| Insofar as the prophetic books reflect the speeches of the OT prophets, this corpus should have been studied from the perspective of rhetoric, that is, not from secondary rhetoric, the art of composition, but from primary of rhetoric, the art of persuasion or speaking well. Whereas the secondary rhetoric focuses on the beauty of a text, the primary rhetoric focuses on the dynamics of the speech acts. This study analyzes the book of Amos from the perspective of primary rhetoric: "How does Amos persuade his audience?";This primary rhetorical approach to the book of Amos has been partially applied, to a part of the book or from the restricted theory of classical rhetoric (e.g., Aristotle's rhetoric). Yet, since persuasion is a human necessity, various rhetorical theories, both classical and modern, must be applied to analyze the text in Amos. Especially, modern rhetoric, emphasizing the importance of the audience, is appropriate to the study of the book of Amos because Amos and his audience might have experienced a hostile relationship.;Among the modern rhetorical theories, Kenneth Burke's emphasis on the speaker's identification with his/her audience plays an important role in this study, for without identification, there is no persuasion. Also, the theories of American scholars of public speech are highly regarded in this study, for they disclose the importance of "attention," the key factor of effective communication.;Through the primary rhetorical approach to the book of Amos, one may resolve the complex interpretative problems. For example, Amos 6:1--14 may be understood as a rhetorical unit if hoy in 6:1 is treated, not as a condemnatory interjection (Woe!) but as an attention-getting interjection (Hey! Ah!). Amos 6:1--7 is not the so-called "woe oracle," but the introduction of a speech. Moreover, if one is sensitive to the basic rhetorical concept of "apostrophe," the changes of pronouns and pronominal suffixes in vv. 1--7 are easily understood as being consistent. Redactional layers, if any, may be pursued after studying the book from the perspective of rhetoric. If not, any passages referring to Judah may be maltreated as a late addition. The use of proper tools can lead the researcher to proper answers. |
