An Overview of the Book of the Prophet Amos

Monastery of the Prophet Amos in Faliraki, Rhodes

Faliraki is the primary seaside resort village on the Greek island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese. It is situated on Faliraki Bay, on the northeastern coast, about 14 km south of the town of Rhodes. Located in this village is a unique monastery dedicated to an Old Testament prophet that has few shrines in the world - the Holy Prophet Amos, who lived around 750 years before Christ.

Holy Prophet Amos

Holy Prophet Amos (Feast Day - June 15)

Verses

Amos the shepherd and gatherer of sycamore fruit,
Gathers in Eden and no longer gathers from trees.
On the fifteenth Amos flew away from this life.

The Holy Prophet Amos was a simple shepherd and a gatherer of sycamore fruit from Tekoa,* and was active when Uzziah was king of Judah (790-739 BC) and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel (786–746 BC). Though he was from the southern Kingdom of Judah he preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel, particularly the cities of Samaria and Bethel. Amos wrote at a time of relative peace and prosperity, but also of neglect of God's laws and the paganization of the Jews. The Old Testament Book of Amos is attributed to him, which begins two years prior to the earthquake of 760 BC. Amos was the first of the prophets to write down the messages he had received. He has always been admired for the purity of his language, his beauty of diction, and his poetic art.

Holy Prophet Amos as a Model for our Lives

Holy Prophet Amos (Feast Day - June 15)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Prophet Amos is one of the so-called Twelve Minor Prophets. He was born in the village of Tekoa in the land of Judah. A shepherd by occupation, God's Grace made him a prophet. He prophesied 800 years before Christ when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam (786–746 BC) was king of Israel. His prophetic book consists of four chapters and is classified among the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament. It holds a similar position in the Hebrew Bible. In it the Prophet strongly rebukes the people of Israel, but he does it to wake them up from the lethargy of sin and lead them to repentance. It should be noted that his activity coincided with a period during which there prevailed great social inequality in the country. There was high taxation, which resulted in the concentration of ownership in few hands who were a powerful landowning class, while the majority of the population suffered from poverty and the oppression of the rich.