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The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth About Junia
In The Lost Apostle award-winning journalist Rena Pederson investigates a little known subject in early Christian history—the life and times of the female apostle Junia. Junia was an early convert and leading missionary whose story was “lost” when her name was masculinized to Junias in later centuries. The Lost Apostle unfolds like a well-written detective story, presenting Pederson’s lively search for insight and information about a woman some say was the first female apostle.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 1, 2013
This is a dry, dry book, but the subject matter is fascinating. Most Christians will tell you there was no female apostle, but because of one little verse this is actually quite controversial. The verse states basically that Junia and so-and-so were well-known among the apostles. Most will tell you that means the apostles knew them...or that if it means they actually were apostles, then Junia was a man. However, there are those who take it to mean Junia was an apostle and she was indeed a she--obviously the premise of this book. The verse is really interesting and it's not hard to see why it's controversial, because the wording is difficult and could go either way. That said, the rest of the book is speculation. If Junia was a woman and she was an apostle, what would her life have been like? So you learn a lot about what it was to be a woman then, what it was to be a Christian woman, and what issues she would have faced.
Those looking for definitive answers won't find them here, because there just aren't any. It's a tricky verse, with pretty much zero history to back someone up either way. But it's fascinating stuff, for those like me who'd like to believe Junia was indeed a woman and was indeed an apostle.
Those looking for definitive answers won't find them here, because there just aren't any. It's a tricky verse, with pretty much zero history to back someone up either way. But it's fascinating stuff, for those like me who'd like to believe Junia was indeed a woman and was indeed an apostle.
March 7, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much. I thought the author did a credible job of illuminating Junia, the apostle, for readers unfamiliar with her fascinating story. So much of the contributions of the early women of the church have been denied or destroyed that it's hard to piece together what roles they played. This book helps fill in one of the big gaps.
August 27, 2010
The thesis of this slim but learned book is simple and straightforward: the person named in Rom 16:7 as being, along with Andronicus, prominent among the apostles, and as having come to faith in Christ before Paul himself, was a woman. The name of this person, which is in the accusative case in the original Greek and hence could be taken, in an unaccented text, as either masculine or feminine, is correctly spelt as Junia, a feminine form, and not as Junias, as in most English translations between 1837 and 1973. This thesis is probably familiar to most of the readers of this journal. What Epp has done, however, is to marshal all the relevant evidence in a manner that this reviewer found totally convincing. The main arguments can be stated as follows:
The female name, Junia, occurs more than 250 times, whereas the (purported) male name, Junias, is not attested anywhere. Moreover, even if a dozen instances of the form, Junias, were to turn up in first-century papyri there would still be a compelling case for translating the name in Rom 16:7 as Junia. For the first seven centuries of the church’s life, Greek manuscripts did not use accents However, when accents did become common practice in the manuscript tradition, without exception they identified the name as feminine. There is no suggestion in Christian writers of the first thousand years of the church’s life, or for several centuries later, that the person in question was a man. Theologians as diverse as Origen, Ambrosiaster, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Theodoret, John Damascene, Peter Abelard and Peter Lombard all assume that the partner of Andronicus is a woman by the name of Junia.
Of particular importance is Chrysostom’s observation concerning Junia: “How great the woman must have been that she was even deemed worthy of the title of ‘apostle’!” (Ep. Ad Romanos 31.2). Furthermore, all extant early translations of the New Testament transcribe the name without exception in what is to be taken as a feminine form. With one exception, Greek New Testaments from that of Erasmus in 1516 to Erwin Nestle’s edition of 1927 print the name with the accent that indicates the feminine form. With very few exceptions, English translations of the New Testament from Tyndale (1526/1534) until the last quarter of the 19th century understood the person in question to be a woman, Junia.
In view of this overwhelming evidence in favour of understanding the name in question to be that of a woman, the question inevitably arises, whatever led so many scholars to conclude, for a century or more, that the person named as the partner of Andronicus was a man? The answer is not far to seek. The per-son in question is described as an apostle, indeed, along with Andronicus, as being “prominent among the apostles.” How could that be said of a woman? It is easy to find here evidence of male prejudice, so that the caustic comment of Bernadette Brooten seems entirely justified: “Because a woman could not have been an apostle, the woman who is here called apostle could not have been a woman” (quoted by Epp on p. 59). However, the persistent failure of scholars to recognise the obvious must also be attributed to the prevalence of a monolithic picture of the early church.
