2 Thessalonians 3:17

2 Thessalonians 3:17. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand.' These words apparently form the commencement of the autograph salutation with which the apostle attests the genuineness and authenticity of the Epistle, the two verses (2 Thessalonians 3:17-18) having apparently both been written by the apostle' (Ellicott). The preceding part of the Epistle was, of course, dictated; now Paul takes the pen in his own hand to authenticate the whole. And this proves that, however Paul might associate others with himself in sending his Epistles (as in this one he associates Silas and Timothy), and however the penman might occasionally insert a message of his own (as Tertius does in Romans 16:22), he yet distinctly ‘regarded himself and desired the churches to regard him as the sole author of his Epistles.'

Which is the token in every Epistle. Only in other two Epistles, the first to the Corinthians and that to the Colossians, does Paul sign his name. It was not the name or signature but the autograph salutation which was the ‘token.'

So I write. Some have thought that these words indicate that there was inserted here some monogram difficult of imitation. But this was not the ancient custom, and the words seem to imply no more than an invitation to his readers to observe the distinctive characteristics of his handwriting.