The volume brings together eight new essays on Amos, which focus on a range of issues within the book. They represent a number of different approaches to the text from the text-critical to teh psychoanalytical, and from composition to reception. Arising out of a symposium to honour John Barton for his 60th birthday, the essays all respond, either directly or indirectly, to his Amos's Oracles Against the Nations, and to his lifelong concern with both ethics and method in biblical study.

In the book of Amos the language about land is used extensively, including terms and ideas such as Zion, YHWH’s bringing of Israel into the land, references to various sanctuaries and places, harvest and famine, the relationship between the northern kingdom and Judah, and references to the land of other nations. However this subject of the land has never been studied as a theological topic in its own right, but only as part of other themes. This work follows a synchronic reading of Amos and employing textual, literary and historical criticism the author carries out a careful theological analysis of the land. Although the findings are set in the context of the entire book of Amos, the study focuses on chapters 7-9 to explore the topic with closer detail.

What, according to the Book of Amos, does it mean to be the people of God? In this book, Andrew M. King employs a Social Identity Approach (SIA), comprised of Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory, to explore the relationship between identity formation and the biblical text. Specifically, he examines the identity-forming strategies embedded in the Book of Amos. King begins by outlining the Social Identity Approach, especially its use in Hebrew Bible scholarship. Turning to the Book of Amos, he analyzes group dynamics and intergroup conflicts (national and interpersonal), as well as Amos's presentation of Israel's history and Israel's future. King provides extensive insight into the rhetorical strategies in Amos that shape the trans-temporal audience's sense of self. To live as the people of God, according to Amos, readers and hearers must adopt norms defined by a proper relationship to God that results in the proper treatment of others.

Do the Old Testament prophets have a stake in modern ethics? They had a great impact in shaping Israel's ethics, and they should also have an impact on ours, writes biblical scholar Joseph Jensen. In Ethical Dimensions of the Prophets, Jensen shows us how the prophets never soft-peddled God's message. Jeremiah lashed out against a tyrannical king. Hosea accused Israel of harlotry for worshiping false gods. And Amos railed about the God's wrath because Israel failed to behave compassionately toward the weak and the poor. Jensen wants readers to hear the prophets in their own terms as they addressed their biblical contemporaries. Yet he asserts that the teachings of the prophets contain valuable lessons for us to ponder and apply today, particularly when it comes to social justice. This book is designed for readers eager to move beyond an introductory understanding of the Bible.

This extract from the Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible provides Gelston and Carroll R.’s introduction to and concise commentary on Joel, Amos, and Obadiah. The Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible presents, in nontechnical language, the best of modern scholarship on each book of the Bible, including the Apocrypha. Reader-friendly commentary complements succinct summaries of each section of the text and will be valuable to scholars, students, and general readers. Rather than attempt a verse-by-verse analysis, these volumes work from larger sense units, highlighting the place of each passage within the overarching biblical story. Commentators focus on the genre of each text—parable, prophetic oracle, legal code, and so on—interpreting within the historical and literary context. The volumes also address major issues within each biblical book—including the range of possible interpretations—and refer readers to the best resources for further discussions.

Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using SPSS and AMOS is a complete guide to carrying out your own structural equation modelling project. Assuming no previous experience of the subject, and a minimum of mathematical knowledge, this is the ideal guide for those new to structural equation modelling (SEM). Each chapter begins with learning objectives, and ends with a list of the new concepts introduced and questions to open up further discussion. Exercises for each chapter, incuding the necessary data, can be downloaded from the book′s website. Helpful real life examples are included throughout, drawing from a wide range of disciplines including psychology, political science, marketing and health. Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using SPSS and AMOS provides engaging and accessible coverage of all the basics necessary for using SEM, making it an invaluable companion for students taking introductory SEM courses in any discipline.

This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Cosby.