Editing Epistle to the Romans (section)

=== Fifteen-chapter form ===
It is also possible that a fifteen-chapter form of Romans, omitting chapter 16, may have existed at an early date. Several scholars have argued, largely on the basis of internal evidence, that Chapter 16 represents a separate letter of Paul – possibly addressed to [[Ephesus]] – that was later appended to Romans.{{sfn|Longenecker|2011|pp=20ff}}{{sfn|Gamble|1977|pp=16ff}}

There are a few different arguments for this conclusion. First of all, there is a concluding peace benediction at 15:33, which reads like the other Pauline benedictions that conclude their respective letters. Secondly, Paul greets a large number of people and families in chapter 16, in a way that suggests he was already familiar with them, whereas the material of chapters 1–15 presupposes that Paul has never met anyone from the Roman church. The fact that [[Papyrus 46]] places Paul's doxology at the end of chapter 15 can also be interpreted as evidence for the existence of a fifteen-chapter recension of the epistle.{{sfn|Longenecker|2011|pp=20ff}}{{sfn|Gamble|1977|pp=16ff}}