The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia

by Rena Pederson

Book Overview

In The Lost Apostle award-winning journalist Rena Pederson investigates a little known subject in early Christian history--the life and times of the female apostle Junia. Junia was an early convert... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787984434
• ISBN13: 9780787984434
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Cultural World of the Prophets

I teach a scripture class and incorporate the information in my commentary on the weekly reading and the class loves it. I have found that it is new material for them and helps them to better understand the reading.

The Lost Apostle

This book changed how I look at the priesthood. It shows the leadership roles women played in the early church and how the history of their involvement was lost over the years. It is a wonderful read for women of faith!

female apostle of early church

I loved this book. It was easy to read and I liked the way the author used her investigative journalist skills to find out more about the role of women in the very early church. Her bibliography is extensive. This book is good for women who don't have much bible study experience and who can be affirmed about the role of women in spreading the Gospel.

Well written

Pederson claims that the impetus for her book, The Lost Apostle, was to highlight an "invisible woman" who was written out of the pages of history, yet in less than 20 pages we learn that there are books on the subject and dozens of authoritative sources with facts and figures who are more than willing to talk about the missing Junia. One has to wonder then, what is the purpose of the book if there is already a sizable literature devoted to Junia. Actually, the title of the book and the opening paragraphs are somewhat deceiving. Only a small part of the book is about Junia. The bulk of the book is about female issues in general, and goes on to discuss Mary Magdalene, Thecla, Priscilla, etc. Then, right in the middle of the book, there is a mini novel about the Templars. All very interesting and well written, although not exactly germane to Junia (there is an ever so slight relationship because the 13th Century Bishop who translated Junia as a masculine name helped another Bishop who later, when he became Pope, conspired with the King of France to bring down the Templars). Pederson's background as a newspaper reporter creates a problem when it comes to a scholarly text. Apparently she believes that scholarship involves counting up who is for or against a position and then making a summary judgment. For example, she tells us whom she interviewed who believed that Junia was an esteemed apostle, and who believes she was known to the apostles, but not an apostle herself (page 39). In this case, there are two for "no" and five for "yes". While this is useful to a point, science (or scholarship) should not be reduced to a sums game. Pederson also has the annoying habit of quoting from telephone conversations she's had with various scholars, rather than referencing their scholarly works. Of course it's easier to call someone on a Saturday afternoon and get a quick sound bite, rather than spending endless hours pouring over their books. Then there's the mistakes. By relying on phone conversations for the bulk of her research, Pederson is prone to errors. Here's a few: - "We know she [ Mary Magdalene] came from the town of Magdala... (p. 50)." Actually we don't know any such thing. There was no town called Magdala at that time. Some scholars also make this mistake. Refer to the works of Margaret Starbird for a proper understanding. - "She [Mary Magdalene] first appears on the biblical scene in Capernaum... She has apparently heard of Jesus' healing powers and has come for help...(p. 50)." Actually, no. We never hear of Mary Magdalene in Capernaum. She is in Bethany and she is in Jerusalem, and she is said to follow Jesus from Galilee, but that's the extent of our knowledge of Mary. She never appears in Capernaum. - "The Gospels place her at the crucifixion, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John, the beloved disciple (p. 50)." Actually, no. The Gospel of John is the only gospel that has the "beloved disciple" at the crucifixion, and it is

Fascinating and Highly Readable

The Lost Apostle is fascinating and highly readable. It is a historical detective story -a search for the apostle Junia, whose story was lost because her name was changed in church literature to make her appear to be a man. Junia in fact was an apostle of high regard mentioned by Paul in his letters Pederson finds in the person of Junia, the role model provided by the early church for today's women. The tragedy is, of course, that Junia's identity became obscured as responsibility for transcribing and editing the Bible moved through the generations, and generations of women were deprived of her positive image of women in the church. Pederson also brings to life a dynamic early church, where both men and women both held leadership roles. I think everyone should read this book, but women in particular would benefit from its relevance today to their current issues in the church. It also puts into context the discrimination against women in the church over the centuries. I was especially impressed with the breadth and depth and credibility of the sources used in researching this book. This is not only a wonderful read for the casual reader, it is also an excellent addition to the growing literature on early church history.