Said to contain the words of the earliest of the biblical prophets (8th century BCE), the book of Amos is reinterpreted by James Linville in light of new and sometimes controversial historical approaches to the Bible. Amos is read as the literary product of the Persian-era community in Judah. Its representations of divine-human communication are investigated in the context of the ancient writers' own role as transmitters and shapers of religious traditions. Amos's extraordinary poetry expresses mythical conceptions of divine manifestation and a process of destruction and recreation of the cosmos which reveals that behind the appearances of the natural world is a heavenly, cosmic temple.

Contents: Preface; Part I Imagining Amos: Landscaping Amos' cosmic temple; Amos among the historians, mythmakers and poets. Part II Speech and Theophany: The words of Amos: Amos 1:1–2; Eight nations: Amos 1:3–2:16; The mantle of Amos: Amos 3:1–15; On mountains and high places: Amos 4:1–13. Part III Speech and Silence: Lament: Amos 5:1–17; Festival of exile: Amos 5:18–27; No one, no sound, nothing: Amos 6. Part IV Who Will Not Prophesy?: Deception: Amos 7:1–17; Silent harvest: Amos 8:1–14; The capital: Amos 9:1–6; The turning: Amos 9:7–15; Bibliography; Indexes.

About the Author: Dr James R. Linville is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, University of Lethbridge, Canada.

Reviews: ‘This is an interesting work which allies innovative approaches to cosmic imagery with traditional approaches of established historical criticism.’ Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

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Preface

Index