40 Chris Keith Paul closes the first epistle to the church at Corinth with what Richards refers to as “a typical formula” (4) in 1 Cor 16,21: “The greeting (is) in my hand, Paul’s” (oJ ajspasmo;" th/' ejmh/' ceiri; Paulou)(5). v Gal 6,11 similarly calls attention to Paul’s authorship of the epistolary greeting, and peculiarly to either the size or form of his letters. Here Paul says, “See with what big letters I write to you in my own hand” (i[dete phlivkoi" uJmi'n gravmmasin e[graya th/' ejmh/' ceiriv). Paul’s “big letters” have caused no small amount of debate, which will be discussed shortly. Prior to asking his readership to remember his afflictions, Col 4,18 contains the exact same phrase as 1 Cor 16,21: “The greeting (is) in my hand, Paul’s” (oJ ajspasmo;" th/' ejmh/' ceiri; Pauvlou). Second Thessalonians 3,17 repeats this phrase verbatim as well: “The greeting (is) in my hand, Paul’s” (oJ ajspasmo;" th'/ ejmh/' ceiri; Pauvlou). Significantly, however, 2 Thess 3,17 follows this stock phrase with an explicit statement on its purpose in the text as a method of authenticating not only this epistle but presumably all of them. Paul says, “This is a sign in each epistle; thus I write” (o{ ejstin shmei'on ejn pavsh/ ejpisolh/' ou{tw" gravfw). Finally, the short letter to Philemon states that it is from both Paul and Timothy (Phlm 1). In Phlm 19, however, Paul writes his oath (or “promissory note”) (6) in his own handwriting. The passage reads: “I, —————— also 189, n. 281) and, on 190, n. 285, notes that the implication of 2 Thess 3,17 is “that all of his letters contained an autographed postscript whether explicitly mentioned or not” (cf. p. 174). The latter point is made also by A. DEISSMANN, Light from the Ancient East. The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World (London 1927) 166, n. 7 (continued on 167). M.L. Stirewalt, Jr. (Paul, the Letter Writer [Grand Rapids, MI 2003] 51, n. 57) claims, “The lack of notation of autograph and a clear subscription in Philippians tend to show Paul’s hand throughout the letter …”. I am less confident that a case for the entirety of Philippians coming from the hand of Paul can be made from the evidence it lacks. (4) RICHARDS, Secretary, 173. (5) NRSV (“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand”) is slightly misleading in that no verb appears in the Greek. For interpretive options with Pauvlou, see M.J. HARRIS, Colossians and Philemon (Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament; Grand Rapids, MI 1991) 215. I take it as a genitive of apposition, as does J. MURPHY-O’CONNOR, Paul the Letter Writer. His World, His Options, His Skills (GNS 41; Collegeville, PA 1995) 104. (6) E. LOHSE, Colossians and Philemon. A Commentary on the Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Hermeneia; Philadelphia, PA 1971) 204.