Besides arguing the case for the presence of Junia, a woman, among the apostles, Epp also provides a useful introduction to the current state of textual critical studies. As for the main thesis, this reviewer finds it established beyond any doubt. As Epp himself concludes, “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” (p. 81).
The female name, Junia, occurs more than 250 times, whereas the (purported) male name, Junias, is not attested anywhere. Moreover, even if a dozen instances of the form, Junias, were to turn up in first-century papyri there would still be a compelling case for translating the name in Rom 16:7 as Junia. For the first seven centuries of the church’s life, Greek manuscripts did not use accents However, when accents did become common practice in the manuscript tradition, without exception they identified the name as feminine. There is no suggestion in Christian writers of the first thousand years of the church’s life, or for several centuries later, that the person in question was a man. Theologians as diverse as Origen, Ambrosiaster, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Theodoret, John Damascene, Peter Abelard and Peter Lombard all assume that the partner of Andronicus is a woman by the name of Junia.
Of particular importance is Chrysostom’s observation concerning Junia: “How great the woman must have been that she was even deemed worthy of the title of ‘apostle’!” (Ep. Ad Romanos 31.2). Furthermore, all extant early translations of the New Testament transcribe the name without exception in what is to be taken as a feminine form. With one exception, Greek New Testaments from that of Erasmus in 1516 to Erwin Nestle’s edition of 1927 print the name with the accent that indicates the feminine form. With very few exceptions, English translations of the New Testament from Tyndale (1526/1534) until the last quarter of the 19th century understood the person in question to be a woman, Junia.
In view of this overwhelming evidence in favour of understanding the name in question to be that of a woman, the question inevitably arises, whatever led so many scholars to conclude, for a century or more, that the person named as the partner of Andronicus was a man? The answer is not far to seek. The per-son in question is described as an apostle, indeed, along with Andronicus, as being “prominent among the apostles.” How could that be said of a woman? It is easy to find here evidence of male prejudice, so that the caustic comment of Bernadette Brooten seems entirely justified: “Because a woman could not have been an apostle, the woman who is here called apostle could not have been a woman” (quoted by Epp on p. 59). However, the persistent failure of scholars to recognise the obvious must also be attributed to the prevalence of a monolithic picture of the early church.
Besides arguing the case for the presence of Junia, a woman, among the apostles, Epp also provides a useful introduction to the current state of textual critical studies. As for the main thesis, this reviewer finds it established beyond any doubt. As Epp himself concludes, “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” (p. 81).
January 1, 2023
I really loved this book. It was my favorite read of 2022 (I read well over 100 books in '22 and rated several at 5 stars, so, for me, that's saying something) and has earned a spot in my top 10 favorite books list.
In it, Rena insightfully weaves what we know about Junia's story with the stories of other women (and men) throughout church history in fascinating and poignant ways. I love the way she sleuths out pieces of the story from all different directions and then brings everything together in a cohesive, understandable way. Though the work is well researched, her writing style is refreshingly readable. It was illuminating but not dense-feeling.
I highly recommend this book.
In it, Rena insightfully weaves what we know about Junia's story with the stories of other women (and men) throughout church history in fascinating and poignant ways. I love the way she sleuths out pieces of the story from all different directions and then brings everything together in a cohesive, understandable way. Though the work is well researched, her writing style is refreshingly readable. It was illuminating but not dense-feeling.
I highly recommend this book.
January 13, 2016
I picked up this book because I didn't know who Junia was and she was in the Bible. I thought I knew most people in the Bible, but I was proven WAYYYY wrong. This book completely blew my mind. I couldn't stop reading about her after I finished the book. I was so amazed by what the author wrote and she didn't seem to be trying to sway the reader into believing her point of view. As a woman that has dealt with the sexism of the church, this book was truly a breath of fresh air for me. In my heart I have always wanted to serve my Jesus through the church, but felt I couldn't because of my sex. It all felt so wrong to have this gift of preaching and leading and then be turned down just because I was a woman. Mrs. Pederson opens a small but impacting window to how life for women minsters was during the time of the primitive church. Great read!
