Mysterion #51

Mysterion does not mean a puzzle to be solved. In Greek it was used for secret rites known only to initiates, and in the New Testament it means a divine purpose that human beings could not have discovered on their own but that God has now made known. The idea of hiddenness is always paired with revelation.

Biblical Usage

Jesus tells his disciples that “unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God,” while those outside receive it in parables (Mark 4:11). Paul uses the word most often, and mostly of one theme. In Ephesians 3:3-6 he says the mystery was not made known in other ages but has now been revealed to the apostles and prophets, namely that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ. Colossians 1:26-27 says this mystery was hidden for ages and generations and is now revealed, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In Ephesians 5:32 he calls the union of husband and wife a “great mystery” and says he is speaking of Christ and the church.

Paul also uses it for particular truths, as when he announces that not everyone will die but all will be changed at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51). The word can even apply to sinister realities: he speaks of the “mystery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7), and Revelation applies it to symbolic visions.

Theological Significance

The word gives Christians a way to talk about what depends on God’s revelation rather than human reasoning. The earliest Latin translators rendered it with sacramentum, and the Eastern Orthodox churches still call the sacraments “mysteries,” so the sense of participation in something God has revealed carries into worship. In Catholic teaching the same word supports the way sacraments are described, though interpreters differ on how far that later usage reflects the New Testament’s own. Some Protestant readers stress instead that the mysteries are revealed truths meant to be proclaimed and understood.