Was Junia a woman and an apostle?

[Nathan_s_King]

Garry Wills in “Papal sin” (page 115) claims that one of Jesus’s apostles was a woman: Junia of Romans 16:7: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners; they are prominent among the apostles and they were in Christ before me.” This is intended some to show that women could be priests and/or bishops.

The footnote in my NAB says “The name Junia is a woman’s name. Once ancient Greek manuscript and a number of ancient versions read the name “Julia.” Most editors have interpreted it as a man’s name, Junias.”

Garry Wills book “Papal Sin” claims, “By the ninth century, it shocked misogynist-conditoned Christians that Junia, a woman, was called an apostle - so they marked a different accent on the word to change her into a man, Junias, though that name is attested nowhere else.”

Garry Wills has a bad habit of distorting or getting wrong a lot of things in the Church. What is he leaving out this time? What’s the scoop on this issue?

Thanks.

 

[RyanL]

There were no women Apostles. Period. Jesus personally called twelve men to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. When you throw in a thirteenth, you lose the symbolism.

Was there a subsequent female apostle, the likes of Paul but female? No. No such creature is talked about by any of the ECF. In fact, they unanimously state that bishops (successors of the apostles) are to be men. In fact, even Paul says as much in his description on the qualifications of a bishop in the bible. If women were allowed and he knew one, don’t you think he would have mentioned that as an exception in the qualifications?

This is feminist silliness with some conspiracy thrown in.

If Jesus wanted to make a woman priest, what better woman would there have been than the Blessed Mother? She was sinless! She was holy! Her personal dignity exceeds that of *all *mere creatures! Why not her? Because that is not the role of a woman. Men and women are equal in dignity - completely equal. Here’s the punchline: WE ARE DIFFERENT! Different qualities, different physically, different psychologically. Equal in dignity, but different.

Humbly,
RyanL