however, to show the meaning of the term here. The first and most obvious hint of Paul’s meaning comes in the next verse (v. 7). Here he uses the term in the plural to refer to the “letters” carved into the stone tablets of the law. Since Paul claims that the letter “kills” in verse 6 and similarly describes that which was carved by letters in stone as “the ministry of death” in verse 7, “letter” in verse 6 must simply mean “the Mosaic law.” Second, in verse 6 itself Paul’s phrase “new covenant”