ISB ~ Romans 16 v1 - 27

Some scholars question the authenticity of chapter 16 and consider it a later addition to Romans. This is because the oldest surviving manuscript of Romans places the final doxology (16:25-27) after 15:33 and because shorter editions of the letter are reported to have circulated in Christian antiquity (missing chaps. 15 and 16). Scholars of this opinion regard Romans 16 as an independent letter of recommendation for Phoebe (16:1) or a letter originally sent to the Church at Ephesus. Textual criticism gives little support to the hypothesis and at present accepts the authenticity of Romans 16 as an integral part of the epistle. If shorter editions of Romans did exist, they were probably abridgments of the book adapted for liturgical use.