February 26, 2008
Was Junia the Apostle mentioned by Paul in Rom 16:7 a man or a woman? The case is stacked for her being a woman... If in fact, there was a female apostle commended by Paul as "outstanding among the apostles", then what would be the implications for women's value in the church and validation of her giftings? This is an important read for both men and women in the church.
Superbly written -- you can tell the author is a journalist -- and well-researched. It's like "perusing a reporter's notebook."
Superbly written -- you can tell the author is a journalist -- and well-researched. It's like "perusing a reporter's notebook."
December 17, 2007
I am very interested in the role of women in the "church," despite my lack of interest in belonging to a church. This book is written by a journalist, not a religious scholar, so it takes a very different direction than I expected, which I appreciated. She digs for the truth from her experience, and does not accept traditional answers "just because."
June 28, 2021
The Lost Apostle:Searching for the Truth About Junia by Rena Pederson was better than I had hoped or expected very good research number of examples and stories that illustrate the point but stand alone by themselves as wonderful historical anecdotal meme. It also added a new item onto my before end of life bucket list attend mass at St. Prisca in Rome. (Very few books ever add to my bucket list). I found the research and the portrait of the early church to be very compelling and comprehensive. It might even have inspired me to read a bit more about this subject we shall see. It took me awhile to get into the subject matter but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it and it certainly helped me with my own problems with faith as the message of good news is so often been weighted to support political and other concerns this book patiently explained the social political context of when and who wrote the early texts and followed that trail of scholarship for the centuries to follow. In my forever library the one I'm slowly building in mind and in storage, this will be one of those books I keep on a shelf or nearby me forever for it has so much that was lost but is now found. my own Prodigal daughter sort of story I thought she was lost but now I know she was just written over, ignored, downgraded, chipped away and buried. Nice to know we can make a place for Junia and all the other women who were of great importance to the early Chruch's survival and see the teaching of Christ in this light of inclusion of leadership what was once was shall become again or so I hope. Great little book five stars excellent historical read with a powerful message. I am woman hear the good news of our truth.
February 25, 2019
Brilliant. So wonderful to hear some more of Junia's story pieced together. I really feel like Paul is given such a bad name for his apparently misogynist views, when in actuality, he speaks so highly of women like Junia. (Yes, he said some difficult things, but taken in context, there is a good explanation as to why.) So I have grown in respect of Paul too. He was living in a patriarchal culture and the early church was working out what it looked like to be the body of Christ - male and female and all the rest of it - while still living out the radical way of Jesus.
Some sections of the book felt like harder work than others, but I appreciate the thorough research that has gone in to this.
It is such a shame the way Junia was 'lost' for so many hundreds of years. I am so pleased Pederson is bringing her life and story back in to view. For this reason I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but I think particularly men in ministry would benefit from reading and understanding some of the damage that patriarchy has done in silencing beautiful female voices - who were such an integral and essential part of the establishment and growth of the early church!
Some sections of the book felt like harder work than others, but I appreciate the thorough research that has gone in to this.
It is such a shame the way Junia was 'lost' for so many hundreds of years. I am so pleased Pederson is bringing her life and story back in to view. For this reason I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but I think particularly men in ministry would benefit from reading and understanding some of the damage that patriarchy has done in silencing beautiful female voices - who were such an integral and essential part of the establishment and growth of the early church!
April 22, 2020
This is a good book on early Christianity, and on the role women (might have) played. The content that relates to Junia directly is limited, but that's a function of Junia being only a 'footnote' in the Bible. The confusion about Junia's gender was really only the starting point to explore how women in general were treated in early Christianity, and how their treatment changed as Christianity became mainstream. The book obviously provides a feminist point-of-view, but that's fine with me.
The book was well organized and structured, and easy to read. 'Extra' text that didn't relate directly to the narrative is clearly identified by being outlined by two bold lines to either side.
The book was well organized and structured, and easy to read. 'Extra' text that didn't relate directly to the narrative is clearly identified by being outlined by two bold lines to either side.
June 7, 2020
An interesting read that mostly centers around the author’s search rather than an in-depth scholarly work. “All scripture, properly interpreted, should lead to greater love of God and neighbor.” P. 171
March 15, 2024
Every Christian should read this book. The author gives insight into what it was like to live in the Roman Empire. She examines why women leaders in the early church are not known to us today. Her style is readable and she tells a good story.
