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Go, Girl!

Posted July 11, 2008 at 6:00 am
Filed Under Faith & Religion | 4 Comments

Junia is a woman in the Bible who has been given little or no credit for her position in the Church but who deserves, like other characters in the Bible, a serious look. Rom. 16:7 says: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” (NRSV) Most scholars attribute the authorship of Romans to the apostle Paul. In this simple verse in the closing remarks offered by Paul, we find something interesting. It would seem that the apostle Paul is greeting a woman who he says is both his relative, or in some translations of the Bible “compatriot,” and an apostle. Not only does he give her the title apostle, which we all know Paul understood to be a very serious label, he says she is a prominent one.

This scripture has been troubling to those who would argue against women as leaders in the Church. Feminist theologian Bernadette Brooten says: “Because a woman could not have been an apostle, the woman who is here called an apostle could not have been a woman.” Another feminist theologian, Elizabeth Castelli says it like this: “The reference to Junia the apostolos in Rom 16:7 has inspired remarkable interpretive contortions, resulting ultimately in a sex-change-by-translation.” Thee women address the fact that the arguments against the apostleship of this woman have mainly focused on the gender of the name Junia.

Junia is a common feminine name so to argue Junia is a man’s name is the modern equivalent of a boy named Sue. In light of this, some scholars have attempted to say that Junia is a shorter version of a masculine name or a misprint that should rather read Junias, though feminist scholars have pointed out that there is no evidence whatsoever that such a masculine name ever existed in the Greco-Roman world.[1] Despite this evidence (or lack thereof) on the name Junias, “Martin Luther popularized the change in his translation of the Bible, and translators after him followed suit until well into the twentieth century.”[2]

Some evidence that Junia was indeed a woman apostle may be found in writings of early Christian leaders. At least 16 Greek and Latin commentators understood Junia to be a feminine name. They include Origen, Jerome and Peter Abelard. Among the earliest and most notable was John Chrysostom (ca. 344/354-407), who wrote:

‘Greet Andronicus and Junia… who are outstanding among the apostles’: To be an apostle is something great. But to be outstanding among the apostles – just think what a wonderful song of praise that is! They were outstanding on the basis of their works and virtuous actions. Indeed, how great the wisdom of this woman must have been that she was deemed worthy of the title of apostle.[3]

One must necessarily ask, why some might want to refute the notion of a female apostle? Arguably, it is for the same reason that some would want to discount the woman at the well or any other feminine biblical character. It is either irresponsibility or lazy interpretation or worse – bias against women. The latter may be likely in light of the significance of a woman apostle for all of womankind.

What is an apostle? According to one dictionary of the Christian Church, an apostle is: “A title given in the early Church to some of its leaders (1Cor. 12:28), especially missionaries, and at Heb. 3:1 to Christ Himself. The origin and significance of the term is disputed, but some reference to being sent is certain.”[4] The specific biblical references in this definition, respectively, say: “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues” and “Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him.” (NRSV) In these verses, we see that apostles are appointed by God for God’s purposes. Perhaps, God’s assignment for apostles is what we commonly call the Great Commission found in Matt. 28:19-20, in which Jesus says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

It is hard to imagine that this commission could be accomplished in the silence allegedly mandated against women in a few verses in the epistles to the Romans and Timothy (See previous blogs). After all, how might one remain silent and proclaim the Word simultaneously? Acknowledging St. Francis of Assisi’s notion of preaching the gospel through a lifestyle of faith, the apostles of the Bible and Francis himself preached with actual words. Jesus preached to crowds. Peter preached to those who gathered at Pentecost. Paul preached in the temples and in homes. No doubt, the Apostle Junia preached, as well.

It is interesting to note that the Apostle Paul did not use the word “apostle” loosely. By all accounts in the Bible, he took the title very seriously. In 1 Cor. 9:1-27, Paul offers a lengthy defense of his own apostleship and ministry. One might conclude that he is very intentional in his use of the title “apostle” with Junia. His understanding of the term, by biblical accounts, points to an encounter with Christ, receiving a commission to proclaim the gospel, suffering, and ministry that includes signs and wonders.[5] One might lastly include in the definition of an apostle that it is gender inclusive based on Paul attributing it to both men and women.

Finally, something must be said of Paul’s attitude toward and opinion of women. Author Rose Sallberg Kam asks: “Was Paul a consummate male chauvinist, a feminist who championed the equality of all human beings, or something else?” The scripture references in the first paragraph of this paper have often been attributed to Paul. However, many scholars now recognize that 1 Cor. 14:34-35 as an interpolation – something added by a scribe to the letter originally written by Paul. It is also commonly held by today’s scholars that First Timothy was not written by Paul but by followers of the apostle. Authorship of this and several other epistles is considered deutero-Pauline. In light of his actual writings about women, author Rose Sallberg Kam determines Paul is a “friend to women.”[6] Because of his cultural constraints, she says he is neither a chauvinist nor a feminist. Author Eldon Jay Epp concludes that that Paul does not deny leadership roles to women and seems to celebrate their contributions as leaders in the early Church.

There is much to celebrate about both the woman at the well (See previous blog) and the Apostle Junia. Kam says:

For women… the Samaritan woman is an especially potent model. It is impossible to believe that Jesus chose this bright, assertive messenger by chance, when he could so easily have chosen a man. Somehow, in spite of all the negatives of her situation, he saw in her exactly the person needed to bring the kingdom to Sychar. Would that Christian churches were equally quick to perceive women as people called to the same vocations as men.”[7]

In the case of Junia, we have a woman who was not only an apostle, but an outstanding apostle. Her leadership and dedication to the cause of Christ were hailed by one of the top leaders of the early Church, the Apostle Paul.

It is time for the Church to acknowledge the women of the Bible for who they were. Epp says “it remains a fact that there was a woman apostle, explicitly so named, in the earliest generation of Christianity, and contemporary Christians – lay people and clergy – must (and eventually will) face up to it.”[8] Perhaps if the Church would celebrate the women leaders of the Bible, the Church could celebrate the women leaders of the Church today. In the earliest of Christianity to today, women have been leaders whether they are recognized and acknowledged for their leadership or not. Women are called by God and serve God in every part of the Body of Christ. Mischaracterizing women to lessen their importance doesn’t change who they are. Like wise, neither does a name change. The Church needs to call women what they are. They are the faithful preacher also known as the Samaritan woman at the well. They are the Apostle Junia. They are today’s preachers, teachers, apostles, deacons, evangelists, missionaries, prophets and scholars.

[1] Eldon Jay Epp, Junia, The First Woman Apostle (Minneapolis. MN: Fortress Press, 2005), 24.

[2] Rose Sallberg Kam, Their Stories, Our Stories: Women of the Bible (New York: Continuum), 250.

[3] Epp. Junia, 32.

[4]E.A. Livingstone: Oxford Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 32.

[5] Epp, Junia, 70.

[6] Kam, Their Stories, Our Stories, 264.

[7] Kam, Their Stories, Our Stories, 216-217.

[8] Epp, Junia, 81.

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