Difference between revisions of "Mystery"

<p> From '''''Mustees''''' , "one initiated" into "a revealed secret"; '''''Mueoo''''' the verb means "to conceal"; '''''Μu''''' ( '''''Μ''''' ), the sound made by closing the lips (m), is the same onomatopoeic sound as in mute. In New [[Testament]] usage a spiritual truth heretofore hidden, incapable of discovery by mere reason, but now revealed. Not like the pagan mysteries, imparted only; to the initiated few. All Christians are the initiated; unbelievers alone are the uninitiated (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:3). The union of Christ and the church is such "a great mystery" (&nbsp;Ephesians 5:31-32). The church becoming a harlot by conformity to the world is a counter "mystery" (&nbsp;Revelation 17:5). "Iniquity" ( '''''Anomia''''' ) in the harlot is a leaven working in "mystery" at first, i.e. latently; afterward when she is destroyed iniquity shall be revealed in "the man of iniquity" ( '''''Ho Anomos''''' ), the open embodiment of all previous evil, for popery cannot at once be the mystery of iniquity and the revealed antichrist (&nbsp;2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). </p> <p> "The mystery of God" (&nbsp;Revelation 10:7), in contrast, is man's "redemption from all iniquity" and its consequences; a mystery once hidden in God's secret counsels, dimly-shadowed forth in types and prophecies, but now more and more clearly revealed according as the gospel kingdom develops itself up to its fullest consummation. "The mystery of godliness" (&nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16) is the divine scheme embodied in Christ (&nbsp;Colossians 1:26-27). [[Hidden]] before "with God" as the "mystery," He is now made manifest (&nbsp;John 1:1; &nbsp;John 1:14; &nbsp;Romans 16:25-26). [[Redemption]] for the whole Gentile world as well as Israel, to whom it seemed in a great measure restricted in Old Testament, is now revealed to all. "The glory of this mystery is Christ in you (now by faith as your hidden life, &nbsp;Colossians 3:8), the hope of glory" (your hereafter to be manifested life: &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:7-9; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:17). There are six New Testament "mysteries": </p> <p> '''(1)''' The incarnation (&nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16). </p> <p> '''(2)''' The mystery of iniquity (&nbsp;2 Thessalonians 2:7). </p> <p> '''(3)''' Christ's marriage to the church, &nbsp;Ephesians 5:32, translated "this mystery is great," i.e. this truth hidden once but now revealed, namely, Christ's spiritual union with the church, mystically represented by marriage, is of great import; not as Vulgate "this is a great sacrament"; not marriage in general, but that of Christ and His church, is the mystery, as Paul declares "I say it in regard to ( '''''Eis''''' ) Christ, and to ( '''''Eis)''''' ) the church," whereas &nbsp;Genesis 2:24 refers primarily to literal marriage. (See [[Marriage]] .) </p> <p> '''(4)''' The union of [[Jews]] and [[Gentiles]] in one body, the present election church (&nbsp;Ephesians 3:4-6); the Old Testament did not foretell we should form Christ's one body, the temple of the [[Holy]] Spirit; the Holy Spirit not merely gives influences as in Old Testament, but personally comes and dwells in the church, joining Jews and Gentiles in one fellowship of God and Christ; He is the earnest of the coming inheritance and the seal of redemption; the Old Testament saints had "proetermission" ( '''''Paresis''''' ) of sins, the New Testament saints have "full remission" ( '''''Afesis''''' ); the forbearance of God was exercised then, the righteousness of God is revealed now (&nbsp;Romans 3:25-26) in our justification. </p> <p> '''(5)''' Israel's full and final restoration (&nbsp;Romans 11:25). </p> <p> '''(6)''' The resurrection of the body (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:51). </p> <p> Ordinarily "mystery" refers to those from whom the knowledge is withheld; in the New Testament mystery refers to those to whom it is revealed. It is hidden in God until brought forward; even when brought forward it remains hidden from the carnal. "Mysteries" (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:2) mean what is unintelligible to the hearers, exciting wonder rather than instructing; this is in the common sense, but the New Testament does not sanction in the gospel mysteries in this sense. In &nbsp;Revelation 1:20 "the mystery of the seven stars" is a oncehidden truth, veiled