Read
October 4, 2023The Cult Of the saints
November 20, 2023
Really interesting research on Junia, and great insights on the historical and cultural context of the early church.
Read
August 6, 2024Great read about Junia
February 26, 2012
Because a previous reviewer said this book was very dry I assumed it was a scholarly book. It is not. I was often annoyed by how much the author simply related what scholars told her without her seeming to know anything about it herself. It was as much a book about her education about Junia as Junia herself.
The case for and against Junia being a woman can be laid out very simply. Bruce Metzger summarizes the thoughts of the United Bible Society Committee this way, "...[The committee] was divided as to how the [name] should be accented. Some members, considering it unlikely that a woman would be among those styled "apostles," understood the name to be masculine (Junias), thought to be a shortened form of Junianus. Others, however, were impressed by the facts that (1) the female Latin name Junia occurs more than 250 times in Greek and Latin inscriptions found in Rome alone, whereas the male name Junias is unattested anywhere, and (2) when Greek manuscripts began to be accented, scribes wrote the feminine (Junia)." 2 facts important for understanding the above quote are: (1) The gender of the name hinges on how it is accented and (2) the earliest manuscripts were not accented.
The above paragraph is close to all the facts relevant to this argument and it takes this book a real long time to get to them. And when it does, on page 165, it leaves vague the 2 important bits of information I provided you with. If I didn't already know those facts I would have been very confused by this book.
Examples of other problems in this book:
She nowhere seems to doubt that Junia was a woman though it is by no means certain. (See above quote.)
She calls the Nestle Greek text a translation (it is not) on page 165.
On pages 173-4 she complains that in I Timothy 2:12-14, Paul seems to contradict his practice of supporting women house church leaders. She never mentions the fact that hardly any scholar believes Paul wrote I Timothy! This could be excused if she were a fundamentalist, but she is not. She briefly mentions that she was aware Paul didn't write it earlier in the book.
If I did not know that Eusebius lived long after Zephyrinus, I would think that Zephyrinus had read Eusebius based on this odd sentence from page 179:
"In ancient times, Pope Zephyrinus (199-217) was provoked by the heretic Proclo, who had boasted that the tombs of the apostles were in Asia Minor, to say that he had been assured in words handed down by the historian Eusebius that the apostles' remains were in Rome."
All that is why my rating is 3 stars away from perfection. Why the book got two stars is the parts where it diverged from Junia proper and delved into women in the Church in general. This took up a good amount of the book and was pretty interesting. Stacking up important male ecclesiastic's views on women left quite an impression.
The case for and against Junia being a woman can be laid out very simply. Bruce Metzger summarizes the thoughts of the United Bible Society Committee this way, "...[The committee] was divided as to how the [name] should be accented. Some members, considering it unlikely that a woman would be among those styled "apostles," understood the name to be masculine (Junias), thought to be a shortened form of Junianus. Others, however, were impressed by the facts that (1) the female Latin name Junia occurs more than 250 times in Greek and Latin inscriptions found in Rome alone, whereas the male name Junias is unattested anywhere, and (2) when Greek manuscripts began to be accented, scribes wrote the feminine (Junia)." 2 facts important for understanding the above quote are: (1) The gender of the name hinges on how it is accented and (2) the earliest manuscripts were not accented.
The above paragraph is close to all the facts relevant to this argument and it takes this book a real long time to get to them. And when it does, on page 165, it leaves vague the 2 important bits of information I provided you with. If I didn't already know those facts I would have been very confused by this book.
Examples of other problems in this book:
She nowhere seems to doubt that Junia was a woman though it is by no means certain. (See above quote.)
She calls the Nestle Greek text a translation (it is not) on page 165.
On pages 173-4 she complains that in I Timothy 2:12-14, Paul seems to contradict his practice of supporting women house church leaders. She never mentions the fact that hardly any scholar believes Paul wrote I Timothy! This could be excused if she were a fundamentalist, but she is not. She briefly mentions that she was aware Paul didn't write it earlier in the book.
