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EspañolMYSTERY RELIGION
'Mystery religions', or simply 'Mysteries', were belief systems "of the Graeco-Roman world full admission to which was restricted to those who had gone through certain secret initiation rites."[1]
The term 'Mystery' is a calque, deriving from Latin ''mysterium'', from Greek ''musterion'' (usually as the plural ''musteria'' ''μυστήρια''), in this context meaning "secret rite or doctrine." An individual who followed such a 'Mystery' was a ''mystes'' "one who has been initiated," from ''myein'' "to close, shut," perhaps a reference to secrecy or that only initiates were allowed to observe and participate in rituals.[1]
The Mysteries were thus belief systems in which all religious functions were closed to the non-inducted and for which the inner-working of the religion were kept secret from the general public. Although there are no other formal qualifications, mystery religions were also characterized by their lack of an orthodoxy and scripture. Religions that were practiced in secret only in order to avoid religious persecution are not by default Mysteries.
The old meaning of 'mystery' is also preserved in the expression 'mystery play'. These stage performances of medieval Europe were known as such because the first groups to perform them were the craftsmen guilds, entry to which required an initiation and who zealously protected their trade secrets.
The Mysteries are frequently confused with Gnosticism, perhaps in part because Greek ''gnosis'' means "knowledge." The ''gnosis'' of Gnosticism is however distinct from the ''arcanum'', the "secret wisdom" of the Mysteries: while the Gnostics hoped to acquire knowledge through divine revelation, the mystery religions presumed to have it, with ''mystes'' of high rank revealing the possessed wisdom to ''acolytes'' of lower rank.
The term 'mystery religion' applies to a few of the numerous belief systems of the eastern Mediterranean of late classical antiquity, including the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Orphic Mysteries and the Mithraic Mysteries. Some of the many divinities that the Romans nominally adopted from other cultures also came to be worshipped in Mysteries, so for instance Egyptian Isis, Thracian/Phrygian Sabazius and Phrygian Cybele.[3]
"Plato, an initiate of one of these sacred orders, was severely criticized because in his writings he revealed to the public many of the secret philosophic principles of the Mysteries."3
The mystery religions are possibly one of the origins of Western mystery tradition, but the two should not be confused with one another. For a list of Mysteries with an article on Wikipedia, see .
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| Contents |
| Definition |
| Religions classified as such |
| References |
| Further reading |
Definition
The term 'Mystery' is a calque, deriving from Latin ''mysterium'', from Greek ''musterion'' (usually as the plural ''musteria'' ''μυστήρια''), in this context meaning "secret rite or doctrine." An individual who followed such a 'Mystery' was a ''mystes'' "one who has been initiated," from ''myein'' "to close, shut," perhaps a reference to secrecy or that only initiates were allowed to observe and participate in rituals.[1]
The Mysteries were thus belief systems in which all religious functions were closed to the non-inducted and for which the inner-working of the religion were kept secret from the general public. Although there are no other formal qualifications, mystery religions were also characterized by their lack of an orthodoxy and scripture. Religions that were practiced in secret only in order to avoid religious persecution are not by default Mysteries.
The old meaning of 'mystery' is also preserved in the expression 'mystery play'. These stage performances of medieval Europe were known as such because the first groups to perform them were the craftsmen guilds, entry to which required an initiation and who zealously protected their trade secrets.
The Mysteries are frequently confused with Gnosticism, perhaps in part because Greek ''gnosis'' means "knowledge." The ''gnosis'' of Gnosticism is however distinct from the ''arcanum'', the "secret wisdom" of the Mysteries: while the Gnostics hoped to acquire knowledge through divine revelation, the mystery religions presumed to have it, with ''mystes'' of high rank revealing the possessed wisdom to ''acolytes'' of lower rank.
Religions classified as such
The term 'mystery religion' applies to a few of the numerous belief systems of the eastern Mediterranean of late classical antiquity, including the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Orphic Mysteries and the Mithraic Mysteries. Some of the many divinities that the Romans nominally adopted from other cultures also came to be worshipped in Mysteries, so for instance Egyptian Isis, Thracian/Phrygian Sabazius and Phrygian Cybele.[3]
"Plato, an initiate of one of these sacred orders, was severely criticized because in his writings he revealed to the public many of the secret philosophic principles of the Mysteries."3
The mystery religions are possibly one of the origins of Western mystery tradition, but the two should not be confused with one another. For a list of Mysteries with an article on Wikipedia, see .
References
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Further reading
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