A Brilliant Brain

Biography

Amos was an 8thcentury BCE shepherd and prophet from Tekoa who condemned social injustice and religious hypocrisy in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His fearless denunciations of corrupt rulers, exploitation of the poor, and empty ritualism fundamentally shaped Hebrew prophetic tradition and established social justice as a core theological principle. His writings became foundational scripture, influencing Jewish and Christian ethics for millennia.

Key Facts

• Called by God while tending sheep and fig trees, leaving his pastoral life to prophesy
• Preached during the prosperous but morally corrupt reign of Jeroboam II
• First prophet to emphasize that God cares more about justice than ritual sacrifice
• Used vivid imagery and rhetorical questions to confront audiences with moral accountability
• His book is the third of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible