A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos

The book of Amos is among the most studied books in the Bible. The high scholarly interest in Amos is due to the prophet’s emphasis on true religion. Amos’ message cannot be understood without a proper understanding of the context in which it was delivered. Amos ministered in eighth-century Israel w...

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Main Authors: Isaac Boaheng, Alfred Appiah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Noyam Journals 2022-09-01
Series:E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://noyam.org/ehass2022391/
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author Isaac Boaheng
Alfred Appiah
author_facet Isaac Boaheng
Alfred Appiah
author_sort Isaac Boaheng
collection DOAJ
description The book of Amos is among the most studied books in the Bible. The high scholarly interest in Amos is due to the prophet’s emphasis on true religion. Amos’ message cannot be understood without a proper understanding of the context in which it was delivered. Amos ministered in eighth-century Israel when the nation had prospered economically and politically. The nation’s prosperity had yielded a high level of religiosity evident in the payment of tithes, offerings, religious gatherings and singing of hymns. Unfortunately, the religiosity of the people had no positive impact on their social lives. This situation prompted Amos’ prophecy of an impending divine judgment which was to decimate the nation and finally send the people into exile. The purpose of this paper is to explore the contextual issues within which Amos’ message emerged and then compare Amos’ situation with the contemporary Ghanaian socio-religious and political contexts. The paper used literary research methodology as well as textual and historical analyses. The findings from the study serve as a hermeneutical framework for interpreting and applying Amos’ message. Lessons are also drawn for contemporary leaders. The paper contributes to Old Testament scholarship, particularly scholarship on the minor prophets.
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spelling doaj.art-e89e54ad92c141cc90f094637f067a592023-08-02T08:01:53ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222022-09-0139372381https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022391A Study of the Background to the Book of AmosIsaac Boaheng0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8624-3035Alfred Appiah1Lecturer in Christian Theology and Ethics, Christian Service University College, Kumasi; Research Fellow University of the Free State, South Africa.Yale Divinity School, United States of America.The book of Amos is among the most studied books in the Bible. The high scholarly interest in Amos is due to the prophet’s emphasis on true religion. Amos’ message cannot be understood without a proper understanding of the context in which it was delivered. Amos ministered in eighth-century Israel when the nation had prospered economically and politically. The nation’s prosperity had yielded a high level of religiosity evident in the payment of tithes, offerings, religious gatherings and singing of hymns. Unfortunately, the religiosity of the people had no positive impact on their social lives. This situation prompted Amos’ prophecy of an impending divine judgment which was to decimate the nation and finally send the people into exile. The purpose of this paper is to explore the contextual issues within which Amos’ message emerged and then compare Amos’ situation with the contemporary Ghanaian socio-religious and political contexts. The paper used literary research methodology as well as textual and historical analyses. The findings from the study serve as a hermeneutical framework for interpreting and applying Amos’ message. Lessons are also drawn for contemporary leaders. The paper contributes to Old Testament scholarship, particularly scholarship on the minor prophets.https://noyam.org/ehass2022391/amosghanajusticesocio-economic context
spellingShingle Isaac Boaheng
Alfred Appiah
A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
amos
ghana
justice
socio-economic context
title A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
title_full A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
title_fullStr A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
title_full_unstemmed A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
title_short A Study of the Background to the Book of Amos
title_sort study of the background to the book of amos
topic amos
ghana
justice
socio-economic context
url https://noyam.org/ehass2022391/
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