03.03. The First Paper
[Here was what we put at the beginning as the “Introductory thoughts” for these studies.] (First Paper, Things to Come, Sept. 1895, 2(3):42-44) 1- THE MEANING OF THE WORD MYSTERY.
There is no subject of greater importance to the Church of God than that which, in the New Testament, is called “The Mystery”: but it is not every Christian who is in a position to receive it. Only those who have “believed God,” and who have thus been justified as Abraham was by faith in His Word concerning the redeeming blood; and who, in “the obedience of faith,” reckon themselves to be dead and risen again in Him, and whose citizenship is now in heaven - only these are the fit recipients of the wondrous revelation of the “Mystery of God and of Christ.”
God’s Gospel concerning His Son Jesus Christ had been promised through the Prophets in the Holy Scriptures, as we read in Rom 1:1-3; but the Mystery of the Body of Christ had never been revealed, and did not therefore form the subject of Old Testament Prophecy.
It was the subject of a special revelation to Apostles, and Prophets, and Saints through St. Paul, to whom and by whom this Mystery was first announced in mortal ears And it was communicated only to the Saints who had been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, who had been justified by faith, and sealed with the holy spirit of promise; only to those whom God, who is rich in mercy, was pleased to make know that which has hitherto been hidden in Himself, and was never previously revealed unto the sons of men. When Christians left their first love in the earliest days of the history of Christendom, this precious revelation was apparently the first which became obscured and lost sight of. Then the true teaching concerning the holy spirit in the Church became less and less clear, especially while the simple foundation of the truth of justification on the principle of faith alone was also being departed from.
These precious truths - by the Lord’s long-suffering patience and mercy, have been partially recovered in these last days out of the wonderful treasury of His Word, but never, perhaps, in their pristine freshness and clearness.
It is our object now, in dependence on the Lord’s goodness, and reliance on the holy spirit’s guidance, to do something to recover the blessed truth concerning the “Mystery,” and thus endeavour to be a “good scribe,” bringing out of the Mater’s treasures something that is old but yet new, and new but yet old.
It will be well at the outset to define our terms, and to have a clear understanding as to THE MEANING OF THE WORD. The word “Mystery” is not an English word at all; it is a Greek word, transliterated. True it has become Anglicized, and is in common use to-day, but its meaning has changed, and is very different from the meaning which the Greek word originally had, and still has of course, in the Scriptures. We use it of something which no one can understand. This is not altogether wrong if we add the thought - until he is initiated! In the Greek, the word musteerion means simply a secret. It occurs in the Septuagint only nine times as the equivalent of the Hebrew word ratz, which means to conceal hence, a secret. It occurs in Dan 2:18, Dan 2:19, Dan 2:27, Dan 2:28, Dan 2:29, Dan 2:30, Dan 2:47 (twice), and in Dan 4:9, and is translated secret.
It was the king’s secret which had gone from king Nebuchadnezzar, and which no one could tell him, until God revealed it to Daniel…
Thus, it is perfectly clear and certain that the word Mystery, as used in the Scripture, is simply a secret. But by the end of the second century after Christ the word musteerion had acquired an additional use. It was used not only of a secret, but of a secret sign or symbol. In this sense the Greek fathers employed it to denote any such sign, whether of words or actions. They spoke of the offering of Isaac as a musteerion, i.e., a sign or symbol of the secret purpose of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ. And they used it interchangeably with the words tupos, type; sumbolon, symbol, and parabolee, parable. It has a sense, therefore, similar to these words.
Justin Martyr (A.D. 148) says that in all false religions the serpent was represented as “a great symbol and musteerion” (Apol. i. 27). So in his reference to the Paschal Lamb, he says, “the musteerion therefore of the Lamb… was a type of Christ.” Speaking of Isa 7:14, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” he says, “since this refers to the house of David, Isaiah has explained how that which was spoken by God to David, in a mystery, would actually come to pass. Perhaps” he adds, “you are not aware, my friends, of this - that there were many sayings written obscurely; or in parables; for secret signs; or in symbols, which the prophets who lived after the persons who said or did them, expounded” (Trypho, c. 68).
Mystery was practically synonymous with a symbol, and yet there was a slight difference. Perhaps a secret sign would best express it; and this was the usage of the word when the Revelation was given to John. Hence, in that book, we must give the word this signification. In Rev 1:20, it is used of “the mystery of the seven stars,” and in chap. Rev 17:5, Rev 17:7, it is used of “Babylon.” So that in these things we are to see a secret sign of something which they were to represent.
It is remarkable also that soon after this we find the Latin version translating the word mystery (in Eph 5:32) by the word sacramentum, i.e., sacrament. From this it is positive that at that time the word sacramentum or sacrament meant merely a secret sign or symbol! It had not then acquired its later theological use; but the word “sacrament” had reference merely to a symbol, or a symbolical act, a secret sign, shewing forth the Lord’s death. The popular etymologies of the word are therefore all wrong and misleading. If the word (according to Tertullian) had any reference to a military oath, it was only because in the administration of that oath some secret sign was given or made which symbolically represented it.
It is certain, therefore, that the modern and ecclesiastical use of the word “sacrament” is not only a gross misrepresentation of the truth, but it is founded on ignorance of the history of the word.
1) The Greek musteerion means a secret; and later a secret sign or symbol.
2) The Latin sacramentum is used in the Vulgate as the equivalent of musteerion in Eph 5:32, therefore sacramentum meant, and means, a secret sign or symbol. This gives us the true meaning of the word as used by the Reformers in one of their prayers. When they say “these holy mysteries,” they mean “the special commemoratives of bread and wine,” i.e., these signs and symbols which are used to “show forth the Lord’s death.”
Thus, in our search for truth, two great errors are, at the outset, corrected: - The true meaning of the word Mystery in the Scriptures is not something that cannot be understood, but something kept secret - a secret truth or sign, revealed to those who are initiated. And the theological word Sacrament is not some act of ecclesiastical jugglery, but a simple symbolical act, by which the Lord’s people show forth their Lord’s death.
We are now prepared to apply the meaning of the word mystery, thus ascertained, to the various passages in the New Testament where it is used.