So the young man did as the angel commanded him; and when they had roasted the fish, they did eat it: then they both went on their way, till they drew near to Ecbatane.
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Bede
AD 735
The amount of the fish they took for themselves signifies those who are changed from members of the devil into members of Christ, that is, are converted from unbelief to the faith; but the amount they left represents those who, on hearing God’s Word, prefer to remain behind among the dead and decaying members of their deceiver rather than return to the companionship of the Savior. He broiled its flesh in those whom he found carnal but rendered spiritual and strong again by the fire of his love. Finally the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles in a vision of fire. “The rest,” he says, “they salted,” which is particularly applicable to teachers to whom it is said, “You are the salt of the earth.” Now they, that is, Tobias and the angel, salted it, because the same “mediator between God and people” both humanly taught the apostles by word and divinely gave them the salt of wisdom in their hearts. - "On Tobit 6.6"
The Lord gutted the fish when he exposed more extensively to his saints the devil’s wickedness and tore from their flesh, as it were, the secrets of his snares. He put away his heart for himself because he wanted to point out in the holy books his cunning, of which it is written, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any of the beasts of the earth”; and of this heart Paul too says, “For we are well aware of his intentions.” He also put away the gall, since, in his concern for caution he wanted the extent of the malicious fury with which he raged against the human race to be written about and put on record. The liver too he put away because he deigned to make known to us through the teachers of the truth the mischievous maturity of his intrigues against us. For they say that it is by the heat and power of the liver the hidden properties of the food that is eaten are “cooked out” and reach the system. But when with careful consideration we seek to find in what order the things we propos...
