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Found On Page 1694 In The Companion Bible The Second Postscript (Romans 16:25-27) That the "doxology" is a
postscript added by the apostle after he had arrived at, and was residing
in, Rome (61-63 A.D. : see Appendix 180), and was writing
Ephesians, seems clear for the following reasons :-
First, there is no question as to the genuineness or
authenticity of these verses.
The question raised by their apperance not only after
the close of the Epistle itself, but also after the postscript of the
amanuensis, Tertius, is connected with the "mystery"
"kept in silence from age-time but now manifested by means of
prophetic writings". To find the subject-matter of
Ephesians introduced suddenly, in such a position, and in
the diction of this doxology, has been a difficulty for ancient
transcribers and modern commentators alike.
The oriiginal Manuscripts prove this by the position
the doxology occupies in many of them.
In over 190 it stands after Romans 14: In two or three it is wanting.
In some it appears in both places (i.e. after Romans
14: In some, where the doxology stands as in the
Authorized Version the second benediction (verse This difficulty is shared by modern commentators.
Some suppose the doxology was "the effusion of the fervent mind of
the apostle on taking a general view of the Epistle".
Others say "it needs only to read the doxology
to see that its main purpose is nothing lower than thanksgiving for the
Universal Gospel as a whole, and that its weighty grandeur of tone belongs
to the close not of a section, but of the whole Epistle."
But the suggestion that this
"postscript" was added later by the apostle removes all the
difficulties, and shows that the minds of the ancient copyists were
needlessly disturbed. The truth of the "mystery" had been
lost long before the date of our oldest Manuscripts. Hence
the transcribers' excitement and perplexity. Had it been known, they would
have at once understood that the doxology was subsequently added.
Although Paul must have had the
"secret" revealed to him beforehand, probably about 57 or 58
A.D., yet he was not permitted to publish the truths of the mystery
in writing until after he was in Rome, and in prison.
Consequently, when the Epistle was sent first to the Romans,
it was closed by second benediction (verse Although given to him before the expiry of the period
of grace enjoyed by the pentecostal church, he was not allowed to divulge
it. So long as the offer of the Kingdom (see Appendix 112-114) to earthly
Israel was open, the "mystery" could not be made known.
But when the sentence of judicial blindness had been
promulgated and the prophecy of Isaiah 6 fulfilled (Acts 28: Therefore the apostle was guided by the Holy Spirit
to add the postscript to Romans; thus completing in beautiful perfection
the Divine arrangement of the Epistle (see Structure, page 1661) and
striking the key-note in the doctrinal teaching which in taken up and
developed at large in Ephesians.
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