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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED (1.45) 8 SEPTEMBER 2022
The Stop
Amos is the first Hebrew prophet to have a named biblical book. There is little known about him except for what comes from the book - which was ‘in all likelihood, partly or wholly compiled by other hands.’ A native of the southern city of Tekoa, Amos was a shepherd and a ‘dresser of sycamore trees’1 who prophesied during the reigns of King Uzziah (c. 783-742 BCE) of the southern kingdom of Judah and King Jeroboam II (c. 786-746 BCE) of the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos considered the division of what had been a united kingdom unjust and that by breaking away from its southern neighbour, Israel had installed ‘illegitimate kings upon its throne’ who not only supported ‘unauthorised Yahweh cult centres,’ but also ‘ruled their people unjustly.’2
In the Ancient Near East, religion and state were ‘intimately related.’ Kings ruled only with the ‘approval of the local deities’ and in turn the kings supported the local shrines and priesthood. Though there was some overlap, each country had its own state religion and the newly-divided countries of Judah and Israel were no exception. Amos believed the two countries should rejoin and form one nation under a legitimate Davidic king.3 For Amos, only a descendent of David could be ‘Yahweh’s true representative:’ one who could ‘focus all worship’ on Yahweh while at the same time running the kingdom from the most holy site in Canaan - Jerusalem. This was also the only way a return to ‘true justice and a lasting prosperity’ could be possible. To convince his neighbours, Amos traveled north to Bethel,4 but his pleas were rejected. He subsequently changed his message to one ‘primarily of doom’ and began to proclaim - apocalyptically - Israel’s ‘destruction and exile.’
To convey his point, Amos uses ‘homely but forceful imagery and rhythmic language.’ While condemning the northern kingdom’s betrayal of Yahweh, he also portrays a series of visions and prophecies that focus on social inequality: ‘they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes - they … trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted’ (2:6-7), and refers to the rich women of the ‘exploitative ruling class’ as ‘cows … who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ (4:1). In another speech, Amos compares the northern kingdom of Israel to a ‘basket of summer fruit’ (8:1) - ripe on the outside, but rotting on the inside and says that when Yahweh punishes the kingdom, the peoples’ ‘songs … shall become wailings … the dead bodies shall be many; in every place they shall be cast out in silence.’ In one of his most striking images, Amos warns that Yahweh will ‘make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight … turn[ing] your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation’ (8:9-10). Fire, plagues of locusts and a ravenous lion roaring out of Jerusalem to consume the wrong-doers will all be part of Israel’s downfall.
Amos’s apocalyptic message was uncompromising, but despite his ‘unconditional prophecies of doom,’ he believed a ‘righteous remnant’ of Israel would remain after its destruction and would join Judah to form ‘one nation under the Davidic king.’ Despite this glimmer of hope, Amos would not have lived to see it happen. Soon after his prophecies, the northern kingdom was invaded by the Assyrians and its inhabitants enslaved or exiled. Amos himself appears to have been expelled from Bethel by the chief priest, Amaziah, but this is conjecture as no evidence for another outcome exists. Regardless, Amos set the standard for prophetic literature which has influenced the Western world ever since. He is considered one of the Hebrew Bible’s 12 ‘minor’ prophets, but this is only because of the length of the text. In any understanding, Amos was a major figure in the Ancient Near East.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to a 2017 issue of Patrick Smith’s Ask the Pilot website concerning the reality of turbulence. Though possibly the source of passengers’ greatest concerns, it’s actually a completely different problem from the pilot’s perspective! Interesting and rather comforting.
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is one of the darkest love stories I’ve ever read - and one of the darkest ever written. If the 1981 Brooke Shields/Martin Hewitt movie5 and/or the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie titular duet6 is what you think of when you think of Endless Love (1979), you’ve got quite a surprise in store when you read the source novel. Scott Spencer’s novel is intense - and highly recommended.
From the back: One of the most celebrated novels of its time, Endless Love remains perhaps the most powerful novel ever written about young love. Riveting, compulsively readable, and ferociously sexual, Endless Love tells the story of David Axelrod and his overwhelming love for Jade Butterfield.
David's and Jade's lives are consumed with each other; their rapport, their desire, their sexuality take them further than they understand. And when Jade's father suddenly banishes David from the house, he fantasizes the forgiveness his rescue of the family will bring and he sets a "perfectly safe" fire to their house. What unfolds is a nightmare, a dark world in which David's love is a crime and a disease, a world of anonymous phone calls, crazy letters, and new fears - and the inevitable and punishing pursuit of the one thing that remains most real to him: his endless love for Jade and her family.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is based around the book suggestion. Though I’ve included the title track from the movie, the others fit the novel much more accurately: ‘Endless Love’ (Lionel Richie/Diana Ross, 1981), ‘Yeh I Fuckin’ Did It’ (Labrinth, 2022), ‘Tear You Apart’ (She Wants Revenge, 2006), ‘Sexy M.F.’ (Prince, 1992) and ‘Loverman’ (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, 1994). Enjoy.
The Thought
Today’s Thought is wisdom from the American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson:7
‘Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
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Until the next stop …
These occupations do not mean he was a peasant. The Hebrew word for shepherd occurs in only one other place - II Kings 3:4 - when describing King Mesha who had to deliver to the King of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. As a ‘dresser of sycamore trees,’ Amos either owned a grove or (more likely) was employed to puncture the fruit so that it would become sweeter before harvesting.
Yahweh was the state god of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the same Yahweh who speaks to Moses in the form of a burning bush in the Book of Exodus. Yahweh was also worshipped ‘to one degree or another’ by other peoples in the geographical area around Canaan, including the Edomites, Kenites, Moabites and Midianites. Over hundreds of years, Yahweh’s ‘character and power’ were developed and eventually canonised. This included the concept that Yahweh would send a messiah to ‘lead and redeem his followers.’ Eventually Yahweh is identified by the early Christians as the god who sent Jesus in this messianic role and the rest is, well, history. Sources for today’s Stop include: Amos (Britannica), Yahweh (World History), Koch, Klaus. The Prophets: Vol. 1 The Assyrian Period. London: SCM Press, 1983, Soggin, J. Alberto. Introduction to the Old Testament. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989, Polley, Max E. Amos and the Davidic Empire: A Socio-Historical Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989 and The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (RSV). New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
A legitimate Davidic king would be a descendent of the legendary King David who presided over Israel’s Golden Age. For more information, see: David (Britannica)
Bethel was the centre of both government and religion in the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was speaking at the very heart of the country.
The film - which is rather rubbish - is probably best noted for (in addition to being critically panned) introducing the world to Tom Cruise in his big screen debut. You can decide for yourself whether that was a good thing.
Written by Ritchie, the duet was a number one hit and Ross’s biggest-selling single in her career. The song - like the movie - completely misunderstands and misrepresents the novel.
For more about Hunter S. Thompson, see: Hunter S. Thompson (Britannica).
Really liked that turbulence article … it certainly made me feel better.