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Junia and the ESV

I was talking with a friend recently and Junia came up in our conversation.  My friend stated with a great deal of confidence that Junia was definitely not an apostle.  I was surprised by his statement.  I have heard several arguments designed to discredit Junia from being a female apostle, but to simply assert that Junia was not an apostle was a new approach to me.

My friend had also mentioned that his Bible translation of choice was the English Standard Version.  I later looked up the ESV online [here] to see whether this translation may have had something to do with his view that Junia was not an apostle.  So yet again I was taking another close look at Junia; this time in the light of the English Standard Version.

Here’s how the ESV translates the verse that mentions Junia, Romans 16:7:

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen[1] and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. (ESV)

Who was Junia?

Andronicus and Junia are mentioned in the New Testament only in Romans 16:7. Here Paul speaks very warmly about this couple,[2] who were probably a married couple, or brother and sister.  From this single verse in Romans 16, we can see that both Andronicus and Junia were well known to the church (otherwise Paul would not have mentioned them in his letter); they were related to Paul (or were his compatriots); they had been imprisoned with Paul; they had been Christians longer than Paul (they may even have been among the founders of the church at Rome); and they were considered as outstanding among the apostles.  This last point has been debated in recent times.  An older debate, however, is whether Junia was male or female.

Was Junia a woman?

I have read countless articles and books which argue that Junia was a man named Junias and not a woman.[3]  The weakness of this argument is that the masculine name, Junias, never actually appears in any Greek literature (or inscription) whatsoever before the 13th century, while the female name, Junia, appears frequently.[4]  This fact is widely acknowledged by most modern Bible scholars.  Even the translators of the ESV concede that Junia was most likely a woman.  (Like many translations, they retain the masculine name, Junias, in a footnote.)

Was Junia an apostle?

I have also heard people minimise the meaning of the word “apostle” when applied to Junia.  Certainly, apart from Jesus’ Twelve Apostles who are in a special class, an apostle is simply a minister who serves as a church planter, as an envoy, or as a missionary in a leadership capacity.[5]   In the New Testament, several people other than Jesus’ Twelve Apostles are called apostles.  These other apostles include: Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Andronicus and Junia.  These apostles are all people with important, leadership ministries.[6]

An apostle is literally someone who is “sent” on a mission.  Church history is full of examples of both male and female missionaries.  Both men and women have pioneered significant ministries which have furthered the Gospel and can validly be described as apostolic.[7]

The ESV gives an alternative meaning for “apostle” in a footnote for Romans 16:7.  They suggest that perhaps “apostle” can be translated as “messenger”.  This is a weak substitute for the word “apostle” in this context.  And it is unlikely that Andronicus and Junia were well known for being messengers.  People in the New Testament who were called apostles were more than just messengers – they were usually missionary church leaders.  Moreover, from the brief description we have of Andronicus and Junia, it appears that both of them were involved in significant ministry.

Several Patristic writers acknowledge Junia as a female apostle. [See endnote 13.]  In his Homilies on the Book of Romans, fourth century church father, John Chrysostom, preached favourably about Junia, and clearly acknowledged Junia as a female apostle.  Writing about Andronicus and Junia, he said:

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! Homily 31 on Romans.

Was Junia outstanding?

In most English translations of Romans 16:7, Andronicus and Junia are referred to as “outstanding among the apostles” (Greek: episēmos en tois apostolois).[8]  The ESV replaces the usual description of outstanding (Greek: episēmos) with well-known.

BDAG[9] (p378) defines episēmos (ἐπίσημος) as (1) “of exceptional quality, splendid, prominent, outstanding” and it actually quotes from Romans 16:7: “outstanding among the apostles”.  As a second, alternative definition, it says: (2) “Also in a bad sense: notorious.”[10]  It goes without saying, that Paul could in no way have been implying that Andronicus and Junia were notorious or infamous.

M. H. Brurer and D. B. Wallace[11] suggest that the phrase, episēmos en tois apostolois, can be understood and translated in two ways: that Andronicus and Junia may have been “(a) notable members of the group of the apostles; or, (b) not apostles themselves but well known among (i.e. to) the apostles.”

