The Woman Buried Under the Words
Here’s a link to a paper I wrote that’s currently featured on Mars Hill Graduate School’s site for student and faculty writings. I can’t vouch too much for the the writing quality, but I can confidently say the topic is pretty amazing. Do you know about Junia, the first (mentioned) female apostle? If not, this is a pretty decent intro to her and the controversy surrounding how her name disappeared from English Bible translations. The whole story is still pretty unbelievable to me, even two years after writing this. An interesting activity after you read it is to check whatever Bible translations you use, see when or by whom they were published, then look at Romans 16:7 to see whether they mention “Junia” or “Junias”. I’d love to know what you find.
1 | Mack
January 26th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I am reading your paper right now, and wanted to tell you that the New Living Translation says JUNIA. Yeah!
2 | Mack
January 26th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
What Bible translation do you use? I sometimes read NIV or the Message but they both said Junias – boo. I just found the NLT a few weeks ago and have been using it ever since. I don’t know what’s different about it, but I like it so far.
3 | Kj
January 27th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I was surprised when doing this paper to see that Eugene Peterson used “Junias,” but he wrote is before the Nestle-Aland Greek text was corrected (i think that’s true but I’d have to check my facts before standing by that statement)- basically, he was working with the older greek translation, so I don’t fault Peterson on that one, but he generally gives egalitarian readings on his interpretations, so it was surprising.
i use multiple translations for different purposes. I tend to use the NRSV most often, but read it alongside the Message, the NET, NLT, NASB and ESV. The Message and NLT are helpful as translations that contextualize the text for contemporary readers. they interpret the text as they translate it (all translations do this to some extent but for these it is the goal overall) but the challenge of using interpretation translations for study is that they tend to choose one aspect of meaning by using such specific contemporary phrasing, that broader and deeper meanings of the text tend to get obscured. So I use NLT and the Message as commentaries on scripture rather than scripture to study. I love them for that.