Date
8-29-2024
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Rusty Norris Small
Keywords
Amos 9, Acts 15, Jerusalem Council, nations, remnant, Edom, Gentiles, Israel, progressive dispensationalism, covenant theology, supersessionism, and post-supersessionism
Disciplines
History of Christianity
Recommended Citation
Yarbrough, Mary Kathleen, "The Implications of a Post-Supersessionist Hermeneutic Applied to James’s Use of Amos 9:11–12 in Acts 15:16–18" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5952.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5952
Abstract
The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 marks one of the most critical moments in the life and development of the New Testament church as James set forth a scriptural response to the debate surrounding Gentile inclusion into the kingdom of God. The importance of James’s response is encapsulated in his appellation and adaptation of Amos 9:11–12 which both brought closure to the Council’s debate and clarified the identity and mission of the New Testament community. It is of note, however, that James did not directly quote Amos 9:11–12 but instead adapted its structure so that, in agreement with that set forth by Amos, the covenantal promises of renewal for the remnant of Israel were respected while also opening the door to Gentile participation in those covenantal privileges. James’s declaration affirmed God’s commitment to ethnic Israel while also defining the identity and mission of the church, which was to be inclusive of all peoples. The interpretation of James’s appropriation of Amos 9:11–12 in Acts 15:16–18 will be most properly understood then, only when consideration is given to his Jewish mindset and perspective, as well as the variations found between the Septuagint (LXX) and Masoretic Text (MT).
The detailed examination of James’s use of Amos 9:11–12, which demonstrates both a level of dependence on and differentiation from the LXX, reveals that there are textual and conceptual connections within the text which are critical to its interpretation, such as the affirmation that the Gentiles (ethne) are God's “people” (λαόν) (see Acts 15:14) “called by God's name” (Acts 15:17). The eschatological promise of Amos 9:11–12 which points to a future point in time in which the “tent of David” will be reconstructed, also indicates that there is a future hope for the nations (or Gentiles) “called by my name.” Amos’s declaration contributes to the theological unity and diversity of the prophetic corpus concerning the nations, which James refers to more generally in terms of mankind (anthropoi). Amos prophetically declares, and James theologically affirms that Edom, which was the symbol of all the nations who had stood against God, would experience his future blessings. From the days of the patriarchs forward, it was clear that Edom was to play an essential role in the plans and purposes of God and the nation of Israel. Yet it is here where a level of tension emerges for some theologians concerning the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s redemptive plan and the church in relation to God’s commitments to the faithful remnant of Israel. The canonical evidence, however, makes clear that the renewal of the covenant and the restoration of “David’s fallen tent” would give dawn to the messianic era in which his eternal blessings would be experienced by both Israel and the nations. As such, the parameters for describing the identity and relationship of the church and Israel in this age are most appropriately defined in terms of James’s use of Amos 9:11–12 in Acts.
