Journal: Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Volume: JBMW 13:1 (Spring 2008)
Article: Reassessing Junia: A Review of Eldon Epp’s "Junia: The First Woman Apostle"
Author: Michael H. Burer

JBMW 13:1 (Spring 2008) p. 56

Reassessing Junia: A Review of Eldon Epp’s Junia: The First Woman Apostle

Michael H. Burer

Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas, Texas

Epp, Eldon Jay. Junia: The First Woman Apostle. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.

Often my friends tease me about my academic work, usually making the argument that scholars tend to think too much about minor details. I would agree that scholars as a whole regularly make “mountains out of molehills.” (Indeed, anyone who has written a doctoral dissertation recognizes this as a professional necessity!) There are many times, however, when extreme depth of investigation is important and even vital for proper interpretation and appropriate application of the biblical text. My response to this critique changes the metaphor slightly in order to drive this point home: Instead of a molehill, think of an anthill. It is not very big, but ignore it and you can be in a world of hurt if you misstep. (With fire ants, common in the region of Texas where I live, a misstep can even be dangerous.) Certain issues or texts that on first blush may appear to be quite ancillary or tangential become very important upon closer investigation and have an impact far beyond that which one might initially suppose. Such is the case with Rom 16:7.

To begin, allow me to cite this verse in two different English versions: (1) “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me” (NET Bible). (2) “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are men of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me” (RSV). A quick comparison reveals two of the “anthills” under the surface of this verse: the gender of the name ᾿Ιουνιαν (the spelling given in both NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, the current standard critical editions of the Greek New Testament); and the relationship of the two named individuals to the larger group called “apostles.” A review of technical literature on this verse reveals two more issues: the identification of this person vis-à-vis Andronicus, the other person mentioned in the verse, and the identity and function of the larger group. These interpretive issues could very well remain esoteric and out of sight except for the way this passage has been used in discussions of the role of women in the church. Many scholars have argued that the best interpretation of this verse is that Junia was a woman and that she was considered to be an esteemed apostle, and that this interpretation provides support for the egalitarian viewpoint and a justification for...