What is Nevi'im (Prophets)?
Nevi’im (Prophets) presents Israel’s history as a nation on its land. The Israelites conquer and settle; they are beset by local enemies and eventually by imperial powers. Political and prophetic leaders vie for hearts; the supporters of God‘s covenant do battle against the paganism of neighboring groups and among the Israelites themselves. A kingdom, a capital, and a Temple are built and eventually destroyed. At the end of Nevi’im, prophets who experienced the exile teach a renewed monotheism to a chastened Israel.
Historically, Nevi’im begins with the conquest of Eretz Yisrael under the leadership of Joshua, Moses‘ successor (c. 1200 BCE) and concludes with the prophecies of Malachi to those rebuilding the Temple after their return from Babylonia (c. 515 BCE). Jewish convention divides the books into Nevi’im Rishonim, “Former Prophets,”and Nevi’im Aharonim, “Latter Prophets.” Nevi’im Rishonim consists of prose works built around a historical narrative–Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Nevi’im Aharonim encompasses the “literary prophets,” such as Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
(Adapted from myjewishlearning.com)
Five Features of Prophetic Phenomena
1. External threats to the prophet’s community
2. The prophet’s social location in the community
3. The nature of the prophet’s encounter with the deity
4. The message that the prophet communicates in light of this divine encounter
5. The mechanism by which prophecy is preserved and transmitted in written form.
(Dr. Christine Neal Thomas)
Historical Background
Amos prophesied during the reign of Uzziah (788–736 bce). Uzziah reigned in the Southern Kingdom while Jeroboam II ruled the Northern Kingdom (789–748 bce). Jeroboam II reigned 41 years, the longest ever for a Northern monarch; and Uzziah reigned 52 years, the longest ever to that point for a Southern monarch (II Kings 15:1–7). The Book of Kings reports little about their lengthy reigns, except that there was strength and prosperity (see II Kings 14:23–29).
The success of this period has prompted many scholars to refer to it as a biblical “silver age,” second only to the golden age of David and Solomon. Tragically, many Israelites adopted a hedonistic, immoral lifestyle as a consequence of their newfound wealth and political power. They lived such opulent lifestyles, that they sold poor Israelites into slavery and engaged in other forms of corruption to meet their outrageous expenses. Their behavior earned them the fierce condemnation of Amos.
Amos stressed that fear of God and social justice were the keys to building an enduring future. Unfortunately, most people failed to heed him, leading to devastating Assyrian invasions and the exile of the Northern Kingdom.
(R. Marc D. Angel)
"Jeroboam II (c. 781–741 BC), ruler of the Northern kingdom, had rapidly conquered Syria, Moab, and Ammon, and thereby extended his dominions from the source of the Orontes on the north to the Dead Sea on the south. The whole northern empire had enjoyed a long period of peace and security marked by a revival of artistic and commercial development. Social corruption and the oppression of the poor and helpless were prevalent. Others, carried away by the free association with heathen peoples which resulted from conquest or commercial contact, went so far as to fuse with the Lord's worship that of pagan deities."
(Gigot, Frances. "Amos". 1907.)
(1) The words of Amos, a sheepbreeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the reigns of Kings Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
1. External threats to Amos' community?
2. What is Amos' social location?
What is the prophet's message to his people?
1. External threats to the prophet's community?
2. Social location of the prophet?
(Read "I Have a Dream")
In the near-legendary "I Have A Dream" speech he delivered at the 1963 March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., quoted from, or otherwise alluded to, many of the iconic texts of Western civilization: the Gettysburg Address, the plays of Shakespeare, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. From the Bible, he cited both Isa 40:4-5 and a paraphrase of Amos 5:24: "until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." King also evoked virtually the same paraphrase of Amos 5:24 many other times during his career: for example, in December 1955, at the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott; in a 1961 commencement address at Lincoln University; in his last presidential address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967; and in the sermon that he gave on April 3,1968, the night before he was assassinated. Today, King's paraphrase can still be found in Montgomery, inscribed on the Civil Rights Memorial designed by architect and artist Maya Lin.
But what a curious paraphrase King's is. The words "mighty stream" cannot be found in any recent English translation of the Bible; all our contemporary versions recognize that the Hebrew nahal 'êtân instead means something like an "ever-flowing" or "everlasting" stream. King probably took "mighty stream" from the mistranslation found in the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. It was this version of the Bible that King had come to know in the church of his youth and that he would have used in his own ministry. However, King did not follow the King James Version's mistranslation when it proclaimed that "judgment" should roll down as waters; rather, King, as all contemporary translations of the Bible do, correctly rendered the Hebrew milpät as "justice."
What would Amos think if he heard the meaning of his words transformed...? Amos would have approved, I believe. The challenge that follows for us, as readers and hearers of the text, is to consider more ways in which Amos's imagery might be transformed for our times yet still be consistent with Amos's original message. The waters that Amos evoked have so far proven mighty and everlasting. Our task, if we are to use Amos's text in this new century, is to make sure they run clear to the prophet's vision.
(Dr. Susan Ackerman, 2003)
JOYOUS DAYBREAK TO END THE LONG NIGHT
1) In the Passover Haggadah the metaphor used to describe the journey from slavery to freedom is “from darkness to great light”. How are these metaphors similar? How are they different?
2) How is Jewish emancipation portrayed in the Haggadah as opposed to how it is portrayed in Dr. King’s speech?
THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW
1) When Dr. King speaks of “the fierce urgency of now” whom does he agree with Hillel or Shammai?
2) How do you understand Shammai’s response to Hillel? To which statements does he respond?
3) Does Shammai necessarily disagree with Hillel? Does Hillel necessarily disagree with Shammai? Can you reconcile their statements, or alternatively can you articulate what exactly they are arguing about?
4) Are you a Hillel or Shammai sympathizer and why?
GOD’S CHILDREN
1) When Dr. King says “all of God’s children” what is he implying?
2) When the Egyptians are drowning is the same sentiment invoked, or is it different?
3) If all humans are created in God’s image, does that necessarily imply equality?
4) What would equality mean in this context?
5) The verse from the Torah that “proves” all of humanity are created in God’s image does so by saying that murderers forfeit their right to live. Why is this a legitimate punishment? Is it right for us to destroy the murderer, another image of God, just because they have chosen to destroy God’s image?
6) What are we entitled to as equal images of God?
UNTIL JUSTICE FLOWS LIKE WATERS
1) Why are acts of justice more important than acts which are direct service to God—like sacrifices?
2) How does the Talmud prove this?
3) Can you make the argument that acts of justice are greater than acts of compassion?
4) What is negative about justice? What could be negative about compassion? 5) Would you like to live in a world of absolute justice? Why or why not?
THAT UNEARNED SUFFERING IS REDEMPTIVE
1) What does Dr. King mean by the statement “that unearned suffering is redemptive”? 2) What is the prize for suffering according to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai?
3) Are Dr. King and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai talking about the same thing?
THE ROUGH PLACES WILL BE MADE PLAIN
1) What does Dr. King mean when he dreams about “the rough places”?
2) How does that dovetail with the reference the rabbis make to the “evil inclination”? 3) Does the statement of Dr. King and the rabbis complement or contradict each other?
LET FREEDOM RING
1) What does Dr. King mean by freedom here? 2) What does the rabbi mean by freedom?
3) Are they the same or are they different?
FREE AT LAST
1) What is the connection between “truth, justice, peace” and freedom?
2) Can we truly be free if we know no peace, and have no justice?
3) Does anyone enjoy true justice and know true peace?
(Courtesy of Hillel International)