- published: 30 Oct 2015
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Junia or Junias was a 1st century Christian highly regarded and complimented by the apostle Paul:
Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
— Romans 16:7 Authorized Version
(other versions: Romans 16:7)
Paul describes Junia (and Andronicus) as kinsmen, fellow prisoners, and as being "in Christ" before Paul's dramatic Damascus road conversion. The phrase, "of note among the apostles," (KJV, Douay, Darby, ERV, YLT, KJ21, NKJV, AKJV) leads many to the conclusion that she is the only woman apostle mentioned in the New Testament. It is assumed by some that Andronicus of Pannonia (Greek: Ανδρόνικος) was her husband. Both her gender and her apostleship are subjects of considerable debate. Understandably, this verse has received and continues to draw a great deal of attention in scholarly literature.
The identification of Junia in Romans 16:7 has been a familiar problem in biblical interpretation. Most studies, however, are preoccupied with the gender of the name, assuming that Junia's apostolic status is not in doubt. Burer and Wallace propose that the converse is true. They agree that Junia was a woman. However, they assert that the correct rendition of the Greek text places her as well known to the apostles rather than prominent among the apostles. That translation would indicate that the pair were not apostles, but that they enjoyed a high reputation among the apostles.