Junias and Junia in Early Commentaries of Romans 16:7
Here is a list of over a dozen early and medieval scholars who took Junia’s name in Romans 16:7 to be feminine. Junia was a woman and not Junias, a man.
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Category: Equality in Ministry
4 obscure OT passages sometimes used to diminish women
In this article, I look at four passages from the Hebrew Bible: Leviticus 27, Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 7:28 and Isaiah 3:12. These verses are sometimes brought up in comments that diminish women.
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3 reasons why it’s a woman, not all women, in 1 Timothy 2:12
Here are 3 reasons why I believe 1 Timothy 2:12 may be about a particular couple in the Ephesian church and does not contain Paul’s general thoughts on women in ministry.
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Partnering Together: Paul’s Female Coworkers
Paul included women, as well as men, as ministry partners. And he used the same ministry terms for his male and female co-workers. None of Paul’s statements, when understood in context, restricts the ministry of godly and gifted women.
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1 Corinthians 16:16: A submission verse that applies to women
In 1 Corinthians 16:16, Paul tells the Corinthians to submit themselves to coworkers and labourers. Paul refers to several women by these ministry terms.
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What Timothy knew about Paul’s theology of ministry, and 1 Timothy 2:12
Timothy saw firsthand how Paul handled ministry and he must have heard the apostle speak and teach on ministry countless times. So, it doesn’t make sense that 1 Timothy 2:12ff represents Paul’s general teaching on women in ministry that Timothy needed to be told. It makes more sense that 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is Paul’s advice about a specific, local situation and even a specific couple.
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“Must manage his own household well” (1 Timothy 3:4-5)
I was recently asked if 1 Timothy 3:4a (“managing his own household well”) is a command that shows men, and not women, are to rule or lead their households. Here’s my response.
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Junia: The Jewish Woman who was Imprisoned with Paul
This article looks at Junia, a Christian missionary mentioned in Romans 16:7 who was persecuted for her faith and may have known Jesus personally. Was she also known as Joanna?
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Paul on Gender Roles in Ministry and Marriage
A few verses in Paul’s letters are frequently cited by Christians who exclude women from some ministries. Did Paul really restrict women in either ministry or marriage? This is part 3 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
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Jesus on Gender Roles and Gendered Activities
Does Jesus give instructions about gender roles as complementarians understand them? What does Jesus teach and say to women in the Gospels? This is part 2 in a series of gender roles in the Bible.
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The authority of police officers, ship’s captains, and men
In this short post, I respond to a reader’s question about how the authority of police officers is used as an analogy by some complementarians to support male-only authority in the church.
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Lydia of Thyatira: The founding member of the Philippian Church
Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14ff), and women like her, were vital and strategic players at the forefront of the expanding Christian mission.
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