under this symbol, but now revealed; its correlative is revelation. In &nbsp;1 Corinthians 13:2 "mysteries" refer to God's deep counsels heretofore secret but now revealed, "knowledge" to truths long known. </p> <p> So in &nbsp;Matthew 13:11; &nbsp;Mark 4:11; &nbsp;Luke 8:10, "mysteries" answer in parallelism to "parables"; to the receptive "the mysteries," or once hidden things of the kingdom of God, are now known by God's gift; to the unbelieving they remain "parables," on which they see only the outward shell but do not taste the kernel (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:9-10; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:14-15; &nbsp;Psalms 25:14; &nbsp;1 John 4:20; &nbsp;1 John 4:27; &nbsp;John 15:15). The parabolic form is designed to rouse the carnal to search and reflection; from whence Jesus did not begin to use it until after He had for some time been speaking plainly. In contrast to paganism, there were no mysteries revealed by God to ministers or priests that were not designed for all. &nbsp;Deuteronomy 29:29; "secret things belong to [[Jehovah]] (compare &nbsp;Job 11:7; &nbsp;Romans 11:33-34; at this point we must not presume to speculate; &nbsp;Colossians 2:18), but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." </p> <p> The little ones must hear all revelation as much as the intellectual (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 6:7; &nbsp;Joshua 8:34-35; &nbsp;Nehemiah 8:1-2). Moses and the prophets and the apostles practiced no "reserve." So Jesus ordered (&nbsp;Matthew 10:27; &nbsp;Matthew 28:19). Paul preached publicly and from house to house the "whole counsel of God" (&nbsp;Acts 20:20; &nbsp;Acts 20:27), "keeping back nothing profitable." They taught babes indeed elementary essentials first, yet did not reserve the deepest truths out of sight, as the pagan mysteries; but set the ultimate goal of perfect knowledge from the first as that to be striven toward (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:2; &nbsp;Hebrews 5:12). </p> <p> [[Gnosticism]] introduced the system of esoteric and exoteric doctrine; the mediaeval church perpetuated it. Christ as God had the power to reserve His manifestation of Himself to a few during His earthly ministry, previous to the Pentecostal effusion of the Spirit (&nbsp;Mark 4:33; &nbsp;Mark 9:9; &nbsp;Luke 9:21); but His ministers have no such right. Paul disclaims it, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:2; "we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." On men themselves rests the responsibility how they use the whole counsel of God set before them (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 2:15-16). </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Μυστήριον''''' ''' (Strong'S #3466 — Noun Neuter — musterion — moos-tay'-ree-on ) </div> <p> primarily that which is known to the mustes, "the initiated" (from mueo, "to initiate into the mysteries;" cp. &nbsp;Philippians 4:12 , mueomai, "I have learned the secret," RV). In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the Eng. word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a "mystery" implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptual significance is truth revealed. Hence the terms especially associated with the subject are "made known," "manifested," "revealed," "preached," "understand," "dispensation." The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage: "the mystery which hath been hid from all ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints" (&nbsp;Colossians 1:26 , RV). "It is used of: </p> &nbsp;1 Corinthians 13:2&nbsp;14:2&nbsp; 1 Timothy 3:9&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6-16&nbsp; Colossians 2:2&nbsp;4:3&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:1&nbsp; 1 Timothy 3:16&nbsp;Ephesians 1:9&nbsp; Revelation 10:7&nbsp;Romans 16:25&nbsp;Ephesians 6:19&nbsp;Ephesians 5:32&nbsp; Colossians 1:27&nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:51&nbsp;Matthew 13:11&nbsp;Mark 4:11&nbsp;Romans 11:25&nbsp;2 Thessalonians 2:7&nbsp;Revelation 17:5,7&nbsp;Ephesians 2:2&nbsp;Revelation 1:20&nbsp;Ephesians 3:9&nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:1

