[B-Greek] Romans 16:7
Harold R. Holmyard III
hholmyard at ont.com
Tue Dec 21 12:51:10 EST 2004
Dear Jim,
>>HH: This issue is also addressed in the following link, and it is
>>treated there at more length than the gender of the name:
>
>And that too from a decidedly ideological viewpoint. Would one
>really expect Wallace, a well respected, very conservative scholar
>to say that Junia was a woman or an apostle? Hardly.
>Predisposition in finding what one believes should be there is a
>significant hindrance in authentic and unbiased exegesis. To be
>sure, no matter which "side" one is on in the matter, the other will
>accuse one of being biased. I would think, though, that by the cusp
>of the 21st century we would be beyond that sort of thing in
>biblical studies. Clearly we are not yet- but that doesn't mean we
>shouldn't be.
>
>Finally, is it even possible for students of the Greek language to
>set aside their preconceptions about what the Bible "should say" to
>what it actually does say? If, for example, any of us read the name
>under discussion in a non biblical text in a context just as clear
>as the present, would we honestly assert that it is a male name?
>The answer is, I think, no.
HH: Actually, Dan Wallace seems to come down on the side of IOUNIAN
being a woman's name. See how he concludes:
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1163
In the least, the data on whether jIounian is feminine or masculine
are simply inadequate to make a decisive judgment, though what
minimal data we do have suggests a feminine name. Although most
modern translations regard the name as masculine, the data simply do
not yield themselves in this direction. And although we are dealing
with scanty material, it is always safest to base one's views on
actual evidence rather than mere opinion.3
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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