***WEDNESDAYS FROM 7-8PM VIA ZOOM BEGINNING JANUARY 10th ***
Email holyfamilysantafe@gmail.com to register and receive the Zoom link
Introduction to prophetic theology and the prophesy of Amos
The intent of this study is to introduce the theology of the prophetic literature using the book of Amos as an example. Amos is the oldest book in the Bible. While there are stories in the Bible that are much older and were handed down orally for centuries, they were not actually written down until about the fifth century BC. But Amos was written down two centuries before the fall of Jerusalem, in the eighth century BC.
Amos is one of the great poets of an era of epic poets, sharing the spotlight with another writer, Homer, who was writing the Iliad and the Odyssey at about the same time as Amos was writing his prophecy in the eighth century BC. Yet, although it is almost three thousand years old, Amos is anything but antique! The book addresses problems of economic justice and income inequality that are very much in the news right now. Amos has a message from God for the middle class, and that message is still very much relevant to us today.
Outline of the Study Guide
The Emergence and Nature of Prophesy
Background and Structure
Amos’ Introduction to the Debar YHWH
Oracles Against the Nations
The Crimes of Judah and Israel
Sentencing Israel to Justified Punishment
The first interruption: A question about the prophet’s authority
Sentencing Israel to Justified Punishment
Punishment is justified by repeated warnings from God
The Day of Yahweh
Rejection of Israel’s Religious Life
The call for Justice and Righteousness
Prediction of Exile
Three Terrible Visions of the Future
The second interruption: Expulsion from the Shrine
Two Visions in Tekoa
The redactor’s conclusion: the Restoration of the Davidic Kingdom
We will read Amos along with selections from the Theology of the Old Testament by Walter Brueggemann. For background and general understanding of the letter we will use excerpts from Charles F. Kraft’s introduction to Amos in the Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible.
What can you expect from this course:
1. The course will be conducted virtually over Zoom video. Each session will be one hour long, beginning and ending with prayer.
2. The study guide will be distributed to the registered students before the first session.
3. The course will begin with an overview of the emergence and nature of prophesy in Israel.
4. The subsequent sessions will proceed through the study guide reading Amos, other examples of prophetic literature, and the study material and discussing it. There will not be any homework because we will read the book and the study guide together in the class sessions.
5. The course is scheduled to begin on January 10, and we will continue weekly until we have completed the letter. While it is not strictly necessary to attend every session, the first session is foundational, and students should make every effort to be present for the first session.
On Wednesday January 10 at 7:00 p.m. we will begin Session 1 of our study of Amos. Our instructor will be the Reverend Dr. Kenneth Kochbeck.
Our Instructor: The Reverend Dr. Kenneth Kochbeck holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Washington University and Masters and Doctoral degrees from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Following a parish ministry, he has been active for the last 35 years in the teaching of the Bible and Christian theological topics in church and seminar settings, across denominations, including serving as adjunct faculty at Eden Theological Seminary. He is deeply committed to the teaching ministry as fundamental to the proclamation of the gospel.
In 1970 he married Olivia Ilagan, who is a music theorist, pianist, and artist. She was born in the Philippine Islands and grew up in St. Louis. She holds a B.M. in Music Education and a M.S. in Counselor Education, and an M.M. Music Theory. The Kochbecks have been married for 51 years and have one son, David. In 2017 they retired to Santa Fe, NM.