This dissertation is an attempt to contribute new insight to the understanding of 2 Corinthians 3. In Chapter One, the general problem of interpreting written texts, especially ancient ones, is discussed, with special attention given to the differences between speaking and writing. Then the particular problems of interpreting 2 Corinthians 3 are presented, and the interpretation theory of Paul Ricoeur is proposed as a method to be utilized for the present investigation. In Chapter Two, the notion of the 'world of the text', the central category of Ricocur's hcrmeneutics, is displayed as a starting point for a contemporary interpretation of the text. Then the 'world' of the text and some its 'characters' - God, Paul, the Corinthians - are described. Certain aspects of Norman Peterson's concept of 'narrative world' are implemented in order to help define the roles, relations, and actions of the characters of 2 Corinthians 3, as they appear in the text. In Chapter Three, Ricoeur's contribution to the theory of metaphor is presented. Then his theory is applied to the interpretation of several metaphors which occur in the text. The metaphors of 'letters', 'glory', and 'life and death' are analyzed in terms of Ricoeur's tension theory of metaphor. This theory has its classical foundations in certain passages from Aristotle, and it receives its modern elaboration from the impetus of I.A. Richards. Ri-cocur expands the contribution of Richards, in one way, by proposing the concepts of 'split sense' and 'split reference' as attributes of the living metaphor. The employment of Ricouer's theory is intended to spell out more of the surplus of meaning which lies dormant in potentially powerful biblical metaphors. The results of these investigations are summarized and correlated in Chapter Four. The text of 2 Corinthians 3 does project a world. It is a world in which the living God has created all things. This biblical passage reveals how the creator is made known to men through personal relationships with them.