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"Thanks to Rena Pederson for
digging into The Case of the Missing Apostle like a good police
reporter. Junia the apostle was one of the first victims of identity
theft. Restoring her name is a service to women everywhere."
- Linda Ellerbee,
award-winning television producer, journalist and best-selling
author
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In the New Testament book of Romans (16:7), the apostle Paul says
"Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives, who have been in prison
with me. They are outstanding among the apostles and they were in
Christ before I was." In this same chapter, he mentions a number of
other women as well -- Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa,
Persis, Julia. Paul held all of these women of the early church, it
appears, in high esteem. How does this fact fit with Paul's other
teachings on the subordination of women? Was there a disconnect
between teachings attributed to Paul and his actual practice? What
roles did women play in the early church? What are the implications
for Christians today?Based on
extensive research, international travel, as well as discussions and
correspondence with top historians and biblical experts, Rena
Pederson has pieced together a story not just of Junia but also of
women of the early church -- women like Prisca, Nympha, Thecla, Mary
of Magdala -- and given us new insights on scripture, history, and
the life of the first Christians. We can use those insights to make
a stronger church today, one that truly and fully calls upon the
gifts and abilities of women and men. |
