Russian Orthodox icon of the Prophet Amos, 18th century (iconostasis of Transfiguration church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia). See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases) also called the Templon, is a wall of Icons and religious paintings A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites Kizhi (Ки́жи Кижи́ Kiži is an Island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia ( Medvezhyegorsky District) Russia with This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Karelia ( Karelian and Finnish Karjala, Карелия ( Kareliya) Karelen the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending

Amos (Hebrew: עָמוֹס, Standard ʿAmos Tiberian ʿĀmôs ; "Burden") is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and putative author of the speeches reported in the Book of Amos. Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct (yet very well documented Oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was A minor prophet is one of the writings in the Twelve Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible, also known to Christians as the Minor Prophets of the Old The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic The Book of Amos is one of the books of the Nevi'im (Hebrew "prophets" and of the Christian Old Testament. The only direct information about him comes from this book. He is not to be confused with Amos, the father of the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah (; Greek:, Ēsaiās; Arabic: اشعیاء, Ash-ee-yaa; "Salvation of/is YHWH " is Amos was born in the town of Tuqu', south of Bethlehem. Tuquʿ (تقوع תקוע is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate, located 12 km southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a

Audience

Amos prophesied in the days of Jeroboam II of Israel, while Uzziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam II (ירבעם השני was the son and successor of Jehoash, (alternatively spelled Joash and the fourteenth king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, over For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Uzziah of Judah (עֻזִּיָּהוּ also known as Azariah, was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah 's sons whom the people Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. He was born in Tekoa in Judah in the early 8th Century BCE Although a native of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, he prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Amos is not seen as a 'professional' prophet, in contrast to many other Old Testament Prophets such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha. Amos had two main occupations before God called him to be a prophet, as a shepherd and a tender of sycamore fig trees (7:14). However, since it is clear from his writings that he was a clever man and fully aware of the political and cultural issues within his society, it is suggested that he was most probably from a wealthy background, and thus the owner of flocks and sycamore groves rather than simply a herdsman or a farmhand.

The book of Amos records that two years after Amos received the visions contained therein, an earthquake struck the area (1:1). An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer Josephus, the Jewish historian, believed that the earthquake happened at the same time as Uzziah's seizure of the role of High Priest and his subsequent bout with leprosy. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah, Micah and Hosea. Isaiah (; Greek:, Ēsaiās; Arabic: اشعیاء, Ash-ee-yaa; "Salvation of/is YHWH " is Micah the titular prophet of the Book of Micah, also called "The Morasthite" Hosea ( Greek = Ōsēe) was the son of Beeri and a prophet in Israel in the 8th century BCE He is one of the Twelve Prophets Under Jeroboam II, the kingdom of Israel reached the zenith of its prosperity. The gulf between rich and poor widened at this time. Amos was called from his rural home to remind the rich and powerful of God's requirement for justice (e. g. 2:6-16). He claimed that religion that is not accompanied by right action is anathema to God (5:21ff. Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally ), and prophesied that the kingdom of Israel would be destroyed (e. g. 5:1-2; 8:2).

Engraving of the Prophet Amos by Gustave Doré (1891).

Amos' message was, perhaps understandably, unwelcome in Israel. Not only was he a foreigner from the southern kingdom, but his prophecies of doom were completely at odds with the prevailing political climate of hope and prosperity. Israel under the leadership of Jeroboam II had extended its territory into modern day Syria, taking advantage of the nation's weakness after a recent defeat by the Assyrians. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Assyria, the major threat to Israel's power, had withdrawn itself temporarily due to internal strife, allowing Israel to flourish politically and economically. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture The nation's resultant affluence, however, was the main focus of Amos' mission as a prophet, and soon after Jeroboam came to power in 781 BCE, Amos was called to speak to the people of the Northern Kingdom. Events and trends 783 BC — Shalmaneser IV succeeds his father Adad-nirari III as king of Assyria. He was continually in conflict with the governing authorities, as demonstrated in the narrative by way of a conversation between Amos and Amaziah, a priest of Bethel. Amaziah ("strengthened by God" may refer to Amaziah of Judah, the king of Judah A Levite, son of Hilkiah of the descendants of Bethel (בֵּית אֵל also written as Beth El or Beth-El, meaning "House of God" (in general or " House of (the specific god named El The priest, loyal to Jeroboam, accuses Amos of stirring up trouble and conspiring against the king, and commands him to stop prophesying. In a political sense conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power Amos responds with an oracle: “Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land. "(Amos 7:17)

