Amos-The Prophet and His Oracles: Research on the Book of Amos

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Mar 2004 by Smith, Gary V

Amos-The Prophet and His Oracles: Research on the Book of Amos. By M. Daniel Carroll R. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002, xiv 224 pp., $32.95 paper.

This book includes three essays that summarize research on the book of Amos, plus an extensive bibliography that is topically organized and annotated to help the reader understand the contribution of hundreds of books and articles on Amos. Each essay offers an overview of the fruits of years of scholarly research based on a wide variety of assumptions and methods. Each contribution is explained and appreciated, though there is relatively little critical interaction to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these approaches.

The third essay, entitled "Readings from the Margins," introduces the thoughts of Latin American, African, feminist, and other ideological approaches to Amos. These illustrate how the weak and marginalized identify with Amos's social ethics against oppression. Carroll includes some of his own writings that demonstrate how Amos has impacted his life experience in Guatemala.

The second half of this book contains a series of annotated bibliographic references to works on Amos. These include chapters in introductions, articles in encyclopedias and dictionaries, commentaries, topical studies, doctoral dissertations, and journal articles that fit under nineteen different headings. A separate bibliography, arranged by chapter and verse, helpfully lists articles that address the interpretation of each verse.

Carroll's reading on Amos is extensive, and he carefully presents various authors' perspectives without attempting to undermine their positions. he has provided students of Amos a great resource for finding what earlier writers have thought about key issues in Amos. Although some may wish Carroll had used his critical skills to evaluate the weaknesses of many of the contradictory proposals about Amos, those who wisely use the breadth of resource available on Amos should be able to sift through the alternatives available. A courteous and informed learner must read tho thoughts of others sympathetically, but a prudent interpreter will carefully examine the evidence for, and the implications of, each interpretation and application.

Gary V. Smith

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO