The Book of Jeremiah and the Visions of Amos

Abstract

The focus of research on the prophets currently is on the prophetic book rather than on the prophet whose name it bears. It is apparent from careful reading of these literary traditions that prophetic traditions interact with one another. The use of the visions of Amos in the book of Jeremiah illustrates this phenomenon. The phenomenon is most obvious in the visions of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:11–12; 1:13–19; 24:1–10), where the third and fourth visions of Amos (Amos 7:7–8; 8:1–2) provide the pattern followed in Jeremiah. In addition, so many words and syntactical structures are shared that a direct literary dependence is indicated. Once the oldest literary layers of Jeremiah's visions are reconstructed, a comparison with the visions of Amos is especially useful. The depiction of what is seen in the vision, the interaction between God and prophet, and the explanation of what is seen are the key elements in the comparison. Allusions to the Amos visions are also evident in non-visionary texts of Jeremiah. It is probable that the historical Jeremiah had the written form of the Amos visions before him. References to earlier prophets may even have contributed to the survival of the book itself. The established authority of earlier prophetic words provided Jeremiah with needed legitimacy. Jeremiah learned from his predecessors and this helped him to develop a means to look more deeply into his society, to experience God in a more direct way, and communicate what he wanted to say with a sharper profile. It would be well if the religions that count Jeremiah among their heritage would learn from him how to reapply their prophetic tradition to our own difficult time.