If I did not know that Eusebius lived long after Zephyrinus, I would think that Zephyrinus had read Eusebius based on this odd sentence from page 179:
"In ancient times, Pope Zephyrinus (199-217) was provoked by the heretic Proclo, who had boasted that the tombs of the apostles were in Asia Minor, to say that he had been assured in words handed down by the historian Eusebius that the apostles' remains were in Rome."
All that is why my rating is 3 stars away from perfection. Why the book got two stars is the parts where it diverged from Junia proper and delved into women in the Church in general. This took up a good amount of the book and was pretty interesting. Stacking up important male ecclesiastic's views on women left quite an impression.
August 2, 2011
What a fantastic read! This is the book for anyone who is delving into a woman's role in the early church and how we should view a woman's role in the church today in light of the historical context of the scriptures and the influence man has had on the New Testament over the past 2000 years.
Pederson is able to remain entertaining while presenting an astounding amount of research. I got a little irked with the "reporter investigates" feel of the book but my husband and I have been reading a lot of straightforward essays on New Testament history so I haven't been used to any sort of personal embellishment as Pederson uses occasionally in the book. That one drawback aside, this book has EXCELLENT information and Pederson has done her research. She even mentions the other book about Junia that I had been interested in reading. Highly recommend if you're looking to delve a bit deeper into the issue of women's roles in the church!
Pederson is able to remain entertaining while presenting an astounding amount of research. I got a little irked with the "reporter investigates" feel of the book but my husband and I have been reading a lot of straightforward essays on New Testament history so I haven't been used to any sort of personal embellishment as Pederson uses occasionally in the book. That one drawback aside, this book has EXCELLENT information and Pederson has done her research. She even mentions the other book about Junia that I had been interested in reading. Highly recommend if you're looking to delve a bit deeper into the issue of women's roles in the church!
May 18, 2019
Rena Pederson tells her story of searching for the truth about the apostle Junia who is mentioned by Paul in Romans 16. She makes a reasonable argument for Junia as a woman apostle commended by Paul; however, her argument is scattered and not always coherent. This is partially because the book is more diary of the author's journey of discovery than it is a study of Junia. There are many side journeys (mostly interesting) that are only tangentially related to Junia. I found the side journeys detracted from the potential force of the book's argument. A woman apostle celebrated by Paul is very problematic for those in parts of the church who try to limit women's ability to follow the call of God. I wish this book had explored and pushed on these implications more directly. But, I may simply want a book the author didn't intend to write.
abandoned
December 9, 2012"Rena Pederson is Communications Director for the National Math and Science Initiative, an innovative non-profit created in 2007 to address America’s declining math and science achievement. She most recently served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications for the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., serving as a senior speechwriter and communications manager"This was taken from her website. I am more interested in a theologians perspective and so this book did not draw me in.
October 17, 2013
I was hoping that this book would of been better. The author has a problem of repeating the same information, so much I nearly put the book down. She finally got on to talking about other women from the bible and early church, thank God, but even that was limited. Her whole theme of women being completely excluded really wore on my nerves. Honestly I have always read Junia as a woman, always. Every translation I have states it as so too, even my old Geneva edition of the bible. This is not a very good book, obviously it took me a week to get through it.
July 31, 2014
An interesting read about the role of women in the early Catholic church and how history has eliminated them or downplayed their importance. I have a feeling that I may want to add stars to my review later in the year. There are many very interesting ideas about women in positions of power in churches and about what you can take away from a book that was written after the events took place and is known to have errors. I look forward to discussing this with friends and family.
July 16, 2007
Easily accesible book about Junia the lost apostle. Also addresses how women's roles have been marginalized in the church since the founding days of Christianity. Not a highly scholarly book, but still informative and a fun read.
February 12, 2022
It was indeed a fabulous journey reading this book. An awesome experience meeting Junia, Thecla, and so many more women who believed in the messiah; women of faith and good works, against a background of male supremacy and constraints.
April 10, 2013
Easy to read, sometimes a little off track but several good take-aways. Gave it five stars because it's worth re-reading
May 29, 2013
The book is a bit disjointed in places, and the last chapter seemed a bit repetitive, but it was well worth reading.
Read
April 8, 2016I found this book a very interesting read, especially were it comes to womens place in the Church. It's very good backkground.
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