2 Thessalonians 3:17
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This
is how I write.
Based on this verse and other points of evidence, it's possible that false teachers had been
sending letters to the Thessalonian church with the apostle Paul's forged signature. For
example, in some of Paul's other letters, he mentions false claims about his teachings (Romans
3:8), or makes a point of noting that he's personally inscribing certain words (Colossians 4:18;
Philemon 1:19). To assure the Thessalonians that this was genuinely his letter, Paul attached
his signature to it. Paul's handwriting itself might have had a distinctive style that his associates
would have recognized (Galatians 6:11)
