2 Thessalonians was written to a group of Christians who were enduring persecution and trials because of their faith. It was written to assure the Thessalonians that if they remained faithful, they would receive relief from all their suffering when Christ returned. Furthermore, after receiving 1 Thessalonians, many church members believed that the Lord's return would occur immediately, so they “left their jobs” and “those who kept their jobs should feed those who did not have them” (Ehrman, 268). Even more, it was written to emphasize that “the end had not yet come” (Ehrman, 267). 1 and 2 Thessalonians were written bearing the name of the apostle Paul. Although 1 Thessalonians is an undisputed work of Paul, scholars are divided over the authenticity of the authorship of 2 Thessalonians. Many scholars believe that 2 Thessalonians is a pseudepigrapha. However, its acceptance into the canon, the eschatological theme and its similarity in context to 1 Thessalonians support the authenticity of the Pauline authorship.2 The inclusion of Thessalonians in the canon of Marcion and the Muratorian canon confirms its authenticity because this shows that it was fully accepted as the work of Paul as early as about 150. For a book to be considered authoritative scripture, it must have apostolic authority and origin, sound doctrine, and wide usage, meaning that 2 Thessalonians was believed to be derived from the apostle Paul. This also means that the letter had a strong circulation among the masses in the early periods. Its wide use is evident because it is mentioned by name by Irenaeus and known by Ignatius, Justin Martyr and Polycarp” (Foster,160). The use of 2 Thessalonians in early Christian literature further confirms… half of the document… Thessaloniki is supported by its universal acceptance, its purpose to clarify Paul's eschatology, and its similarities to an undisputed Pauline Epistle. Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians shortly after 1 Thessalonians to address the social situations that began after he wrote the first epistle. He wrote it to further clarify what was said about the Lord's return. The signature at the end of 2 Thessalonians is overwhelming evidence that Paul wrote the letter. He says: “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign in every letter of mine; it's the way I write" (3,17). This type of signature is also found in Galatians and Corinthians. It shows his desperation and fear that the fakes in circulation could diminish the faith of the Thessalonians. This epistle was not written by an imitator but by Paul himself.