<p> ''''' mis´tẽr ''''' - ''''' i ''''' ( μυστήριον , <i> ''''' mustḗrion ''''' </i> ; from μύστης , <i> ''''' mústēs ''''' </i> , "one initiated into mysteries"; <i> ''''' muéō ''''' </i> "to initiate," <i> ''''' múō ''''' </i> , "to close" the lips or the eyes; stem <i> ''''' mu ''''' </i> -, a sound produced with closed lips; compare Latin <i> mutus </i> , "dumb"): Its usual modern meaning (= something in itself obscure or incomprehensible, difficult or impossible to understand) does not convey the exact sense of the Greek <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> , which means a secret imparted only to the initiated, what is unknown until it is revealed, whether it be easy or hard to understand. The idea of incomprehensibility if implied at all, is purely accidental. The history of the word in ancient paganism is important, and must be considered before we examine its Biblical usage. </p> 1. In [[Ancient]] Pagan Religions <p> In the extant classics, the singular is found once only (Menander, "Do not tell thy secret ( <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> ) to thy friend"). But it is frequently found in the plural <i> ''''' tá ''''' </i> <i> ''''' mustḗria ''''' </i> , "the Mysteries," the technical term for the secret rites and celebrations in ancient religions only known to, and practiced by, those who had been initiated. These are among the most interesting, significant, and yet baffling religious phenomena in the Greek-Roman world, especially from the 6th century Bc onward. In proportion as the public cults of the civic and national deities fell into disrepute, their place came more and more to be filled by secret cults open only to those who voluntarily underwent elaborate preliminary preparations. There was scarcely one of the ancient deities in connection with whose worship there was not some subsidiary cult of this kind. The most famous were the Mysteries celebrated in Eleusis, under the patronage and control of the [[Athenian]] state, and associated with the worship of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. But there were many others of a more private character than the Eleusinian, e.g. the Orphic Mysteries, associated with the name of Dionysus. Besides the Greek Mysteries, mention should be made of the Egyptian cults of Isis and Serapis, and of Persian Mithraism, which in the 3century [[Ad]] was widely diffused over the whole empire. </p> <p> It is difficult in a brief paragraph to characterize the Mysteries, so elaborate and varied were they, and so completely foreign to the modern mind. The following are some of their main features: </p> <p> (1) Their appeal was to the emotions rather than to the intellect. Lobeck in his famous <i> Aglaophamus </i> destroyed the once prevalent view that the Mysteries enshrined some profound religious truth or esoteric doctrine. They were rather an attempt to find a more emotional and ecstatic expression to religious aspiration than the public ceremonies provided. [[Aristotle]] (as quoted by Synesius) declared that the initiated did not receive definite instruction, but were put in a certain frame of mind ( οὐ μαθεῖν τι δεῖν ἀλλἀ παθεῖν , <i> ''''' ou ''''' </i> <i> ''''' matheı́n ''''' </i> <i> ''''' ti ''''' </i> <i> ''''' deı́n ''''' </i> <i> ''''' allá ''''' </i> <i> ''''' patheı́n ''''' </i> ). This does not mean that there was no teaching, but that the teaching was vague, suggestive and symbolic, rather than didactic or dogmatic. </p> <p> (2) The chief purpose of the rites seems to have been to secure for the rotaries mystic union with some deity and a guaranty of a blissful immortality. The initiated was made to partake mystically in the passing of the deity through death to life, and this union with his saviour-god ( θεὸς σωτήρ , <i> ''''' theós ''''' </i> <i> ''''' sōtḗr ''''' </i> ) became the pledge of his own passage through death to a happy life beyond. This was not taught as an esoteric doctrine; it was well known to outsiders that the Mysteries taught the greater blessedness of the initiated in the under-world; but in the actual ceremony the truth was vividly presented and emotionally realized. </p> <p> (3) The celebrations were marked by profuse symbolism of word and action. They were preceded by rites of purification through which all the <i> ''''' mystae ''''' </i> had to pass. The celebrations themselves were in the main a kind of religious drama, consisting of scenic representations illustrating the story of some deity or deities, on the basis of the old mythologies regarded as allegories of Nature's productive forces and of human immortality; combined with the recital of certain mystic formulae by the hierophant (the priest). The culminating point was the ἐποπτεία , <i> ''''' epopteı́a ''''' </i> , or full vision, when the hierophant revealed certain holy objects to the