Hello and happy Friday, beautiful brethren in Christ!
Ever heard of Junia? She is referenced by Paul in Romans 16:7.
Did you know that she may have been an apostle? That might come as a shock to you, but it's probably because you use a version that doesn't translate the Greek that way. Historically, though, there has been a good deal of translation drama surrounding Junia.
Early church fathers such as Origen and John Chrysostom accepted that Junia was a female apostle, with the latter having written in his Homily 31 on Romans:
John "Golden Mouth" Chrysostom
And indeed to be apostles at all is a great thing. But to be even among these of note, just consider what a great tribute this is! But they were of note owing to their works, to their achievements. Oh! How great is the wisdom of this woman, that she should be even counted worthy of the appellation of apostle!
Hmm...
Later interpreters attempted to resolve the issue of female apostleship by claiming that the name should be translated as Junias. However, there were multiple issues with this. Two of the biggest ones were that there's no known evidence of the masculine name Junias, and that early Christian commentators overwhelmingly understood the name as female.
Today, most scholars agree that the name is Junia, not Junias. However, the debate has now shifted (of course) to what Paul means in the rest of the passage. And this is where the translation debate now lies. Is it that Junia is "outstanding among the apostles", or that she is "well known to the apostles"? It depends heavily on the translation - or should I say, the translation committee.
It is interesting that the focus has shifted, now that Junia's sex has been pretty firmly established. Prior translations assumed that the passage was to be understood as referring to an apostle, to the point that interpreters attempted to reframe Junia as Junias. Now that Junias is basically out...well, I think you know where I'm going with this. heart
You can look up the passage in Greek for yourself, though I don't think you will find it particularly helpful. Here are the various translations and how they render Romans 16:7, in case you're curious...
NASB: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsfolk and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding in the view of the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
NRSV: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Israelites who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
ESV: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.
NLT: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
KJV: Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
NIV: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
What do you think? Was Junia an apostle? Just well known to the apostles? What does among the apostles mean? And even if Junia was an apostle, how does one define "apostle"? And what if the interpreters of olden times were onto something, and the name should be rendered Junias?
Let me know what you think!
In Christ - love you lots! heart
