The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth About Junia

289 Pages·2006·2.68 MB·English

by  Rena Pederson

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THE
LOST
APOSTLE
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THE
LOST
APOSTLE
i
Searching for the Truth
About Junia
Rena Pederson
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Copyright © 2006 by Rena Pederson.All rights reserved.
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Credits are on page 280.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pederson,Rena.
The lost apostle :searching for the truth about Junia / Rena Pederson.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-0-7879-8443-4 (cloth)
ISBN-10:0-7879-8443-4 (cloth)
1. Junia (Biblical figure) 2. Apostles.3. Christian saints. I.Title.
BS2460.J88P43 2006
227’.1092—dc22 2006017998
Printed in the United States of America
FIRSTEDITION
HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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i
c o n t e n t s
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: The Search Begins 1
1 Cherchez la Femme 7
2 Who Was in the Apostle Club? 27
3 Was the “Lady in Red”an Apostle? 47
4 What About Thecla? 61
5 A Woman of Her Times 77
6 What Was in Paul’s Letter? 111
7 How Did Junia Get Lost? 127
8 Which Bible Can You Believe? 153
9 The Saints We Left Behind 177
10 Finding Junia 203
Discussion Questions 219
Notes 227
Bibliography 257
The Author 263
Index 265
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To my parents,Rudy and Doris Pederson,
who shared their faith with seven children.
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i
ac k n ow l e d g m e n t s
Special thanks go to the scholars who so generously shared their time and
expertise with me:
Jean-Noel Alletti,dean of faculty,professor of New Testament exegesis,
Pontifico Instituto Biblico,Rome,Italy
John Barnett,associate professor of New Testament,St.Vladimir
Orthodox Theological Seminary,Crestwood,New York
Jouette Bassler,professor of New Testament,Southern Methodist
University,Dallas,Texas
Darrell Bock,research professor of New Testament studies,Dallas
Theological Seminary,Dallas,Texas
Bernadette Brooten,professor of Christian studies,Brandeis University,
Boston,Massachusetts
Thomas H.Carpenter,Charles J.Ping Professor of Humanities and
professor of classics,Ohio University,Athens,Ohio
Mary Rose D’Angelo,associate professor of theology,University of
Notre Dame,Notre Dame,Indiana
Bart Ehrman,chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,North Carolina
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: acknowledgments :
Eldon J.Epp,Harkness Professor of Biblical Literature,emeritus,and
dean of humanities and social science,emeritus,Case Western
Reserve University,Cleveland,Ohio
Dr.Kyriaki Karodoyanes Fitzgerald,Orthodox scholar and author,
Sandwich,Massachusetts
William Frank,director of the University of Dallas program in Rome,
Italy
Karen King,professor of ecclesiastical history,Harvard University,
Cambridge,Massachusetts
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge,assistant professor of New Testament,
Episcopal Theology School of the Southwest,Austin,Texas
Peter Lampe,professor of New Testament,University of Heidelberg,
Germany
Amy-Jill Levine,professor of New Testament studies,Vanderbilt
University,Nashville,Tennessee
John Anthony McGuckin,professor of early church history,Union
Theological Seminary,New York,New York
Wayne Meeks,Woolsey Professor of Biblical Studies,emeritus,
Department of Religious Studies at Yale University,New Haven,
Connecticut
Carolyn Osiek,professor of New Testament at Brite Divinity School,
Texas Christian University,Fort Worth,Texas
Elaine Pagels,Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at
Princeton University,Princeton,New Jersey
Paige Patterson,president,Southwestern Theological Seminary,
Fort Worth,Texas
Barbara Reid,professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union,
Chicago,Illinois
Gail Thomas,founder,Dallas Institute of Humanities,Dallas,Texas
Karen Jo Torjeson,dean of Claremont Graduate University’s School of
Religion,Claremont,California
David Dawson Vasquez,director of Rome programs for Catholic
University of America and DePaul University
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Acknowledgments
L.Michael White,professor of classics and Christian origins,University
of Texas at Austin
N.T.Wright,Bishop of Durham,England
A very special thanks to my brother,Michael Weldon White,profes-
sor of English at Odessa College, who helped with every chapter while
carrying a full teaching load.And much thanks to George McLaughlin,for-
mer chancellor of Lamar University, the Rev. Susan Barnes, the Rev.
Katherine Lyle, and the Rev. Pam Theodore, who generously read many
chapters and made many thoughtful suggestions.
I am also grateful to
Debi Moses and the women of Lovers Lane Methodist Church,and to
Dana Harkey and the women of Highland Park United Methodist
Church,who helped me “road test”my first drafts
Deedie Leahy and Chuck Cox,for making connections
Nathan Wood for thoughtful research help.
Other faithful friends who helped read chapters:
J.D.Mason,Ann Simmons,Len Bourland,Libby Norwood,and
Ann Carruth
Terry C.Peet,a former librarian at the Library of Congress,for finding
Orthodox Church sources
Darren Moore,for the special map of Junia’s world
Laura Flusche,director of the Institute of Design and Culture in Rome,
and Renaissance scholar Carolyn Vallone in Rome,for all manner of
assistance and good cheer
William and Therese Frank,for warm hospitality in Rome
My bosses,Randy Best and Mike Moses,for their faithful support
My sons,Grant and Greg,for sharing our home with Junia.
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