assembly. </p> <p> (4) The cults were marked by a strict exclusiveness and secrecy. None but the initiated could be present at the services, and the knowledge of what was said and done was scrupulously kept from outsiders. What they had seen and heard was so sacred that it was sacrilege to divulge it to the uninitiated. </p> <p> (5) Yet the Mysteries were not secret societies, but were open to all who chose to be initiated (except barbarians and criminals). They thus stood in marked contrast to the old civic and national cults, which were confined to states or cities. They substituted the principle of initiation for the more exclusive principle of birthright or nationality; and so foreshadowed the disintegration of old barriers, and prepared the way for the universal religion. Thus the mystery-religions strangely combined a strict exclusiveness with a kind of incipient catholicity. This brief account will show that the Mysteries were not devoid of noble elements. They formed "the serious part of pagan religion" (Renan). But it must also be remembered that they lent themselves to grave extravagances and abuses. Especially did they suffer from the fact that they were withheld from the light of healthy publicity. </p> 2. In the Old Testament and the Apocrypha <p> The religion of the Old Testament has no Mysteries of the above type. The ritual of Israel was one in which the whole people partook, through their representatives the priests. There was no system of ceremonial initiation by which the few had privileges denied to the many. God has His secrets, but such things as He revealed belonged to all &nbsp;Deuteronomy 29:29; so far from silence being enjoined concerning them, they were openly proclaimed (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 6:7; Neb &nbsp;Deuteronomy 8:1 ff). True piety alone initiated men into confidential intercourse with [[Yahweh]] &nbsp; Psalm 25:14; &nbsp;Proverbs 3:32 . The term "mystery" never occurs in the English Old Testament. The Greek word <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> occurs in the [[Septuagint]] of the Old Testament. Only in Daniel, where it is found several times as the translation of רזא , <i> ''''' rāzā' ''''' </i> , "a secret," in reference to the king's dream, the meaning of which was revealed to &nbsp;Daniel 2:18-19 , &nbsp;Daniel 2:27-30 , &nbsp;Daniel 2:47 . </p> <p> In the Apocrypha, <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> is still used in the sense of "a secret" (a meaning practically confined to the Septuagint in extant Greek); of the secrets of private life, especially between friends (&nbsp; [[Sirach]] 22:22; &nbsp;27:16,17 , &nbsp;21 ), and of the secret plans of a king or a state (&nbsp;Tobit 12:7,11; &nbsp;Judith 2:2; &nbsp;2 Maccabees 13:21 ). The term is also used of the hidden purpose or counsel of God or of Divine wisdom. The wicked "knew not the mysteries of God," i.e. the secret counsels that govern God's dealings with the godly (Wisd 2:22); wisdom "is initiated ( μύστις , <i> ''''' mústis ''''' </i> ) into the knowledge of God " (&nbsp; Daniel 8:4 ), but (unlike the pagan mystagogues) the writer declares he "will not hide mysteries," but will "bring the knowledge of her (wisdom) into clear light" (&nbsp;Daniel 6:22 ). [[Hatch]] maintains that the analogy here is that of an oriental king's secrets, known only to himself and his trusted friends ( <i> Essays in Biblical Greek </i> , 58); but it is more likely that the writer here betrays the influence of the phraseology of the Greek Mysteries (without acquiescing in their teaching). In another passage, at any rate, he shows acquaintance with the secret rites of the Gentiles, namely, in 14:15, 23, where the "solemn rites" and "secret mysteries" of idolators are referred to with abhorrence. The term "mystery" is not used in reference to the special ritual of Israel. </p> 3. In the New Testament <p> In the New Testament the word occurs 27 or (if we include the doubtful reading in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:1 ) 28 times; chiefly in Paul (20 or 21 times), but also in one passage reported by each of the synopists, and 4 times in Revelation. It bears its ancient sense of a revealed secret, not its modern sense of that which cannot be fathomed or comprehended. </p> <p> (1) In a few passages, it has reference to a symbol, allegory or parable, which conceals its meaning from those who look only at the literal sense, but is the medium of revelation to those who have the key to its interpretation (compare the rabbinic