Sacred mysteries
Sacred mysteries are the areas of
- Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated.
- Beliefs of the religion which are public knowledge but cannot be easily explained by normal rational or scientific means.
A mystagogue or hierophant is a holder and teacher of secret knowledge in the former sense above, while mysticism may be defined as an area of philosophical or religious thought focusing on mysteries in the latter sense.
Greece and Rome
The
Christianity
The Greek word (μυστήριον) mysterion is used 27 times in the
On the other hand, most Christian traditions hold that many of the basic aspects of Christian theology are more than just secrets - they cannot be explained or apprehended by mundane reason, including the nature of the Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus.
In the Catholic church, the Latin term is
In the
In parts of the
Although all the official doctrines of Christian churches have long been fully public, the loosely defined area of Christian thought called Christian mysticism often concerns the contemplation of sacred mysteries and may include the development of personal theories about them, undertaken in the knowledge that they can never be fully apprehended by man.
Eastern
The term is used in
Orthodox instructional materials may list seven sacred mysteries, the same as the Western seven sacraments (Western names in parentheses):
Christian life is centered in the mystery of the
Kallistos Ware stated in The Orthodox Way:
A mystery is [...] revealed for our understanding, but which we never understand exhaustively because it leads into the depth or the darkness of God. The eyes are closed - but they are also opened.[11]
References
- ^ Antonio Virgili, Culti misterici ed orientali a Pompei, Roma, Gangemi, 2008
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ "3466. mustérion,". biblehub.com. 2004-06-25. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
- ISBN 0-226-13615-9), Kindle location. 4417.
- ^ "Catechismus Ecclesiae Catholicae, 237". Vatican.va. 1992-06-25. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ Discipline of the Secret article in Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan, Mystagogical Lectures St. Cyril of Jerusalem
- ISBN 0-88465-044-8), p. 471.
- ^ The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective, (St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, 1986), p. 6.
- ^ The Sacramental Life (1986), p. 7.
- ^ Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way
External links
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- The Restored New Testament - James Morgan Pryse 1914