Were the healing instructions involving the great fish that Raphael gave in Tobit 6 intended only for Tobit and Tobias, rather than for everyone?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In Orthodox theology, the instructions given by the Archangel Raphael in Tobit 6—using the heart and liver of the fish to drive away the demon Asmodeus, and its gall to heal Tobit’s blindness—are not universal medicinal recipes or magical formulas that anyone can replicate.

They were specific, divinely appointed instruments given for that particular moment within God’s providence (oikonomia).

The Church understands this through several essential theological principles:

1. Grace and Obedience, Not Magic

The Orthodox Church strictly condemns magic, occultism, and talismans. In magic, a person believes that physical elements or incantations possess intrinsic, automated power to manipulate the spiritual realm.

In Tobit, the physical elements had no power in and of themselves:

• The driving out of the demon did not occur simply because fish entrails have an anti-demonic chemical property. Rather, Raphael explicitly commanded Tobias to combine this physical act with fervent prayer, fasting, and spiritual purity:

"When you enter the bridal chamber, you shall take live ashes of incense and put on them some of the heart and liver of the fish... And when you approach her, rise up, both of you, and cry out to the merciful God, and He will save you and have mercy on you." (Tobit 6:16–17)

When Tobias and Sarah prayed in chapter 8, their trust was entirely in God's mercy, not in an occult recipe.

• The healing of the eyes was an act of divine power received through the obedience of faith. Just as Christ used clay made with spittle to open the eyes of the man born blind (John 9:6), God chose an earthly medium to effect the cure. The healing came from God through the ministry of the Archangel, not from an inherent guarantee in fish gall.

2. Biblical Precedents of Unique Instruments

Throughout Scripture, God frequently commands the use of mundane physical elements for a one-time miracle. These never become general cures for the public:

• Elisha and Naaman (2 Kings 5:10–14): Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River to cure his leprosy. The water of the Jordan did not become a permanent medical cure for all lepers; it worked solely because of Naaman’s obedience to the prophetic word.
• Isaiah and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:7): Isaiah commanded a cake of figs to be applied to King Hezekiah’s mortal boil. A poultice of figs is not a universal antidote to deadly infections, but God worked through it at that specific moment.
• The Brazen Serpent (Numbers 21:8–9): Looking at the bronze serpent on a pole healed the Israelites from snakebites. When Israel later turned it into an idol with supposed intrinsic sacred power (Nehushtan), King Hezekiah rightly destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4).

The gall, heart, and liver of the fish in Tobit fall squarely into this category: singular instruments commanded by heaven for a specific encounter.

3. The Typological and Christological Meaning

The Church Fathers interpret the events in Tobit typologically, seeing in them prophetic symbols of the mystery of Christ:

• The Fish as Christ: In early Christian iconography and theology, the fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ) represents our Lord Jesus Christ. The fish that was drawn up from the Tigris River signifies Christ, who willingly entered the deep waters of death and emerged victorious.
• The Heart and Liver (The Passion): The burning of the inner organs of the fish typifies the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. It is the smoke of Christ's self-offering and the presence of God that truly routs the devil and delivers the Church (typified by Sarah) from the bondage of Satan.
• The Gall (Restoration of Spiritual Sight): The gall of the fish, applied with pain and causing Tobit's white films to peel away, symbolizes the bitter suffering of repentance and the medicine of the Cross, which strips away the scales of spiritual blindness from humanity.

Summary

The actions in Tobit 6 were exclusively valid for that divine intervention. To attempt to use fish gall today as a clinical treatment for leukoma, or to burn fish liver as a method of exorcism, misinterprets the text as folklore or sorcery. The true power was the power of God, administered through His holy Archangel Raphael in response to the faith, righteousness, and prayers of Tobit, Tobias, and Sarah.