Julian

They have certainly been the object of some amount of editing. Also, it is generally agreed upon that some of the letters are actually multiple letters combined into a single epistle.

It is up to the individual in most cases to decide which parts are authentic and which parts are not. If one considers a section a later addition one must provide reasonable arguments for that position. Overall, however, in order to pursue meaningful discussion we have to assume that the rest is genuine. If we merely throw up our hands and decide that we can never know what was in the autographs, if such existed, and that, therefore, any discussion is meaningless, then this forum would not exist. We work with what we've got, keeping in mind all the uncertainties that go along with any discussion.

Julian