The Use of the Article in Romans 15:16

[Barry Hofstetter]

It’s a matter of emphasis. Putting the genitive before the noun (as long as the genitive is orthotonic, that is, not enclitic such as μου, σου, etc.) is supposed to emphasize the genitive more.

I'm beginning to hate the word "emphasis" though I've used it myself on many an occasion. What would the genitive emphasized here really mean?

[Stephen Carlson]

It’s a matter of emphasis. Putting the genitive before the noun (as long as the genitive is orthotonic, that is, not enclitic such as μου, σου, etc.) is supposed to emphasize the genitive more.

I'm beginning to hate the word "emphasis" though I've used it myself on many an occasion. What would the genitive emphasized here really mean?

From the Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek, sec. 60.15:

The differences between the orders modifier-head and head-modifier are by no means always clear. On the whole, however, head-modifier is the most common and ‘neutral’ order, while the order modifier-head is used to convey that the modifier contains particularly salient information (i.e. the modifier is emphasized). Modifiers can be salient if they are contrastive, unexpected or particularly informative.

I suppose if you don’t like “emphasized” you can go with “salient,” but a rose by any other name…

Contextually, we have a reference to another gospel in v.4 εὐαγγέλιον ἕτερον ὃ οὐκ ἐδέξασθε, so the true Gospel, that is the one that comes from God, in contrast to this other one, is salient and emphasizing it thus makes some sense.

[Barry Hofstetter]

I suppose if you don’t like “emphasized” you can go with “salient,” but a rose by any other name…

Contextually, we have a reference to another gospel in v.4 εὐαγγέλιον ἕτερον ὃ οὐκ ἐδέξασθε, so the true Gospel, that is the one that comes from God, in contrast to this other one, is salient and emphasizing it thus makes some sense.

Salient is good, a bit more specific than "emphasized." But:

The differences between the orders modifier-head and head-modifier are by no means always clear.

Leaves a lot of wiggle room (and something for us to think about and do).