AMOS (Heb. 'Āmōs "he who bears a burden," different from the name of Isaiah's father 'Āmōs "robust"). - Third of the minor prophets, in the order of the Bible.
1. THE PROPHET
Asserting that he is "neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet" (7:14), A. declares that he does not belong to groups or schools of prophets and has no special preparation for the prophetic ministry, and above all that he does not make prophetism a trade, as his courtly and schismatic rival Amaziah insinuates (7:12). A. was born at Tekoa in the kingdom of Judah, a village 9 km south of Bethlehem, which seems to be reflected in the scenery of his book, rich in images drawn from desert life. From his easy dealings with caravans, A. could always draw precise information about Edom and Moab, the Philistines and the Ammonites, the Tyrians and the Damascenes. From the very title (1:1) he presents himself as a shepherd (7:1, bōgēr "one who tends his flock himself"), also engaged in cultivating sycamores (7:14). From his humble condition he was called to the prophetic dignity by the Lord, who according to his good pleasure chooses and takes up the humble (7:14).
A. seems to be the oldest writing prophet. His prophetic vocation, clearly manifested (1:1; 3:3-8; 7:14-15), took place in the time of Jeroboam II, king of Israel from 783 to 743, and of Uzziah, contemporary king of Judah (789-38), two years before the "earthquake" (1:1) of which Zach. 14:5 also speaks. Two mentions of the plague (4:10; 8:3) and of the solar eclipse (8:9) find a counterpart in two references in a Babylonian eponym list, which places the two phenomena in the years 765-59 and 763; therefore at least a part of A.'s ministry would be later than those years. That the Israelites glory in the consolidation of their kingdom (6:14; allusions 4:14 ff.; 5:2; cf. II Kings 14:24-28; 6:15) seems to presuppose that the kingdom extended as far as the entrance of Hamath (as in II Kings 14:25). From the great political and economic prosperity there derived a soft and luxurious life, often reproved by A. (2:6 f.; 3:9-15; 4:1; 5:11; 6:1-6). All this seems to refer to the later reign of Jeroboam II (around 760).
A. had the mission of announcing the divine decrees in the northern kingdom. He delivered most of his sermons at Bethel (7:10); it seems that he did not journey about preaching in the kingdom, but that he had a stable dwelling at Bethel near the royal sanctuary to which he so often alludes (7:13; 2:6-12; 3:14; 4:4 f.; 5:4 f., 21-25). He also knows well the disorders of Samaria (3:9-15; 5:11; 6:1-7). He does not say whether after the threats of the treacherous priest of Bethel, Amaziah, he immediately left the kingdom (7:12).
2. THE BOOK
Forced to return to his homeland, A. wrote his oracles in the order in which he had pronounced them, limiting himself to the salient concepts, expressed with clarity and vigor, in an admirable style.
St. Jerome's judgment on the style, "imperitus sermone sed non scientia" (Prof. in Amos: PL 25, 1038), is meant to signify only that, although a stranger to the subtle artifices of the schools, A. is endowed with a divine and truthful eloquence (St. Augustine: "Neque enim haec humana industria composita, sed divina mente sunt fusa et sapiente et eloquente," De doctrina christiana, IV, 7, 21: PL 34, 96).
The subject of the book is the imminent punishment of the sins of Israel (divine judgment) and the salvific prophecy of the restoration of Davidic sovereignty. It is divided into three parts: a) After the title (1:1 f.) follows the threat of divine judgment against Damascus, the Philistines, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, Israel (1:3-2:16). b) Three discourses foretelling the punishment of crimes (3:1-6:14). Although privileged by God, Israel has stained itself with many and grave sins, for which it will be deprived of its prosperity, and the altars of Bethel will be destroyed (ch. 3); judgment is imminent for the lascivious women of Samaria and the impious people (ch. 4); for Israel, which does not heed God's call to penance, after "woe I": the day of the Lord will be dark, great sorrow for the great ones of the people (chs. 5-6). c) Five symbolic visions of the ruin of Israel (7:1-9:10): the locusts that devour everything, the destroying fire, the plumb line in God's hand, the hook that drags the harvests, God upon the altar of holocausts and the fall of the Temple.
Epilogue: restoration of the house of David (9:11-15). This oracle is held to be messianic both in the Talmudic tradition (Sanhedrin, 96 b), which relates it to Dan. 7:13-14 (the "Son of Man" who receives eternal and universal power), and in the Christian tradition, where it is cited as a messianic prophecy in Acts 15:16-17 by St. James. The divine authority of the book is attested in Tob. 2:6, in the allusion of I Mach. 1:41 (Am. 8:10) and in the quotation by St. Stephen (Acts 7:42).
The text of A. has come down to us in excellent condition, despite some fluctuations of the Masoretic punctuation: this is acknowledged even by the most extreme rationalists, who out of 146 verses deny about thirty to A. The Greek (Septuagint) and Latin (Hieronymian) versions are excellent.
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Giovanni Ongaro