Scholar Discovers Lost Biblical Woman...Hiding In Plain Sight
Scholar Discovers Lost Biblical Woman...Hiding In Plain Sight  
Podcast: Informed Saints
Published On: Sun Dec 14 2025
Description: Breaking news in biblical studies: the “elect lady” in 2 John may not be a metaphor for the Church after all—she may be a real woman with a real name: Eclecte. In this episode, New Testament papyrologist Lincoln Blumell (with research assistant Spencer Kraus) explains the textual and grammatical puzzle behind 2 John’s opening, why the traditional reading created problems, and how ancient letter-writing conventions + manuscript evidence point to a restored reading that makes sense of the Greek.  We also talk about why this matters: what it could mean for how we read 2 John, what it suggests about women’s roles and authority in early Christian house churches, and how this connects with Restoration history—including Joseph Smith’s use of 2 John when organizing the Relief Society.  The book and other resources: https://amzn.to/4q2a5Mb https://www.deseret.com/education/2025/11/08/stunning-find-meet-the-missing-woman-in-the-bible-rediscovered-by-a-byu-researcher/ https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/finding-the-elect-lady ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #InformedSaints #BibleStudy #NewTestament #2John #BiblicalStudies #TextualCriticism #ChristianHistory #WomenInTheBible #GreekNewTestament #LatterDaySaints #ReliefSociety #ScriptureStudy Chapters (00:00:00) - New Woman in the New Testament: Explained(00:00:34) - The New Testament Woman in the New Testament(00:01:13) - Discovering Lady Eclecte in To John(00:05:42) - Clement's 3 John Argument(00:10:54) - Ancient Greek Eklecte, Korea(00:15:54) - John 7: Eclectic to the Elect Lady(00:19:28) - The Metaphorical Meaning of Ekklesia in 2 John(00:21:59) - Evangelism: Verse 13 of 2 John(00:26:27) - The name Eclectae(00:29:57) - The EWTN Question: Eclectae(00:33:48) - Anatomy of the New Testament(00:38:29) - The Late Reading of the New Testament(00:40:42) - Dittography and Haplography(00:44:50) - John 3:8- The Strange Address(00:51:20) - The Lady Eklecte of the New Testament