One of Amos' most famous claims is Amos 7:14, "Amos answered Amaziah, 'I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. Amaziah ("strengthened by God" may refer to Amaziah of Judah, the king of Judah A Levite, son of Hilkiah of the descendants of '" While this was often understood to mean that Amos was reluctant to prophesy or that he was poor, scholars today see it as bolstering Amos' claim to be financially independent and not a part of the corrupt religious system of his day. His agricultural holdings as a shepherd and a tender of trees were seen in his day as signs of means, which he used to point out that he was not in the prophetic calling for money.

Message

The oracle predicted that many of Israel's neighbors (including Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab, but especially Judah) and Israel would suffer because they "knew" God, yet rebelled. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Tyre ( Arabic صور Ṣūr, Phoenician Phoenician wawsvg|12px|ו]] Ṣur, Hebrew Ammon or Ammonites ( also referred to in the Bible as the "children of Ammon" were a people (also known from Assyrian and other records living east Moab (; Greek Μωάβ; Arabic مؤاب, Assyrian Mu'aba, Ma'ba, Ma'ab; Egyptian

Much of the prophecy of Amos is directed at the heartlessness of wealthy merchants who ignore the plight of the poor, the lack of justice for the righteous, and the emptiness of religious ritual apart from true faith. Merchants function as professionals who deal with Trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves in order to produce Profit. Poor is an Adjective related to a state of Poverty, low Quality or Pity. JUSTICE is a Human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. Amos is a classical prophet, concerned with the well-being of the people and the purity of the faith. He does not have the millennial apocalyptic views of later prophets, nor does he rely on esotericism or mystical signs. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity The prophecy of Amos is clear and direct. He ends his message with a proclamation of hope and restoration for the people of Israel if they mend their ways: "The days are coming, declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God. ” (Amos 9:13-15) It is disputed whether this final passage was indeed written by Amos, as the style and message is very different from the rest.

Literary style

Amos uses a simple language on one level, being straightforward and direct with the messages he has received from God, not only for Israel and Judah, but also for the surrounding nations. However, Amos also utilizes many agricultural metaphors most likely drawn from his experiences in agriculture. Note the agricultural imagery in Amos 7: "This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king's share had been harvested and just as the second crop was coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, 'Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!'"

Additional facts

A portion of the book of Amos is used in the ceremony of the Fellowcraft Degree in Freemasonry in some jurisdictions.

Amos 7:7-8 ⁽⁷⁾Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. ⁽⁸⁾And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.

The above translation is standard, but many modern scholars prefer "wall made out of tin" in place of "wall made by a plumbline", somewhat limiting the architectural value highlighted by the Freemasons.

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is celebrated on June 15 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, June 15 currently falls on June 28 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today He is commemorated along with the other minor prophets in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. A minor prophet is one of the writings in the Twelve Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible, also known to Christians as the Minor Prophets of the Old Days of observance - 2007 January 1 Third Day of the Fast of the Nativity 2 Fourth Day of the Fast of the Nativity 3 Fifth Day The Armenian Apostolic Church (Հայաստանեայց Առաքելական Եկեղեցի Hayasdaneaytz Arakelagan Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently

See also

• Book of Amos

External links

• The Holy Prophet Amos Orthodox icon and synaxarion

This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. The Book of Amos is one of the books of the Nevi'im (Hebrew "prophets" and of the Christian Old Testament. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Synaxarium, Synaxarion, Synexarium, Synexarion, pl Synaxaria ( Greek: Συναξάριον, from συναγειν