Who Was Junia?
“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.” Romans 16:7(NIV)
A woman named Junia was an apostle? Really?
You might think, “A female apostle in the New Testament? I’ve never heard of her!” And you’d be right to wonder. Junia’s story has been buried for centuries. Explore the passage in Romans for yourself, but be aware that what you discover depends on the translation. Older, more traditional Bibles use the name “Junias,” a mistranslation first introduced by Martin Luther in 1534. He opposed women in leadership roles, leading him to change “Junia” to a male name. Extensive research has demonstrated that “Junias” was never used as a name in the ancient world. In addition, the early church fathers (some of the first readers of Paul’s letter to the Romans) recognized that Junia was a woman and praised her as a gifted apostle. For a number of other reasons, it has been confirmed that the correct translation is “Junia” and that Paul did describe her as an outstanding apostle in his letter to the Romans. Most recent scholarly Bible translations have corrected Martin Luther’s misrepresentation.
What do we know about Junia?
From Romans 16:7 we learn several things about Junia:
- She was Jewish
- She became a Christian before Paul
- She was a prominent apostle
- She was in prison with Paul
- She was involved in the Christian community in Rome long before Paul (or Peter) arrived in the Eternal City
Similar to other members of the early Jesus movement, Junia and Paul were Jewish and followed the ancient traditions of the people of Israel. The term “Christians” was not introduced until several decades after Jesus’ death. Over time, non-Jews began to be accepted into the new faith.
When Paul wrote Junia was “in Christ before I was,” he meant Junia believed Jesus was the Messiah before Paul reached the same conclusion on the road to Damascus. His vision of Jesus occurred around 34 C.E., shortly after Jesus had died. Thus, Junia would have been part of the group of disciples in Jerusalem waiting for the Messiah’s return. She may have even traveled with Jesus earlier in his mission. We don’t know when Junia received the title of “apostle,” nor do we know when and where she was imprisoned alongside Paul.
It is common to believe that Peter established the church in Rome, but the New Testament does not mention Peter ever traveling to Rome. The context of Paul’s letter to the Romans, written in 57 or 58 CE, suggests that Junia was not only present in Rome before him but also held a prominent position within the early Christian community.
Are Junia and Joanna the same person?
Many Jews in the Roman world adopted Latin names similar to their given Hebrew or Greek names. Some scholars contend that the biblical character Joanna, mentioned in Luke 8:2, likely chose a Latin name as a member of Herod Antipas’ court. She probably used both names in different contexts. In my historical novel, I follow the suggestion that Junia and Joanna are the same individual.
What do we know about Joanna?
“The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene…and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.” Luke 8:2
From this passage we learn several things about Joanna:
- She was a noblewoman in Herod Antipas’ court, married to the tetrarch’s right-hand man
- She was wealthy enough to help finance Jesus’ mission
In Luke 23:49 – 24:10, we learn more about Joanna. She journeyed with Jesus throughout Galilee and witnessed the crucifixion and the resurrection. Along with several women who witnessed these events, she rushed to the other disciples to tell them what she’d seen.
Given all this information, Junia: The Forgotten Apostle follows the trajectory of her life, from her marriage to a royal courtier, her demonic possession, and healing, her missionary activities with Jesus, and her witness of his death and resurrection. With the title “apostle,” she spreads Jesus’ teachings, travels with Paul, spends time in prison with him, and finds herself a leader in the Roman Christian community. Along the way, she faces persecution both from the outside world and within her own community of believers.
For more information
To prepare for writing Junia, I read widely about the biblical figure. A quick search online about “Junia, the apostle” will bring up a lot of accurate and well-researched material and material that uses deceptive scholarship to argue that Junia wasn’t a woman, or that she wasn’t an apostle. I highly recommend reading Brant Clements’ six-part series debunking these arguments. Each section of the series is fairly short and to the point.
Here’s a select bibliography if you want to take a deeper dive into the subject of Junia.
Bauckham, Richard – Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)
Brooten, Bernadette J. – “Junia… Outstanding among the Apostles’ (Romans 16:7).” in Women Priests: A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration, ed. L.S. and A. Swindler. (New York: Paulist, 1977) 141-44.
Brooten, Bernadette J. – “Junia” in Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, Meyers, Carol, Toni Craven and Ross S. Kraemer, eds. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000)
Epp, Eldon Jay – Junia: The First Woman Apostle (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005)
Fiorenza, E. Shussler – “Missionaries, Apostles, Cowokers: Romans 16 and the Reconstruction of Women’s Early Christian History,” Word and World [St. Paul, Minn.] 6, 4 (1986): 420-33.
Pederson, Rena – The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth About Junia (Jossey-Bass, 2006)
Thorley, John – “Junia, a Woman Apostle.” Novum Testamentum 38 (1996): 18–29.
Witherington III, Ben – “Joanna: Apostle of the Lord—or Jailbait?” Bible Review, Spring 2005
Witherington III, Ben – “On the Road with Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and Other Disciples– Luke 8:1-3,” in A Feminist Companion to Luke. Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings 3. Amy-Jill Levine and Marianne Blickenstaff, eds. (London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002).
