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Who and What is Junia?
Romans 16:7 contains the only mention of Junia (NIV, CSB) or Junias (NASB, ESV). For someone mentioned only once, there is no shortage of controversy over this person.
Male or Female? If the latter spelling is correct then this person is male. Most translations use the former female spelling which is better supported by the Greek having a feminine ending. If female, she is probably the wife of Andronicus.
Then you have the phrase “episemoi en the apostles”. There are two ways of understanding this phrase. According to the NET Notes, the translation could be comparative (outstanding among) or elative (well-known to). Due to the dative and other considerations, most agree it is the latter – Junia is “well known to” the apostles.
But what if the former is correct and Junia is an “apostle”? Since the Greek can possibly, but not probably, mean that; then we need to look at the word “apostle”. There is the specific or specialized meaning such as the 12 apostles and later Paul. There is also the general meaning such as found in John 13:16, 2 Corinthians 8:23, Philippians 2:25, in which the meaning is “one sent” or “messenger”. This would be comparable to how the Greek angelos is used specifically of “angel” or more generally of “messenger” (Matthew 1:10; Like 9:52, etc.). Churches “sent out” “apostles” that is, messengers as in Acts 13:3. Today the comparative word is “missionary” which means “one sent” but is derived from Latin and not Greek. When churches send out a husband and wife team today to evangelize (Acts 8:1-4), the couple are “apostles” or missionaries. Other occasions where the general use is possible is Barnabas being sent out (apoluo) by a church in Acts 13:3 and is called an “apostle” (Acts 14:14).
In conclusion, there is more evidence against Junia being an apostle equal in position to Paul and the 12. If there were many apostles after the original 12, then Paul could hardly say he was “born out of season”. That does not mean there were not others, because James the brother of Jesus is also called an apostle and the context suggests the term is used in the specialized manner (Galatians 1:9) and that James was equal to Paul and Cephas or Peter. There is more evidence that Junia was an active, and respected worker in the kingdom. She was considered outstanding to or well-known among the remaining apostles of Paul’s day. What we can learn from this is women are to be respected equally as men and acknowledged for their work and that women are to be busy in the kingdom.
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