Lectionary Year B
December 22, 2002
Romans 16:25-27

Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation

A. Comparing Translations

(JFC) The Contemporary English Version and the New International Version differ some, as these notes indicate:

25a Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, - CEV
Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel - NIV

b which is the message about Jesus Christ. - CEV
and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, - NIV

c For ages and ages this message was kept secret, - CEV
according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages pst, - NIT

26a but now at last has been told. - CEV
but now revealed and made known - NIT

b The eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, - CEV
through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, - NIT

c so that all nations would obey and have faith. - CEV
so that all nations might believe and obey him -- - NIT

27 And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! - CEV
to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! - NIT

B. Textural Criticism

(JFC) Several of what Metzger (TCGNT) calls, "impressive manuscript evidence", keep this doxology here at the end of Romans. Others read following 14:23 and/or 15:33 while a few have it at both places. Papyrus 46, a very early witness, places it at the end of chapter 15, evidently believing chapter is a later addition to the original Epistle. 26 Between profhtikw/n and katV, Origen and Jerome insert, kai thj epifaneiaj tou kurioou hmwn Ihsou Cristou, an understandable addition, to be sure, yet lacking the weight of anything approaching originality. 27 For the singular, masculine relative pronoun, o[j, in the dative case, w-|, several of what Metzger (TCGNT) calls, "early and diversified textual evidence" change to autw, same form of the word, avuto,j, "self", "the same one" or "oneself". Other witnesses omit the word altogether, which Metzger says seems to be copyists' attempts "to avoid anacoluthon and to complete the sentence." Sanday and Headlam (ICC) also might omit the word, yet, allowing the possibility of its inclusion being original if Paul was a little grammatically uncertain and/or excited in writing or dictating such an exhilarating ascription of praise as this passage represents. The other variants merely add emphases to what seems to be the simpler and shorter original, which traditional uses might have added quite naturally.

C. Rough Translation

(JFC) 25 But to the one enabled [present, middle or passive, participle] you [accusative, second person, plural] to strengthen according to the gospel of mine and the message/proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery to time eternally of having been kept silent [perfect, passive, participle, genitive], 26 but was being revealed [aorist, passive, participle] now through both writings prophetic according to command [accusative, singular] of the eternal God concerning obedience of faith to/for/by all the nations having been made known [aorist, passive, participle], 27 only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom the glory in the ages, Amen.



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