New Testament translators and commentators seem to have chosen one of three options when translating the phrase, episēmos en tois apostolois, into English.  (1) Those who think that Junia(s) was a man have mostly translated this phrase as “outstanding among the apostles”.   (2) Those who acknowledge that Junia was actually a woman, such as the ESV, the NET Bible, and a few others, have chosen the “softer” option and translate this phrase as “well-known to the apostles”.  (3) Others,  who also acknowledge that Junia was a woman, keep the literal translation of “outstanding among the apostles”.  This last group of translations includes the NRSV.

[See for yourself  how the translation changes when the translators think Junia is a man - Junias, or a woman - Junia, here.  Watch out for the "s"!  Also scroll down this same, linked page and read the unashamedly prejudiced Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on Romans 16:7.]

Was Junia well-known to the Apostles?

The most disturbing aspect of the ESV translation of Romans 16:7 is the fact that it completely ignores the Greek word ἐν (en) which is mostly translated as “in” or “among” in English.[12]  En is an extremely common word and is used approximately 2830 times in the New Testament.  Here are a couple of examples of Scriptures where the word en occurs:

“Our Father who is in heaven . . .” Matthew 6:9

“. . .to those among the Diaspora” James 1:1

Interestingly the American Standard Bible, arguably one of the most literal English translations, never translates en as “to” (despite the dative words or phrases which invariably follow it.)  Not once in the 2830 odd occurrences is it ever translated as “to”!

I can only think of one reason to translate this phrase as “well known to the apostles”. That reason is to obscure the fact that Junia, along with Andronicus, was actually outstanding among the apostles.

It is important to note that the Greek New Testament never states that a woman cannot be an apostle or church leader.  Moreover, in the New Testament, several women are mentioned by name who obviously were church leaders.  Sadly, some Bible commentators have persistently tried to minimise their roles.  [See my article on New Testament Women Church Leaders.]

Conclusion

In efforts to keep women out of leadership ministries, some Bible translators have been keen to soften the impact of Junia as a valid scriptural precedent of a woman in leadership.  In the past they have tried to make her a man.[13]  Now that this idea no longer has credence, some translators are trying to down-play her description as well-known among the apostles.

Was Junia a notable apostle, or was she just well-known to the apostles?  Romans 16:7 clearly and literally states that both Andronicus and Junia were outstanding, or notable, among the apostles.  However, even if it was just their reputation that was outstanding among the apostles, surely this in itself is a wonderful endorsement of their ministry.

Here is how the New Revised Standard Version translates Romans 16:7:

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)

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Endnotes

[1] The Greek word translated in the ESV as “kinsmen” (from suggenēs) in Romans 16:7 can refer to male and female relatives.  I wonder whether the ESV chose the word “kinsmen”, which sounds particularly masculine to modern readers, to obscure the fact that Junia was a woman? Surely “relative” would be an easier term to comprehend. BDAG (p950) [9] defines suggenēs (συγγενής) as: (1) “Belonging to the same extended family or clan, related, akin to” . . . (2) Belonging to the same people group, compatriot, kin .  . . “

[2] Paul obviously held Andronicus and Junia in high esteem and he sent them, and several other ministers, both men and women, his personal greetings in Romans 16. Ten women in all are mentioned in Romans chapter 16.  These women were all active in some sort of significant ministry.

[3] The people who believe that Junia(s) was a man, claim that the name found in Romans 16:7 is a contraction of the male name: Junianus. An interesting and scholarly article, somewhat defending this position, here.

[4] The masculine name, Junias, does not appear in any other Greek manuscript – religious or otherwise.  The feminine name, Junia, however found in about 250 different Greek manuscripts.

James D. G. Dunn writes:

Lampe 139–40, 147 [in his Patristic Greek Lexicon] indicates over 250 examples of “Junia,” none of Junias, as was taken for granted by the patristic commentators, and indeed up to the Middle Ages.  The assumption that it must be male is a striking indictment of male presumption regarding the character and structure of earliest Christianity. . . We may firmly conclude, however, that one of the foundation apostles of Christianity was a woman and wife.  (James D.G. Dunn, Romans 9-16, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 38B, Dallas, TX: Word, 1988, p. 894.)