use of רזא , <i> ''''' rāzā' ''''' </i> , and סוד , <i> ''''' ṣōdh ''''' </i> , "the hidden or mystic sense"). This meaning appears in &nbsp; Revelation 1:20; &nbsp;Revelation 17:5 , &nbsp;Revelation 17:7; probably also in &nbsp;Ephesians 5:32 , where marriage is called "a mystery," i.e. a symbol to be allegorically interpreted of Christ and His church. It also seems implied in the only passage in which the word is attributed to Our Lord, "Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables" (&nbsp;Mark 4:11; compare parallel &nbsp;Matthew 13:11; &nbsp;Luke 8:10 ). Here parables are spoken of as a veiled or symbolic form of utterance which concealed the truth from those without the kingdom, but revealed it to those who had the key to its inner meaning (compare &nbsp;Matthew 13:35; &nbsp;John 16:29 margin). </p> <p> (2) By far the most common meaning in the New Testament is that which is so characteristic of Paul, namely, a Divine truth once hidden, but now revealed in the gospels. &nbsp;Romans 16:25 might almost be taken as a definition of it, "According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the <i> revelation of the mystery </i> which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested" (compare &nbsp; Colossians 1:26; &nbsp;Ephesians 3:3 ff). </p> <p> ( <i> a </i> ) It should be noted how closely "mystery" is associated with "revelation" ( ἀποκάλυψις , <i> ''''' apokálupsis ''''' </i> ), as well as with words of similar import, e.g. "to make known" &nbsp; Ephesians 1:9; &nbsp;Ephesians 3:3 , &nbsp;Ephesians 3:5 , &nbsp;Ephesians 3:10; &nbsp;Ephesians 6:19 , "to manifest" &nbsp;Colossians 4:3-4; &nbsp;Romans 16:26; &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16 . "Mystery" and "revelation" are in fact correlative and almost synonymous terms. The mysteries of Christianity are its revealed doctrines, in contrast to the wisdom of worldly philosophy (see especially 1 Cor 2:1-16; compare &nbsp;Matthew 11:25 ); the point of contrast being, not that the latter is comprehensible while the former are obscure, but that the latter is the product of intellectual research, while the former are the result of Divine revelation and are spiritually discerned. ( <i> b </i> ) From this it follows that Christianity has no secret doctrines, for what was once hidden has now been revealed. But here arises a seeming contradiction. On the one hand, there are passages which seem to imply a doctrine of reserve. </p> <p> The mystery revealed to some would seem to be still concealed from others. The doctrines of Christ and of His [[Kingdom]] are hidden from the worldly wise and the prudent (&nbsp;Matthew 11:25; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6 ff), and from all who are outside the kingdom (&nbsp; Matthew 13:11 ff and parallel), and there are truths withheld even from Christians while in an elementary stage of development (&nbsp; 1 Corinthians 3:1 ff; &nbsp; Hebrews 5:11-14 ). On the other hand, there are many passages in which the truths of revelation are said to be freely and unreservedly communicated to all (e.g. &nbsp;Matthew 10:27; &nbsp;Matthew 28:19; &nbsp;Acts 20:20 , &nbsp;Acts 20:27; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 3:12; &nbsp;Ephesians 3:9 , "all men"; &nbsp;Ephesians 6:19; &nbsp;Colossians 1:28; &nbsp;1 Timothy 2:4 ). The explanation is that the communication is limited, not by any secrecy in the gospel message itself or any reserve on the part of the speaker, but by the receptive capacity of the hearer. In the case of the carnally-minded, moral obtuseness or worldliness makes them blind to the light which shines on them &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:2-4 . In the case of the "babe in Christ," the apparent reserve is due merely to the pedagogical principle of adapting the teaching to the progressive receptivity of the disciple (&nbsp;John 16:12 ). There is no esoteric doctrine or intentional reserve in the New Testament. The strong language in &nbsp;Matthew 13:11-15 is due to the Hebrew mode of speech by which an actual result is stated as if it were purposive. </p> <p> ( <i> 100 </i> ) What, then, is the content of the Christian "mystery?" In a wide sense it is the whole gospel, God's world-embracing purpose of redemption through Christ (e.g. &nbsp; Romans 16:25; &nbsp;Ephesians 6:19; &nbsp;Colossians 2:2; &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:9 ). In a special sense it is applied to some specific doctrine or aspect of the gospel, such as the doctrine of the Cross &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:1 , &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:7 , of the [[Incarnation]] &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16 , of the indwelling of Christ as the pledge of immortality &nbsp;Colossians 1:27 , of the temporary unbelief of the Jews to be followed by their final restoration &nbsp;Romans 11:25 , of the transformation of the saints who will live to see the Second Advent &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:51 , and of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the gospel salvation &nbsp;Ephesians 3:3-6 . These are the Divine secrets now at last disclosed. In direct antithesis to the Divine mystery is the "mystery of lawlessness" &nbsp;2 Thessalonians 2:7 culminating in the coming of the Antichrist. Here, too, the word means a revealed secret, only in this case the revelation belongs to the future (&nbsp; 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ), though the evil forces which are to bring about its consummation are already silently operative. (Besides the references in this paragraph, the word occurs in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:1; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 13:2; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:2; &nbsp;Revelation 10:7 . It is interesting to note that the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) sometimes renders <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> by Latin <i> sacramentum </i> , namely, in &nbsp;Ephesians 1:9; &nbsp;Ephesians 3:3 , &nbsp;Ephesians 3:9; &nbsp;Ephesians 5:32; &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16; &nbsp;Revelation 1:20 . This rendering in &nbsp;Ephesians 5:32 led to the ecclesiastical doctrine that marriage is a "sacrament.") </p> 4. The Pagan Mysteries and the New Testament <p> The question is now frequently discussed, how far the New Testament (and especially Paul) betrays the influence of the heathen mystery-cults. Hatch maintains that the Pauline usage of the word <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> is dependent on the Septuagint, especially on the Apocrypha (op. cit.), and in this he is followed by Anrich, who declares that the attempt to trace an allusion to the Mysteries in the New Testament is wholly unsuccessful; but Lightfoot admits a <i> verbal </i> dependence on the pagan Mysteries ( <i> [[Commentary]] </i> on &nbsp; Colossians 1:26 ). </p> <p> At present there is a strong tendency to attribute to Paul far more dependence than one of phraseology only, and to find in the Mysteries the key to the non-Jewish side of Paulinism. A. Loisy finds affinity to the mystery-religions in Paul's conception of Jesus as a Saviour-God, holding a place analogous to the deities Mithra, Osiris, and Attis; in the place Paul assigns to baptism as the rite of initiation; and in his transformation of the Lord's Supper into a symbol of mystic participation in the flesh and blood of a celestial being and a guaranty of a share in the blissful immortality of the risen Saviour. "In its worship as in its belief, Christianity is a religion of mystery" (article in <i> Hibbert Journal </i> , October, 1911). [[Percy]] Gardner traces similar analogies to the Mysteries in Paul, though he finds in these analogies, not conscious plagiarism, but "the parallel working of similar forces" ( <i> Religious [[Experience]] of Paul </i> , chapters iv, v). Kirsopp Lake writes, "Christianity has not borrowed from the mystery-religions, because it was always, at least in Europe, mystery-religion itself" ( <i> The Earlier [[Epistles]] of Paul </i> , 215). On the other hand, Schweitzer wholly denies the hypothesis of the direct or indirect influence of the Mysteries on Paul's thought ( <i> Geschichte der Paulinischen Forschung </i> ). </p> <p> The whole question is <i> sub </i> <i> judice </i> among scholars, and until more evidence be forthcoming from inscriptions, etc., we shall perhaps vainly expect unanimous verdict. It can hardly be doubted that at least the language of Paul, and perhaps to some extent his thought, is colored by the phraseology current among the cults. Paul had a remarkably sympathetic and receptive mind, by no means closed to influences from the Greek-Roman environment of his day. </p> <p> [[Witness]] his use of illustrations drawn from the athletic festivals, the Greek theater &nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:9 and the Roman camp. He must have been constantly exposed to the contagion of