The intricate relationship between politics and religion in the Hebrew bible : the prophet Amos as a case study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Politics, in modern society, has become intimately associated with poor governance, fraud andcorruption, social decay, abuse of power, indifference to the plight of the poor, squandering ofcritical resources and self-enrichment. This situation has been further aggravated by the debatethat religion and politics should be kept separate at all costs. The demand for social justice inmarginalised communities has increased dramatically over the last few decades. The escalationof human conflict, poverty, social inequality and corrupt practices across the globe over recentyears, demands a radical reassessment of how the human race engages politically, socially andeconomically with each other.Hebrew classical prophets such as Hosea, Amos, Isaiah and Micah have through theirmessages of condemnation, indictment, punishment and hope confronted the serious political andsocial challenges that prevailed during and subsequent to their time. They demonstrated immensebravery against the established order of the day as they proclaimed Yahweh's gross displeasureand divine judgement for the manner in which those in power had treated the poor. Amos, inparticular, has captivated scholars over many decades as they dissected every emotion, historicalcontext, social structure, biblical tradition and literary convention in order to understand hismessage.This study is an attempt to re-evaluate the critical balance between politics and religion asdemonstrated in the divine mandate provided to kings, centuries ago in the ancient Near East, torule in a just and righteous manner. An examination of the role and function of the prophets,their relationship with the political and religious structures of the day as well as an exegeticalstudy of selected Amos texts has been undertaken to determine how this social imbalance wasaddressed by the prophets. A general hypothesis is advanced to restore this intricate balancebetween modern politics and religion. The study further enables a theological re-evaluation ofhow this balance could possibly be pursued as a potential catalyst for its overall socialrestoration.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University