Amos: An Introduction and Study Guide: Justice and Violence (T&T Clark’s Study Guides to the Old Testament)

This study guide to Amos is divided into three parts. The first sets out to describe the genre, style, shape and aim of the text, along with its leading ideas, with the help of recent scholarship on the Hebrew Bible in general and the prophets in particular. Special note is taken of the many images of violence in Amos, along with its denunciations of injustice, and its overwhelming emphasis on the ineluctable destruction awaiting Israel. The second part sets the book in its historical and social context, with particular focus on the social context of the injustices denounced by Amos. Houston also provides an overview of the various proposals made in the last 50 years for how the book has assumed its present shape. The final part outlines the ways in which the book has been read over the centuries, with an emphasis on the modern period, in which it has become a rallying call for those concerned with injustice in their own world. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 Abbreviations 10 Introduction 13 Part I: Reading Amos 17 Chapter 1: What Kind of Book is Amos? Genre and Style 19 Chapter 2: The Shape of the Book of Amos 30 Chapter 3: The Aim of the Book of Amos 37 Chapter 4: The Ethical Ideas of the Book of Amos 45 Chapter 5: The Theology of the Book of Amos 55 Part II: Writing Amos 63 Chapter 6: The Context of the Making of the Book of Amos 65 Chapter 7: The Making of the Book of Amos 79 Part III: Amos Read 93 Chapter 8: The Reception and Influence of the Book of Amos 95 Bibliography 109 Index of Biblical References 121 Index of Authors 125 PART ONE: Reading Amos. What kind of book is Amos? Genre and style The shape of the book of Amos The aim of the book of Amos The ethical ideas of the book of Amos The theology of the book of Amos PART TWO: Writing Amos. The context of the making of the book of Amos The making of the book of Amos PART THREE: Amos read. The reception and influence of the book of Amos.