priestly ministry means that they participate in this benefit and provision of the new covenant.106 Third, in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul identifies himself as a minister of the new covenant, that is, as one who is presently serving under the auspices of the new covenant. Although the construction is anarthrous, this does not mean that Paul is contrasting the new covenant under which he serves with the one promised in the Old Testament. No such contrast is found in this passage. Rather, he specifically