From Genesis To Junia – Preston Sprinkle

Their work is never distinguished. Whatever they did, they did it together. As with Phoebe, I think sound exegesis suggests that Priscilla was a recognized early church leader. But—and I hope you don’t get sick of me saying this—I want to hold off making definitive claims about women’s church leadership until I’ve considered everything Paul has to say on the issue. Junia the Apostle? The last woman we’ll discuss in this chapter is Junia, who’s listed alongside a man named Andronicus (probably her husband) in Romans 16:7.

Paul writes: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among [or to] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. There are three main interpretive issues in the discussion surrounding Junia: (1) whether Junia (or Junias) is even a woman, (2) whether she is called an “apostle,” and (3) if Junia is an apostle, what kind of apostle?

The scholarly literature devoted to these three questions is legion. When I turned my attention to researching Junia, I thought I’d just read a few commentaries and articles to help me figure out if she was a leader. I didn’t think I’d have to devote weeks of study to comb through dozens of tedious books and articles, examining parallel phrases in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. It took Matt Hamilton forty-five pages to summarize all the literature devoted to Junia, and his survey spanned only twelve years (2010–2022)!

50 Wrestling with Romans 16:7 became one of the most arduous tasks in my journey through this debate. I’ll share my findings as concisely as I can, but I have to warn you, there’s no way to do justice to the issue without discussing nitty- gritty issues of Greek grammar and ancient inscriptions. Fortunately, our first interpretive issue won’t take long.

Even though some late manuscripts write her name as “Junias” (which would be a man’s name in Greek), it’s now all but settled among scholars that her real name was the female “Junia.” 51 A few people will always argue otherwise, but almost everyone— complementarians and egalitarians alike—now agrees that Junia was a woman. 52 The second issue is way more complicated and extremely technical. Scholars disagree over whether Paul calls Junia an apostle. His phrase “outstanding among/to the apostles” (episēmoi en tois apostolois) could mean that Junia was an apostle or simply that she was outstanding in the eyes of the apostles.

It all rests on how we interpret the Greek word episēmoi (“outstanding”) alongside the phrase en tois apostolois (“among/to the apostles”). Up until 2001, most scholars interpreted the phrase to mean “among the apostles,” meaning that Junia was an apostle.

“From Genesis to Junia is one of the most compelling, encouraging, and comprehensive books I’ve read regarding what the Bible really says about women in leadership. And Preston’s thorough biblical scholarship is well balanced by his approachable humility, which makes this material read like genuinely inviting dialogue as opposed to an agenda-driven diatribe. I’ll be buying this book by the case to give to friends as well as to intentionally leave behind on planes, in restaurants, and in pastor’s offices I’m invited to visit while on the road!”

Lisa Harper, bestselling author, Bible teacher, and host of the Back Porch Theology podcast “Few recent Christian books on gender roles in home and ministry have done the tough, needed work on all the key biblical texts and themes to come to their conclusions. Preston Sprinkle has done his homework in this area, and whether one agrees with every view he articulates, his careful and detailed handling of Scripture is exemplary.

Gracious in tone and measured in his exegesis. A model for us all.” Craig L. Blomberg, PhD, distinguished professor emeritus of New Testament at Denver Seminary, author of Jesus the Purifier and The Historical Reliability of the New Testament “Preston Sprinkle learned his faith in contexts where women were not invited into roles of leadership.

Most would feel comfortable staying within the boundaries of those familiar spaces. But, as is characteristic of Preston, his love for Scripture, the church, and the individual believer has driven him further. Inviting ‘egalitarians’ and ‘complementarians’ to the table, Sprinkle engages a difficult topic with grace and a high view of Scripture. As his training predicts, his primary contributions are on the New Testament side of things.

But what is best about this book is Preston’s unique ability to keep everyone at the table until the conversation is finished. What does he decide? I guess you will need to join the conversation to find out!” Sandra L. Richter, Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies, Westmont College “From Genesis to Junia represents the culmination of Preston Sprinkle’s years-long search to understand what the Bible says about women in leadership. Having engaged in wide-ranging public and private dialogue, his book offers both rigorous scholarship and pastoral wisdom.

I highly recommend this book—it will enrich and deepen your understanding, wherever you stand on this important debate.” Gerry Breshears, PhD, professor of theology, Western Seminary, Portland “From Genesis to Junia is a unique and refreshing take on women in leadership.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 90e4f1e301522fd5
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 7,274,838 bytes (6.938 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9780830785803, 9780830785810
• Pages: 266
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 432.54 minutes
• Total Words: 86,508
• Total Characters: 524,809
• Average Words per Page: 325.22
• Average Characters per Page: 1972.97

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