leading my fellow Protestants to claim this as a contradiction in the Apocrypha. But when one digs a little deeper, he will find the King James text reveals advanced doctrinal truth in its supposed errors.

10 Then Tobit said unto him, Brother, shew me of what tribe and family thou art.

11 To whom he said, Dost thou seek for a tribe or family, or an hired man to go with thy son? Then Tobit said unto him, I would know, brother, thy kindred and name.

12 Then he said, I am Azarias, the son of Ananias the great, and of thy brethren.

13 Then Tobit said, Thou art welcome, brother; be not now angry with me, because I have inquired to know thy tribe and thy family; for thou art my brother, of an honest and good stock: for I know Ananias and Jonathas, sons of that great Samaias, as we went together to Jerusalem to worship, and offered the firstborn, and the tenths of the fruits; and they were not seduced with the error of our brethren: my brother, thou art of a good stock.

Tobit 5:10-13 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

The Reformed Dr. C. Matthew McMahon writes concerning this scripture passage,

As for problem win [sic] the book: Tobias makes the angel tell a falsehood. He says that he is Azariah, the son of Ananias (Tob. 5:12*) and that he is Raphael, the angel of the Lord (12:15).

(McMahon)

The standard Roman Catholic method of defending Tobit from the charge of presenting a lying angel is to introduce a heresy known as the doctrine of mental reservation. Mental reservation means you can give someone a false impression by saying something with a different mental intent than how people would receive it (M'Crie 140). For example, if I was charged with (and guilty of) the crime of robbing the bank and said before a judge, "I didn't rob the bank," I could mean in my own mind, "I didn't rob the bank TODAY, although I did BEFORE." In my inward mental state, my intent is true, but the obvious meaning it gives to everyone else is false (i.e., I never robbed the bank). That is the doctrine of mental reservation, speaking the truth in words that give a false impression to others. And this is precisely how Catholics defend Raphael as an angel of God in Tobit. As the Catholic Study Bible with a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur from the Archbishop of San Francisco declares,

Presenting himself as a kinsman is a strategy to gain Tobit's complete trust as the guide and caretaker of his son. The intent is not to deceive in a permanent or injurious way that undermines Tobit's understanding of reality, but to assume a human identity until his mission to heal and restore is complete, at which point a full disclosure of his identity is made and Tobit is brought to a clearer understanding of reality (see 12:11-15). Concealing a truth that another is not entitled to know can be legitimate under certain circumstances (CCC 2488-89).

(Hahn 23)

Catholic "Father" Ryan Erlenbush similarly remarks on Raphael's words,

There is no falsehood in this statement, since "Azarias" means "the healer of YHWH" and "Ananias" means "The goodness of YHWH" or "The grace of YHWH". Now, the Angel was then only disguising his true name (which means "God’s healer") and testifying that he is sent into the world by God's goodness. Thus, he gives his name through a certain riddle – but Tobit was thereby led to believe that the Angel was only a man.

(Erlenbush)

This forced and warped explanation is unsatisfying to Protestants, who rightly see this as an attempt to justify deception. In fact, as the Catholic Study Bible's comments above subtly admit, Raphael would be deceiving Tobit, even if not permanently or injuriously. Deception (meaning to give a false impression, e.g., Genesis 27:6-12) is listed in the law of God as a "sin" distinct from lying.

If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

Leviticus 6:2 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

If Raphael deceived Tobit (as the Catholic Study Bible claims he did), he would be in sin. Even if Tobit exercised mental reservation (as the Romanists believe), it would be "a trespass against the LORD." Furthermore, even granting the mental reservation theory about the supposed hidden meanings of Ananias and Azarias, Raphael also claimed in Tobit 12:12 to be "of thy brethren" (i.e., of the Jews). That wouldn't just be a case of mental reservation but a flat-out lie if he's just an angel. As a Bible-believing Christian, I do not believe a holy angel would be guilty of lying or deception.

But rather than deceiving Tobit, the truth of the matter is that Raphael was telling the truth. He was a man named Azarias, the son of Ananias and of Tobit's brethren, but he had been changed into an angel by the Lord. A look forward to the book of Acts shows the early disciples believed God could turn a saint into an angel. In Acts 12, when Peter is imprisoned and on death row for believing in Christ, the Lord frees him and takes him out of prison. He then goes to a house of believers where they are praying for him, and the following dispute occurs:

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

Acts 12:13-15 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

If the early believers thought the Lord changed Peter into an angel, then it must be possible for that to be the case with Raphael.

Revelation also proves God can turn a human being into an angel.

8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Revelation 22:8-9 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

Here we have the truth in the New Testament (which all Protestants are supposed to accept) that God can change a man into an angel since this angel was of John's brethren and of the prophets! If that can be the case for this angel in Revelation, why can't it be the case for Raphael? Examining the scriptures further about this matter reveals shocking proof that Tobit must be a valid account of Raphael. The angel that was with John back in the scripture of Revelation is one of the seven angels which go out from the presence of God:

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Revelation 21:9 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

Revelation 15:6 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

And what does Raphael say about himself in Tobit?

I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.

Tobit 12:15 A.V. 1611 (PCE 1900)

Now, how coincidental is that? Raphael claims to have been a human being (Azarias, son of Ananias, of Tobit's brethren) and one of the seven holy angels that go out before the presence of God. The angel who talks to John in Revelation 21-22 was a human being (of John's brethren, the prophets) and is one of seven holy angels that go out before the presence of God. There cannot be any doubt that Raphael is the angel John was with and that, therefore, Revelation confirms the book of Tobit is correct. Raphael was a Jewish prophet who was turned into an angel as a special blessing of God. Therefore, he was not lying when he claimed to be Azarias, the son of Ananias and of Tobit's brethren, the Jews.

Thus, it is proven that supposed errors in the King James Apocrypha often turn out to be advanced revelations hidden away in the Bible and only accessible by comparing scripture with scripture. The King James Bible is always right, including the Apocrypha.

Works Cited

Erlenbush, Ryan. "Did St. Raphael Lie When He Said, 'I Am Azarias'?" The New Theological Movement, 24 Oct. 2012, https://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2012/10/did-st-raphael-lie-when-he-said-i-am.html. Accessed on 5 Nov. 2022.

Hahn, Scott, et al. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Tobit, Judith, and Esther, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019.

McMahon, Matthew. "Apocrypha Article 4 - Select Contradictions in the Apocrypha - Dr. C. Matthew McMahon." A Puritan's Mind, https://www.apuritansmind.com/apologetics/apocryphamainpage/apocryphaarticle4/. Accessed on 5 Nov. 2022.

M'Crie, Thomas. The Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal, Edinburgh: John Johnstone, 1847, https://books.google.com/books?id=2YVBAAAAYAAJ. Accessed on 5 Nov. 2022.