Bible Seminar | Rev. Prof. Joas Adiprasetya, Th. D

 Romans 16:7 TB (1974):

“Greet Andronicus and Yunias, my fellow countrymen, who were imprisoned with me, who were honorable among the apostles and had become Christians before me.”

Rome 16:7 TB2 (2023):

“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen, who were imprisoned with me. They were honorable men among the apostles and had walked in Christ before me.

This verse is contentious, especially on two counts. First, was Yunia a woman or a man? Secondly, did she really belong to the apostolic circle? In the New Testament, the term apostolos (ἀπόστολος) refers to the "sent one." However, in the context of formal apostleship, as seen in Acts 1:21–22, there is a specific criterion: an apostle is an eyewitness of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Although Paul did not meet this criterion literally, he was still recognized as an apostle because of his experience of receiving a special vision from Christ during the Damascus trip (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:8 & 9). Outside of the twelve apostles and Paul, we find Apollos, Barnabas, James the brother of Jesus, and Andronicus along with Jonias or Junia as figures who are also called apostles.

Who is Junia(s)?

The Greek name Ἰουνιαν (Iounian) in this verse appears in the accusative singular, which could grammatically refer to the feminine form Ἰουνίαν (Iounían, Yunia) as well as the masculine Ἰουνιᾶν (Iouniân, Yunias). However, since the earliest Greek texts did not use accentuation, this question cannot be resolved solely through early manuscripts. When the accentuation system was introduced, the oldest manuscripts such as the Westcott-Hort and Tischendorf editions consistently chose the feminine form. Masculine accentuation only began to appear in modern editions, such as the 1927 Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle) and the UBS (United Bible Societies) edition of The Greek New Testament, marking a change in interpretation that may have been influenced by the patriarchal social and cultural context. Philologically and historically, studies by Bruce Metzger and Eldon Jay Epp show that "Yunia" was a very common female Latin name in the Roman Empire, appearing more than 250 times in Greek and Latin inscriptions, while "Yunias" as a male name is nowhere to be found. As such, it is far more likely that this figure was a woman.

Looking “among” or “to” the Apostles?

The key phrases in Romans 16:7 are:

ἐπίσημοι ἐντοῖς ἀποστόλοις (episēmoi en tois apostolois)

 

In linguistic analysis:

ἐπίσημοι (episēmoi) comes from epi (above) and sēma (sign) meaning "to bear the sign of" or "to have a sign of".

ἐντοῖςἀποστόλοις the use of the word ἐν (en) accompanied by a plural dative (tois apostolois) always means inclusive "among" and never exclusive "by".

 

Thus, the translation “honored among the apostles” (TB-LAI, TB2-LAI, NRSV) is more accurate than “honored for the apostles” (NET, ESV). This shows that Yunia was not only respected by the apostles, but was included in the apostolic community itself.

Traditions

The traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church hold interesting stories about Andronicus and Junia. It is said that Andronicus was ordained a bishop in Pannonia and together with Junia preached the Gospel in the region. They are both believed to have closed many idolatrous temples, led many people to Christ, and were endowed with the power to perform miracles such as casting out demons and healing the sick. In the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Oriental Orthodox traditions, these two figures are honored as saints and commemorated every May 17 as the day of Saint Andronicus and Saint Junia.

 

The majority of Church Fathers, such as John Chrysostom, regarded Junia as both a woman and an apostle. Chrysostom wrote with admiration, “ Then another praise besides. Who was noticed among the apostles. And indeed to be an apostle is truly a marvelous thing. But to be one of the notables, just consider what a great compliment this is! But they are famous for their works, their achievements. Oh! How great was the devotion (φιλοσοφία) of this woman, that she was even considered worthy of the title apostle! But even here he [Paul] does not stop, but adds another compliment besides, saying, ‘Who also was in Christ before me.’” An exception is Origenes, who in some of his writings seems to be ambiguous. But most obviously Epiphanius of Salamis (310 –403) in his Index Discipulorum refers to Junia as a man and even claims that Junia served as bishop of Apamea. However, the accuracy of Epiphanius' writing is questioned by many scholars, considering that he also recorded Priscilla, who is explicitly referred to as a woman in Acts 18:2, as a man. This inconsistency weakens his credibility as a historical source on the issue of Junia's gender identity. In this context, Mr. Hortensius Mandaru, SSL, translator of the Indonesian Bible Institute, stated that Yunia's case is a clear example of patriarchal bias in translation history.

 

The rediscovery of Yunia is not an attempt at feminist revisionism, but rather a historical reconstruction that frees the church from reading too little into the text. According to Rena Pederson, "Yunia is not a new discovery of the feminist agenda. She is a forgotten historical figure, now rediscovered." Through philological evidence, historical tradition, and a fair theological understanding of the text, Yunia stands firm as the only female apostle recognized by Paul in the Bible. By recognizing Yunia as a female apostle, we see the radical inclusivity of the early church.

 

Thus, the recognition of Junia's apostleship not only strengthens the history of the early church, but also enriches our understanding of the role of women in ministry and ecclesial leadership today. A strong church is one that is fair in its reading of the Bible, free from patriarchal bias, and brave enough to recognize the truth even in a single verse.