three mysteries (to be) loudly proclaimed

μυστήριον, ου, τό ‘secret, secret rite, secret teaching, mystery’ a relig. t.t. (predom. pl.) applied in the Gr-Rom. world mostly to the mysteries w. their secret teachings, relig. and political in nature, concealed within many strange customs and ceremonies. The principal rites remain unknown because of a reluctance in antiquity to divulge them (Trag.+; Hdt. 2, 51, 2; Diod S 1, 29, 3; 3, 63, 2; Socrat., Ep. 27, 3; Cornutus 28 p. 56, 22; 57, 4; Alciphron 3, 26, 1; OGI 331, 54; 528, 13; 721, 2, SIG s. index; Sb 7567, 9 [III A.D.]; PGM 1, 131; 4, 719ff; 2477 τὰ ἱερὰ μ. ἀνθρώποις εἰς γνῶσιν; 5, 110; 12, 331; 13, 128 τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. Only the perfected gnostic is τῶν μυστηρίων ἀκροατής Hippol., Ref. 5, 8, 29.—OKern, D. griech. Mysterien d. klass. Zeit 1927; WOtto, D. Sinn der eleusin. Myst. ’40; MNilsson, The Dionysiac Mysteries of the Hell. and Rom. Age, ’57; Kl. Pauly III 1533–42; WBurkert, Antike Mysterien ’90). Also LXX and other versions of the OT use the word, as well as En (of the heavenly secret) and numerous pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph. (C. Ap. 2, 189, 266), apolog. (exc. Ar.); it is a loanw. in rabb. Our lit. uses μ. in ref. to the transcendent activity of God and its impact on God’s people.

① the unmanifested or private counsel of God, (God’s) secret, the secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God (SJCh 78, 9; τὸ μ. τῆς μοναρχίας τῆς κατὰ τὸν θεόν Theoph. Ant. 2, 28 [p. 166, 17]) which are hidden fr. human reason, as well as fr. all other comprehension below the divine level, and await either fulfillment or revelation to those for whom they are intended (the divine Logos as διδάσκαλος θείων μυστηρίων Orig., C. Cels. 3, 62, 9: the constellations as δεῖγμα καὶ τύπον … μεγάλου μυστηρίου Hippol. Ant. 2, 15 [p. 138, 7]; Abraham is τῶν θείων … μέτοχος μυστηρίων Did., Gen. 213, 20).

ⓐ In the gospels μ. is found only in one context, where Jesus says to the disciples who have asked for an explanation of the parable(s) ὑμῖν τὸ μυστήριον δέδοται τῆς βασιλείας τ. θεοῦ Mk 4:11; the synopt. parallels have the pl. Mt 13:11 (LCerfaux, NTS 2, ’55/56, 238–49); Lk 8:10.—WWrede, D. Messiasgeh. in den Evv. 1901; HEbeling, D. Messiasgeh. u. d. Botschaft des Mc-Evangelisten ’39; NJohansson, SvTK 16, ’40, 3–38; OPiper, Interpretation 1, ’47, 183–200; RArida, St Vladimar Theol. Qtly 38, ’94, 211–34 (patristic exegesis Mk 4:10–12 par.).

ⓑ The Pauline lit. has μ. in 21 places. A secret or mystery, too profound for human ingenuity, is God’s reason for the partial hardening of Israel’s heart Ro 11:25 or the transformation of the surviving Christians at the Parousia 1 Cor 15:51. Even Christ, who was understood by so few, is God’s secret or mystery Col 2:2, hidden ages ago 1:26 (cp. Herm. Wr. 1, 16 τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ κεκρυμμένον μυστήριον μέχρι τῆσδε τῆς ἡμέρας), but now gloriously revealed among the gentiles vs. 27, to whom the secret of Christ, i.e. his relevance for them, is proclaimed, 4:3 (CMitton, ET 60, ’48/49, 320f). Cp. Ro 16:25; 1 Cor 2:1 (cp. Just., D. 91, 1; 131, 2 al. μ. τοῦ σταυροῦ; 74, 3 τὸ σωτήριον τοῦτο μ., τοῦτʼ ἔστι τὸ πάθος τοῦ χριστοῦ). The pl. is used to denote Christian preaching by the apostles and teachers in the expr. οἰκονόμοι μυστηρίων θεοῦ 1 Cor 4:1 (Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 23, 104 calls the teachings of Pyth. θεῖα μυστήρια). Not all Christians are capable of understanding all the mysteries. The one who speaks in tongues πνεύματι λαλεῖ μυστήρια utters secret truths in the Spirit which the person alone shares w. God, and which others, even Christians, do not understand 1 Cor 14:2. Therefore the possession of all mysteries is a great joy 13:2 (Just., D. 44, 2). And the spirit-filled apostle can say of the highest stage of Christian knowledge, revealed only to the τέλειοι: λαλοῦμεν θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ we impart the wisdom of God in the form of a mystery (ἐν μυστηρίῳ=in a mysterious manner [Laud. Therap. 11] or =secretly, so that no unauthorized person would learn of it [cp. Cyr. of Scyth. p. 90, 14 ἐν μυστηρίῳ λέγει]) 2:7 (AKlöpper, ZWT 47, 1905, 525–45).—Eph, for which (as well as for Col) μ. is a predominant concept, sees the μ. τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ (sc. θεοῦ) 1:9 or μ. τ. Χριστοῦ 3:4 or μ. τ. εὐαγγελίου 6:19 in acceptance of the gentiles as Christians 3:3ff, 9ff. A unique great mystery is revealed 5:32, where the relation betw. Christ and the Christian community or church is spoken of on the basis of Gen 2:24 (cp. the interpretation of the sun as symbol of God, Theoph. Ant. 2, 15 [p. 138, 8], and s. WKnox, St. Paul and the Church of the Gentiles, ’39, 183f; 227f; WBieder, TZ 11, ’55, 329–43).

