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)