the mystic societies. [[Tarsus]] was a seat of the Mithra religion; and the chief centers of Paul's activities, e.g. Corinth, [[Antioch]] and Ephesus, were headquarters of mystic religion. We are not surprised that he should have borrowed from the vocabulary of the Mysteries, not only the word <i> ''''' mustērion ''''' </i> , but <i> ''''' memúēmai ''''' </i> , "I learned the secret," literally, "I have been initiated" &nbsp;Philippians 4:12; σφραγίζεσθαι , <i> ''''' sphragı́zesthai ''''' </i> , "to be sealed" (&nbsp;Ephesians 1:13 , etc.); τέλειος , <i> ''''' téleios ''''' </i> , "perfect," term applied in the Mysteries to the fully instructed as opposed to novices (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6-7; &nbsp;Colossians 1:28 , etc.) (note, outside of Paul, ἐπόπται , <i> ''''' epóptai ''''' </i> , "eye-witnesses," &nbsp;2 Peter 1:16 ). </p> <p> Further, the secret of Paul's gospel among the Gentiles lay, humanly speaking, in the fact that it contained elements that appealed to what was best and most vital in contemporary thought; and doubtless the Mysteries, by transcending all lines of mere citizenship, prepared the way for the universal religion. On the other hand, we must beware of a too facile acceptance of this hypothesis in its extreme form. Christianity can be adequately explained only by reference, not to what it had in common with other religions, but to what was distinctive and original in it. Paul was after all a Jew (though a broad one), who always retained traces of his Pharisaic training, and who viewed idolatry with abhorrence; and the chief formative factor of his thinking was his own profound religious experience. It is inconceivable that such a man should so assimilate Gentile modes of thought as to be completely colored by them. The characteristics which his teaching has in common with the pagan religions are simply a witness to the common religious wants of mankind, and not to his indebtedness to them. What turned these religions into Mysteries was the secrecy of their rites; but in the New Testament there are no secret rites. The gospel "mystery" (as we have seen) is not a secret deliberately withheld from the multitude and revealed only to a privileged religious aristocracy, but something which was once a secret and is so no longer. The perfect openness of Christ and His apostles sets them in a world apart from the mystic schools. It is true that later the Mysteries exercised a great influence on ecclesiastical doctrine and practice, especially on baptism and the [[Eucharist]] (see Hatch, <i> Hibbert Lectures </i> , chapter x). But in the New Testament, acts of worship are not as yet regarded as mystic rites. The most we can say is that some New Testament writers (especially Paul) make use of expressions and analogies derived from the mystery-religions; but, so far as our present evidence goes, we cannot agree that the pagan cults exercised a central or formative influence on them. </p> Literature <p> There is a large and growing literature on this subject. Its modern scientific study began with C. A. Lobeck's <i> Aglaophamus </i> (1829). The following recent works may be specially mentioned: Gustav Anrich, <i> Das antike Mysterienwesen </i> (1894); G. Wobbermin, <i> Religiongeschichtliche Studien zur Frage </i> , etc. (1896); E. Hatch, <i> Essays in Biblical Greek </i> (1889) and <i> Hibbert Lectures </i> , 1888 (published 1890); F. B. Jevons, <i> An Introduction to the History of [[Religion]] </i> (1896); S. Cheethara, <i> The Mysteries, Pagan and Christian </i> (1897); R. Reitzenstein, <i> Die hellenistischen Mysterienreligionen </i> (1910); P. Gardner, <i> The Religious Experience of Paul </i> (1911); K. Lake, <i> The Earlier Epistles of Paul </i> (1911); articles on "Mystery" in <i> Encyclopaedia Britannica </i> (11th edition), edition 9 (W. M. Ramsay), and edition 11 (L. R. Farnell), <i> Encyclopaedia Biblica </i> (A. Julicher), <i> Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible </i> (five volumes) (A. Stewart); 1-volume Hastings, <i> Dictionary of the Bible </i> ; (G. G. Findlay); Hastings, <i> Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels </i> (R. W. Bacon); articles on μυστήριον in Cremer and Grimm-Thayer <i> New Testament Lexicons </i> ; the commentaries, including J. B. Lightfoot on Colossians, J. Armitage Robinson on Ephesians, H. Lietzmann on 1 Corinthians; 9 articles in <i> The Expositor </i> on "St. Paul and the Mystery Religions" by Professor H. A. A. Kennedy (April, 1912, to February, 1913). </p>