Praise for The Lost Apostle "Pederson--a former editorial page editor at the Dallas Morning News ...presents the linguistic, historical, and theological rationales used to justify displacing the biblical reference to a female apostle. What she finds is fascinating! Not only about Junia, but also about two other little-known female leaders of the Jesus movement ...Ms. Pederson's constant surprise at her discoveries gives the book an authentic appeal." --Dwight A. Moody, Dallas Morning News "Engagingly written and intelligently documented, this book is recommended as a worthy contribution." --Library Journal "Thanks to Rena Pederson for digging into The Case of the Missing Apostle like a good police reporter. Junia the apostle was one of the first victims of identity theft. Restoring her name is a service to women everywhere." --Linda Ellerbee, award-winning television producer, journalist, and best-selling author of Take Big Bites, Move On, and And So It Goes "As a clergywoman, I am strengthened by Rena Pederson's work. She has done what should have been done years ago. Junia is the role model we've been searching for." --Dr.Sheron Patterson, senior minister, Highland Hills United Methodist Church; newspaper columnist; and author, Sisters: A Mile in Her Shoes, Lessons from the Lives of Old Testament Women

About the Author

Rena Pederson's distinguished career in journalism includes serving for sixteen years as editorial page editor of the Dallas Morning News. She is a former finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was a member of the Pulitzer Prize board for nine years. A winner of multiple writing awards, Pederson is the author of two books - What's Next? Women Redefining Their Dreams in the Prime of Life and What's Missing? Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments. Introduction: The Search Begins. 1 Cherchez la Femme. 2 Who Was in the Apostle Club? 3 Was the "Lady in Red" an Apostle? 4 What About Thecla? 5 A Woman of Her Times. 6 What Was in Paul's Letter? 7 How Did Junia Get Lost? 8 Which Bible Can You Believe? 9 The Saints We Left Behind. 10 Finding Junia. Discussion Questions. Notes. Bibliography. The Author. Index.

Reviews

"Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives, who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles and they were in Christ before I was." This tantalizing quote from the New Testament (Romans 16:7) prompted State Department speechwriter Pederson (What's Next?: Women Redefining Their Dreams in the Prime of Life), former editor of the Dallas Morning News, to undertake an investigative journey discovering more about this Junia long known to Scripture scholars. Bolstered by interviews with biblical experts and probing research overseas, she found early acceptance of Junia as a woman portrayed in early Christian art (and by St. John Chrysostom). Translators later interpreted the name as "Junias," the masculine Greek form, as the role of women in the Church changed over centuries. As recently as 2005, New Testament textual criticism scholar Eldon Jay Epp published a brief study, Junia: The First Woman Apostle, offering convincing evidence for Junia as both female and an apostle. Pederson describes the life of women in the early Church and focuses on such contemporaries as Thecla and Prisca. Engagingly written and intelligently documented, this book is recommended as a worthy contribution to all religion collections.-Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

"This is a very readable introduction to some of the characters and stories about women from early Christianity that are known to scholars but are often forgotten rather than celebrated in the rest of the church." ("U.S. Catholic Magazine," January 2007)