Critios since Jerome have called Amos imperiuu ,ermcne, reasoning from his occasional use of homely images drawn from flock and herd and pastoral life, the matters with which his occupation was concerned (eh. ii. 13; iii. 4, 5, 8, 12; iv. 6-9; v. 11, 17; vi. 12; viii 8 ; ix. 5). And cer- tainly his s~le is not sublime or pitched in the highest strain of poetry, but it is notable for clearness and energy, e.nd shows considerable literary skill both in the arrangement of rhythm and in'.the grouping of parallelisms. The imagery based on scenes amongst which he dwelt, far from being a defect in the work, adds a special charm ; and one would be very loath to miss the vividness and naturalness which are thereby imparted to it. The changes in nature (eh. iv. 13), the dangers from wild beasts, the starry sky (eh. v. 8), flood, tempest, lightning, were observed by him in his watchinge and wanderings, and left their reminiscence in hie la.ngwtge, If at times, as some critics suppose, he uses the dialect of the people instead .of the more refined terms of court and school, this would be in entire keeping with hie simple life and character. We are not to suppose that inspiration overrides a man's habitual mode of expression, or compels an untrained peasant to adopt the language of a learned scribe. The book, at any rate, shows that wa have received it such as its author wrote it, with- out adventitious ornamentation or amendment. If he speaks mostly in prose, surely visions such as he narrates, denunciations such as he utters, are thus more effectively presented. The very simplicity of his languagiJ makes it impressive. We see in him a confirmation of the theory with which Wordsworth has made us familiar, that the diction of unedu- cated people has in itself a certain poetic power which raises it to an equality with that of higher social station. Without anything of poetry in the words, what force is there in that sudden and unexpected summons, ~ Because I will do this [ what P] unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, 0 Israel" (eh. iv. 12) ! There is true pathos when, having shown how the luxurious spared nothing in ministering to their own selfishness, Amos ends with the accusing cry, "But they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." The strophic arra.ngement of some of the periods is very remarkable. The oft-recurring formula, " for three transgressions, and for four" ( eh. i., ii.), the sorrowful burden, " Yet have ye not returned unto .me, saith the Lord'' (eh. iv.), are patent instances of this. vl INTRODUCTION TO
This nneducated prophet's accurate acquaintance with the Law-of Mose~ denotes much more than a familiarity with the· ne.tional traditions. His :knowledge of the Pentateuch appears not only in general all11Sions to history, ritual, ceremony, but in the actual use of verbe.l forms and expres. sions which belong to the Mosaic writings. "Blasting and mildew" are the punishment of disobedience (eh. iv. 9 compared with Deut. :uviii. 22) ;. "gall and wormwood" are the bitter fruits into which the sinners turned righteousness and judgment (eh. vi. 12 with Deut. xxix. 18); the sad refrain mentioned above ( eh. iv. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11) is founded on Deut. iv. 29, 30. The oppressors " lie down on clothes laid to pledge " ( eh. ii. 8 with Exod. xxii. 26), "tuJID. aside the way of the meek, and turn aside the poor in the- gate" (eh. ii. 7; ver. 12 with Exod. xxiii. 6; Deut. xvi.19, etc.). Unnatural immorality" profanes God's holy Name" (eh. ii. 7 with Lev. xviii. 21; xx. 3). One hardly need multiply quotations to prove the prophet's knowledge- of the history and ritual of the Mosaic books. He alludes to the Exodus, the overthrow of Sodom, the gigantic stature of the Amorites, the sacrifices of the Law, the Nazarite vow. His threats and promises are- often couched in Mosaic language (comp. eh. iv. 6, 7 with Deut. xxviii. 23, 48, 57 and Lev. xxvi. 19, 20; eh. iv. 11 with Deut. xxix. 23; eh. v. 11 with Deut. xxviii. 30). Thus Amos presupposes that his hearers were well acquainted with.the Pentateuch, and had a firm belief in its history ; otherwise much of the prophecy would h.a.ve lost its force or have been unintelligible, •Hosea and Jeremiah seem to have borrowed from or to have been acquainted with our prophet. Compare, for instance, eh. ii. 5 with Hos. viii. 14 ;· eh. vii. 17 with Hos. ix. 3; eh. i. 4 with Jer. xlix. 27; eh. ~. 15 with Jer. xlix. 3~ Further parallelisms will be found noted in the Bxposition. We mJJ.Y conclude that in simple, unadorned eloquenoe, in str:uctnra1 regularity, in natural vigour, and in loftiness of thought, Amos reaches a well-grounded eminence; and, as Lowth decides (' De Poes. Hebr,, Prml.{ xx. 1), the author of such writings was in no wise behind the very chiefest of the prophets. '., § V. LITERATURE. We need not enumerate the commentators who have written upon the whole of the minor prophets, patristic, medim:val, and modern, as the chief of them h~ve already been mentioned in the Introduction to Hosea. Two recent Roman Catholic commen- taries, however, may be specially noted, one by L: Abbe Trochon (Paris, 1883), ~ontain- ing the Latin Vulgate with a French translat1on, and ~ comment.ary_ considerably indebted to Keil; and the other by J. Knabenbauer (Paris, 1886), form.mg a pa.II~ of the 'Curs\18 Scripturre Sacrie,' edited by Jesuit Fathers. It consists of a commentary written in Latin and containing useful answers to the rationalistic theories of the present day. He~e, too, may be mentioned Archdeacon Farrar'e 'Th~ Minor Prophets,' in the 'Men of the Bible' series (1891). Among monographs on this prophet may be mentioned the following : Luther, 'Enarratio in Prophetam A.mos;' Gerhard, 'A.nno- tationes' (Jena, 1676); Haren berg, 'Amos Exp_ositus' (Leyden, 1?~3); Dahl, 'A.mos, neu tibers. und erlii.ut.' (Gottingen, 1795); BIBhop Horsley, 'Cnt1cal Notes;' Baur, • Der P. A.mos erk.la.rt' (1847); Bishop Ryan, 'Lectures' (1850); and works by Uhland., THE BOOK OF AMOS. m .Just!, Vater, Benefield, and Laurent. Of the above, the commentary of Baur, with a. valuable introduction, is most generally useful. Articles by Wellhausen, in the ' Brit. Encyclop.,' xiii., and by Noldeke, in Schenkel's 'Bibel-Lexicon,' will repay .examination,