The Bible, the Church, and Spirituality
Christians have been explaining away the uncomfortable truth of female leadership in the Scriptures for centuries. Deborah (Judges 4:4) was only leading Israel because “there were no worthy men available.” Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) was just a “helper” and “servant,” not a “patron” and “deacon.” The female pastor whom John writes to in 2 John […] Read more…
by Bridget Jack Jeffries, PhD Student (Church History), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Jump to Series Index) If you’ve ever read a serious article on the apostle Junia, you’ve read the following quote from John Chrysostom of Constantinople (c. AD 349 – 407), which says: “’Greet Andronicus and Junia . . . distinguished among the apostles.’ […] Read more…
by Bridget Jack Jeffries, PhD Student (Church History), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Jump to Series Index) Miscellaneous hierarchist (complementarian / Christian male headship) Web sites, blogs, and articles will number Origen among the patristic witnesses who said Junia was a man. For just one example, see this 2007 article by Dr. David W. Jones of […] Read more…
by Bridget Jack Jeffries, PhD Student (Church History), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School [UPDATE 12-17-2023: I no longer believe Origen wrote these comments below on Junia. They are instead the work of Rufinus of Aquileia (AD 340–410), and I will explain why this is most likely the case in a forthcoming article. In the meantime, I […] Read more…
by Bridget Jack Jeffries, PhD Student (Church History), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Jump to Series Index) Junia is a first-century woman mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:7. Paul includes her on a long list of greetings to local Christians in Rome: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison […] Read more…
(Jump to Series Index) One would not expect a conflagration of controversy from the ending of Paul’s epistle to the Romans. The sixteenth chapter lacks the robust theology expounded on in earlier chapters, instead containing a seemingly innocuous list of salutations to local Christians at the church in Rome. Yet controversy is exactly what the […] Read more…
(2022 UPDATE: This 2017 article represents peak pre-doctoral, “sarcasm is my spiritual gift” Bridget. I’m far more polite and charitable about disagreements these days, but I’ve decided to leave this post up. Some people on the Internet still need to hear that the arguments they’re using re: Junia are very, very bad. I also think […] Read more…