ⓒ In Rv μ. is used in ref. to the mysterious things portrayed there. The whole content of the book appears as τὸ μ. τοῦ θεοῦ 10:7. Also τὸ μ. τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων 1:20; τὸ μ. τῆς γυναικός 17:7, cp. vs. 5, where in each case μ. may mean allegorical significance (so BEaston, Pastoral Epistles ’47, 215).

② that which transcends normal understanding, transcendent/ultimate reality, secret, with focus on Israelite/Christian experience.

ⓐ 1 Ti uses μ. as a formula: τὸ μ. τῆς πίστεως is simply faith 3:9. τὸ τ. εὐσεβείας μ. the secret of (our) piety vs. 16.—τὸ μ. τῆς ἀνομίας 2 Th 2:7 s. ἀνομία 1 (Jos., Bell. 1, 470 calls the life of Antipater κακίας μυστήριον because of his baseness practiced in secret. Cp. also SibOr 8, 58 τὰ πλάνης μυστήρια; 56).—PFurfey, CBQ 8, ’46, 179–91.

ⓑ in Ign.: the death and resurrection of Jesus as μ. IMg 9:1 (τὸ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως μ. Orig., C. Cels. 1, 7, 9). The virginity of Mary, her childbearing, and the Lord’s death are called τρία μ. κραυγῆς three mysteries (to be) loudly proclaimed IEph 19:1 (they are mysteries because they go so contrary to human expectation). So also of the annunciation to Mary and her conception GJs 12:2f. The deacons are οἱ διάκονοι μυστηρίων Ἰ. Χρ. ITr 2:3.

ⓒ Quite difficult is the saying about the tried and true prophet ποιῶν εἰς μυστήριον κοσμικὸν ἐκκλησίας who acts in accord with the earthly mystery of (God’s) assembly D 11:11. This may refer to celibacy; the prophet lives in such a way as to correspond to the relation betw. Christ and the people of God; cp. Eph 5:32 (so Harnack, TU II 1; 2, 1884, 44ff; HWeinel, Die Wirkungen d. Geistes u. der Geister 1899, 131–38; PDrews, Hdb. z. d. ntl. Apokryphen 1904, 274ff; RKnopf, Hdb. ad loc.—Differently CTaylor, The Teaching of the Twelve Apost. 1886, 82–92; RHarris, The Teaching of the Ap. 1887; FFunk, Patr. Apostol.² 1901 ad loc.; Zahn, Forschungen III 1884, 301).

ⓓ μ. occurs oft. in Dg: τὸ τῆς θεοσεβείας μ. the secret of (our) piety 4:6 (what Dg means by μ. is detailed in ch. 5). Likew. of Christian teaching (cp. Ps.-Phocyl. 229 and comments by Horst 260–61) πατρὸς μυστήρια 11:2; cp. vs. 5. Hence the Christian can μυστήρια θεοῦ λαλεῖν 10:7. In contrast to ἀνθρώπινα μ. 7:1. οὗ (sc. τ. θεοῦ) τὰ μυστήρια whose secret counsels 7:2 (the divine will for orderly management of the universe). Of God keeping personal counsel κατεῖχεν ἐν μυστηρίῳ … τὴν σοφὴν αὐτοῦ βουλήν 8:10.—Lghtf., St. Paul’s Ep. to the Col. and Phlm. p. 167ff; JRobinson, St. Paul’s Ep. to the Eph. 1904, 234ff; GWobbermin, Religionsgesch. Studien 1896, 144ff; EHatch, Essays on Bibl. Gk. 1889, 57ff; HvSoden, ZNW 12, 1911, 188ff; TFoster, AJT 19, 1915, 402–15; OCasel, D. Liturgie als Mysterienfeier⁵ 1923; JSchneider, ‘Mysterion’ im NT: StKr 104, ’32, 255–78; TArvedson, D. Mysterium Christi ’37; KPrümm, ‘Mysterion’ v. Pls bis Orig.: ZKT 61, ’37, 391–425, Biblica 37, ’56, 135–61; RBrown, The Semitic Background of ‘Mystery’ in the NT, ’68; cp. KKuhn, NTS 7, 61, 366 for Qumran parallels to various passages in Eph and Ro; ABöhlig, Mysterion u. Wahrheit, ’68, 3–40; JFruytier, Het woord M. in de catechesen van Cyrillus van Jerusalem, ’50; ANock, Hellenistic Mysteries and Christian Sacraments, Essays on Religion and the Ancient World II, ’72, 790–820; AHarvey, The Use of Mystery Language in the Bible: JTS 31, ’80, 320–36.—DELG s.v. μύω. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.