According to the Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...

, Amos was a Nephite

Nephite

According to the Book of Mormon, a Nephite is a member of one of the four main groups of settlers of the ancient Americas. The other three groups are the Lamanites, Jaredites and Mulekites. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were a group of people descended from or associated with Nephi, the...

 record keeper. His father was Amos

Amos, son of Nephi

According to the Book of Mormon, Amos was a Nephite record keeper and son of Nephi the Disciple. Amos had custody of the Nephite records for 84 years, from approximately AD 110 to 194...

, and his grandfather was Nephi the Disciple

Nephi the Disciple

According to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was the name of the son of Nephi, son of Helaman, who was given charge over the Nephite records and other sacred things. He was the prophet during the birth and death of Christ...

. Mormon

Mormon

The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...

 is thought to have abridged his record which consists of 26 verses in the Book of 4th Nephi

Fourth Nephi

Fourth Nephi is one of the books of the Book of Mormon. Its full title is Fourth Nephi: The Book of Nephi, Who Is the Son of Nephi, One of the Disciples of Jesus Christ...

. Amos must have been exceptionally long-lived, for he had custody of the Nephite records for 112 years, approximately from AD 194

194

Year 194 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius...

 to 306

306

Year 306 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius...

 (although a certain commentator suggests that this Amos may be referring to at least two different people). are an abridgment of his writings. When Amos died, his brother Ammaron

Ammaron

According to the Book of Mormon, Ammaron was a Nephite record-keeper and perhaps a prophet...

 took over as record keeper.

Amos' record relates the degeneration of the society of the Nephites after the appearance of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

 on the American continent. This degeneration is due to the pride of the people.