Junia: The First Woman Apostle (2005 Epp), novel

Junia: The First Woman Apostle is a novel by Eldon Jay Epp.

Abstract

"The name 'Junia' appears in Romans 16:7, and Paul identifies her (along with Andronicus) as 'prominent among the apostles.' In this important work, Epp investigates the mysterious disappearance of Junia from the traditions of the church. Because later theologians and scribes could not believe (or wanted to suppress) that Paul had numbered a woman among the earliest churches' apostles, Junia's name was changed in Romans to a masculine form. Despite the fact that the earliest churches met in homes and that other women were clearly leaders in the churches (e.g., Prisca and Lydia), calling Junia an apostle seemed too much for the tradition. Epp tracks how this happened in New Testament manuscripts, scribal traditions, and translations of the Bible. In this thoroughgoing study, Epp restores Junia to her rightful place."--Publisher description.

Editions

Published in Minneapolis, MN : Fortress, 2005.

Contents

Textual criticism and exegesis -- Variant readings in passages concerning gender issues -- The lexical form and introductory matters -- Junia in early Christian writers--and beyond -- The contracted-name theory -- Junia/Junias in current Greek New Testaments -- Junia/Junias in past editions of Nestle, Nestle-Aland, and UBS -- The accentuation of Iounian in reference works--and the attendant cultural bias -- Junia/Junias in Greek New Testaments and their influence on exegesis -- Junia/Junias in English translations -- Andronicus and Junia as "outstanding among the apostles" -- Conclusion: there was an apostle Junia.