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THE FIRST WOMAN APOSTLE IN SCRIPTURE: JUNIA — A HIDDEN GIANT OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Romans 16:7 (KJV) — “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.”
When Paul penned his greetings in Romans 16, he wasn’t just signing off a letter—he was lifting the veil on spiritual giants the Church often overlooks. And standing in that divine spotlight is a woman whose name hell tried to erase from the record—Junia, the first woman apostle recorded in Scripture.
For centuries her name was altered, questioned, masculinized, and debated—not because the text lacked clarity, but because religion couldn’t handle what God had affirmed. Her name is unquestionably feminine in the Greek (Ἰουνία Iounia), overwhelmingly supported by early manuscripts, early church fathers, and the unanimous witness of the ancient world. There was no “Junias.” That name does not exist anywhere in ancient literature—not once.
Why is that important?
Because patriarchy and religious tradition cannot cancel what God ordains.
1. Junia Was “Of Note Among the Apostles” — NOT Beneath Them
Paul identifies Junia and Andronicus as:
Kinsmen – indicating Jewish descent
Fellow prisoners – meaning she suffered for the gospel
In Christ before him – meaning she was an early believer
Of note among the apostles – meaning the apostles regarded her as distinguished
That phrase “of note among the apostles” (episēmoi en tois apostolois) does not mean “well known to the apostles.”
It means “well known as apostles.”
Paul, the greatest apostolic voice of the New Testament, publicly celebrates her apostolic authority.
If Paul didn’t hesitate to honor her, who are we to diminish her?
2. Her Calling Confronts Religious Spirits
Religious strongholds despise female leadership. Hell fights female apostles because:
Women carry womb authority—the power to incubate, birth, and multiply what God puts inside them
Women were the first at the tomb, the first evangelists (“Go tell My disciples”), and the first to declare the resurrection
The prophetic promise of Genesis 3:15 puts women in direct warfare with the serpent
Junia’s apostleship demolishes the lie that women cannot carry governmental authority in the Kingdom. Her life stands as a rebuke to every spirit of:
Misogyny
Religious control
Legalism
Patriarchal bondage
Spirit of Athaliah (assignment to silence and assassinate royal seed)
Spirit of Python (assignment to constrict gifts and calling)
3. She Is Proof God Calls Who He Wills, Not Who Culture Approves
Junia had no social privilege, no political power, no voice in Roman law, and yet—
God stamped her with apostolic authority.
God bypassed:
Cultural norms
Religious limits
Gender restrictions
The opinions of men
Junia is divine evidence that calling is not gender-based. Purpose is not male-exclusive. Mantles are not restricted by culture.
The same God who raised up Deborah, Huldah, Miriam, Anna the prophetess, and Priscilla—the power-teacher who trained Apollos—raised up Junia as an apostolic forerunner.
4. She Carried the Marks of an Apostle—Literally
Paul called her a fellow prisoner.
She didn’t sit in a pew and call herself apostle on the internet.
She paid for the anointing.
She bled for the gospel.
She suffered for the assignment.
She endured persecution for the mantle.
Her apostleship wasn’t in title—it was in evidence.
5. What Her Story Means for the Church Today
Junia’s testimony calls the modern Church to:
A. Recognize God-called women without apology
Apostleship is not gendered—it is graced.
B. Break the spirit of religion that suppresses women
Her name being changed in manuscripts reflects the warfare around female callings.
C. Empower women in the fivefold
If God made Junia “of note among the apostles,” then every woman today carrying a mantle can walk boldly without shrinking back.
D. Restore biblical order—not cultural bias
The early Church affirmed her. Heaven affirmed her. The apostles affirmed her.
Only religion resisted her.
FINAL WORD
Junia stands as a prophetic sign:
God will raise women to apostolic authority whether culture blesses it or not.
When God calls a woman, no spirit of tradition, no man-made system, no religious doctrine, and no patriarchal gatekeeper can shut the door.
Junia is the biblical proof.
Women apostles aren’t new.
They’re ancient.
They’re scriptural.
They’re God-ordained.
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