John Thorley writes:

The universal view of the early fathers was that the name was Junia, and that she was a woman, and the English Authorised Version of 1611 followed this reading “Junia”, clearly a woman’s name; and in fact “Junias” became a man in English translations only in 1881 when the Revised Version was published.  Luther, however, in his German translation of 1552 had already opted for [the masculine] “den Juniam”, and continental translations have since then mostly followed this masculine interpretation. (John Thorley, “Junia, a Woman Apostle” in Novum Testamentum, Vol. 38, January, 1996, pp. 18-29.)

Wayne Grudem quotes Epiphanius who wrote that Junia became bishop of Apameia of Syria.  Epiphanius used a masculine pronoun when writing about Junia, however he also referred to Priscilla as being a man. (John Piper and Wayne Grudem, eds, Rediscovering Biblical Manhood and Womenhood, Wheaton, Il: Crossways, 1994, p79 and footnote 19, p479.)

[5] The function of being an apostle is one the church leadership gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.

And these were his [Jesus'] gifts: some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip God’s people for work in his service, to the building up of the body of Christ.  Ephesians 4:11

[6] Other apostles: Paul, Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Silas, Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12), Timothy, Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25), Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7).  Jesus is also called an apostle in Hebrews 3:1.  These people were not merely messengers.

[7] Even though the church has mostly hindered women, (instead of encouraging them in ministry), there have always been a few women who, because of their elevated social position (nobility), personal wealth, exceptional intelligence, tenacity or extraordinary gifts, have functioned as leaders.  Catherine of Sienna, Madame Guyon, Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, Countess Huntingdon, Phoebe Palmer and Dorothy L. Sayers are just a few who spring to mind.  Who knows how much the progress of the Gospel has been diminished by disallowing women to minister as equals, side by side with men?

[8] The following Bible translations use the phrase “outstanding among the apostles” or “of note among the apostles” in Romans 16:7: New International Version (1984); New American Standard Bible (1995); American Standard Bible; International Standard Version (2008); Douay Rheims Bible; Bible in Basic English; Darby Bible Translation; English Revised Version; Webster’s Bible Translation; Weymouth New Testament; Word English Bible; etc.

[9] A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition, by Walter Bauer, revised and edited by F.W Danker, University of Chicago Press, 2000.  This Lexicon is highly respected by Christian theologians.  It is known as BDAG for short; an acronym of surnames of the four editors who have worked on it: Bauer, Danker, Arndt and Gingrich.  [I have quoted from BDAG faithfully and objectively.]

[10] Episēmos is used only one other time in the New Testament, in Matthew 27:16, in reference to Barabas, who certainly qualifies as being notorious!

[11] M. H. Brurer and D. B. Wallace, “Was Junia Really an Apostle? A Re-examination of Romans 16:7″ in New Testament Studies, CUP, Vol 47, Number 1, January, 2001, pp 76-91.  A version of this paper is available here.

[12] En is always followed by a dative word or phrase.  En is commonly translated as “in” or “among”.  It can also be translated as “on”, “at”, “by”, “with” or “when” but usually not “to”.

[13] Junia’s name was masculinised during the 13th century by an unknown manuscript copyist. (All Greek manuscripts copied before the 1200s have the feminine name, Junia.)  The female name, Junia, was used in the Tyndale and King James Bible.  Later English translations used the masculine name, Junias, until recently.  [N.B. The highlighted scriptures texts on this page that have the masculine  "Junias".]

“. . . the earliest commentator on Romans 16:7, Origen of Alexandria (c.185-255), took the name Junia to be feminine, as did Jerome (c.340-c.420), Hatto of Vercelli (924-961), Theophylact (c.1050-c.1108), and Peter Abelard (1079-1142). In fact no commentator on the text until Aegidus of Rome (1245-1316) took the name to be masculine.”  (Leonard Swidler, Biblical Affirmations of Women, Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1979.)

© 1st of April, 2010; Margaret Mowczko

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Tags: apostle, Bible women, Biblical equality, can a woman be a pastor, Chrysostom, ESV, gender roles, Junia, New Testament Women, Paul and Women, Romans 16:7, women in ministry debate, Women in the early church

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 11:41 am and is filed under Equality and Gender Issues, Equality in Ministry, Women in Ministry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.