15:12
Paul and Barnabas then recount their experiences from the missionary journey, especially the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles. Again, note the importance of experience and signs in the argument here. We tend to go to extremes. Some reject almost all signs and experience as a valid argument, others focus almost entirely on testimonies. Both extremes are unbiblical, for it is not what we find in Scripture.
15:13-18
James, who was the brother of Jesus and was now a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church, and he supported what Peter had said. He then related these to the words of the prophet Amos 9:11,12. He quotes from the Septuagint version, the Greek version of the Old Testament, or LXX. This was the most commonly used version. The words in the Hebrew version are subtly different in 9:12, where the Hebrew version says:
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.
The NT use of the Septuagint is an interesting topic, but one I don’t have the knowledge to go into. The Hebrew version does recognise that many nations bear God’s name, in the LXX the emphasis is on the nations seeking the Lord.
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