Biblical Mysteries

Introduction
Western scholars came up with the term mysticism to describe a special religious phenomenological concept. The term is general utilized today based on a very broad assumption that things found in every religion e.g. the rituals, the practices, the goals, and the experiences are also found in other religions and outside the domain of religion (Keller, 1978; Katz, 1978). The concept of mysticism has fascinated generations. It is a concept that has gathered a lot of attention especially in the modern day world with the increasing influence of eastern religions and the New Age Movement. It has blurred the lines between general mystical experiences and experiences with the true Living God. Nowadays, some experiences of consciousness are regarded as authentic spiritual experiences (Florovsky, 1972). This research proposal is thus an investigation of biblical mysticism and major biblical mysteries found in the Christian bible and how the mysteries found in the Old Testament of the bible are similar to those found in the New Testament.
Background
As per the Catholic Encyclopedia, biblical mysticism commences when an individual commits to love a personal and eternal God and goes beyond the individual’s knowledge of God via the intellect into a sense that is more intuitive. Mysticism considers the initial union between a human soul and God to be via love and contemplation. And then attempts to find the means and processes of explaining the union beyond the love and contemplation. According to the concept, the union is not merely based on an individual’s knowledge of the divinity but on intuition and something deeper (Sauvage, 1911).
For quite a number of centuries, practitioners of eastern religions, gnostics, pantheists, and pagans supported several heretical versions of Mysticism. Most of the versions or forms primarily entailed one emptying themselves into an abyss of nothingness for the purpose of uniting their consciousness with the consciousness of their environment or surroundings. As a response to the pagan take on Mysticism, Christianity proposed a different perspective of Mysticism particularly via the writings of the Church fathers such as Pseudo-Dionysius and Saint Augustine. In Christian Mysticism, Gnostic heresies principles were openly undermined by the Church fathers. The result is that Christian Mysticism does not suggest that every individual through their own acts and will can reveal the hidden meanings or mysteries of the Divine (Murphy & Murphy, 2002). Christianity argues that it is only through faith and reason and because of Divine Grace can humans grasp the mysteries of the Divine and acquire complete union with the Living God (Sauvage, 1911). So there are differences between the pagan view on Mysticism and Christian Mysticism
Significance of the study
This study is informed by the lack of thorough biblical-theological and exegetical examination of mystery, particularly how it reveals the links between the New and the Old Testaments. There are several studies that analyze mystery occurrences in the Christian Bible. However, most of them are brief and do not provide comprehensive explanations of immediate contexts (Beale & Gladd, 2014). In contrast, quite a number of monographs exist on mystery regarded certain themes and books and are usually more exegetically inclined.
The significance of this particular study is that it seeks to fill the void between studies and the monographs by particularly paying attention to the context. This study seeks to identify and explain every occurrence of mystery via concentrating on the quotations and allusions that appear in the Old Testament alongside the occurrences. Simply put, this study is an attempt to analyze the Old Testament allusions and quotations to reveal and explain mysteries in this section of the Christian Bible (Addington, 1969; Beale & Gladd, 2014). A significant part of this study will be to find out if the New Testament perspective of mystery with the background of the Old Testament is the best approach of understanding mystery.
Literature review 
The Church education or instruction on mysticism is one that has resulted in the reconciliation of the debate between heretical mysticism and Christian mysticism. This is because it proclaims that human beings can only reach divinity or God via analytical knowledge or reason and that whatever human beings do not know via natural reason or logic, they can know via faith and revelation. And that whatever human beings cannot get by their own natural abilities they can get via God’s grace and hence through grace God has elevated humanity to a state that is supernatural (Catholic Church, 1997).
The Catholic Church Catechism also attempts to explain the reason why humanity does not need Mysticism to practice Catholicism or Christianity. The Church acknowledges that there exist a few select individuals who have been chosen to be addressed in this contemplative and unconventional mystic manner. And argues that the genuineness of the select few can solely by determined by Magisterium via a thorough investigative process. However, generally, it is the teaching of the church that one does not need to accept mystical revelations as a basis for their Faith. This is because of the understanding in the Catholic Church and the greater Christian Church that everything that God seeks to reveal for one’s salvation gets revealed only through Faith and via His Word. So only faith and His Word are needed. The need for Faith is revealed in Apostolic Traditions, Sacred Scripture, and Public Revelation (Catholic Church, 1997).
While Public Revelation involves no Mysticism, the Church argues that God does show or reveal certain mysteries via Private Revelation. And that the purpose for this is to guide persons into greater understanding of God and a deeper love and that it is not to complement any Faith tenet or doctrine that has already been revealed. Regardless, it is still the position of the Church that even Private Revelations are unnecessary for salvation. Although again there are certain situations in which God may choose a prophetess or a prophet to share a specific message to stir souls, guide, or warn individuals or groups. These are public revelations. In which case, the Catholic Church argues that as long as the person is in the Magisterium, receives sacrament, communes regularly with other congregants, and follows all the dogmas and doctrines of Faith, then they can be used by God to share with the society a special message that may be regarded in today’s world as a mystical revelation.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to always differentiate between authentic Christian mysticism and New Age mysticism. This is because in today’s world, there is much preference towards New Age mysticism rather than Christian mysticism. This is because many persons regard themselves as spiritual but not religious. But while this may be okay in their view, an authentic Christian mystic is one that abides to biblical teachings and is completely obedient to the guidelines provided by the Bishops and the Pope.
Perhaps one of the key differences between Christian Mysticism and New Age mysticism or any other form of mysticism is the fact that the contemplation and the meditation between the mystic (the Christian) and the divine (God) in Christianity is very strong and personal. While in New Age mysticism there is more of a human-centered understanding of what the divine is. An understanding that teaches that God is everything and everyone. This understanding is contrasted by that of Christian mysticism that places God at the center of relationships and as an Infinite but Personal God who loves humanity and seeks to save it (Pontifical Council for Culture, 2003).  
Over time, some Catholic mystics have become popular for their explanation and understanding of Christian mysticism. They include Saint Padre Pio, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Saint John of the Cross. However, many more Christian saints have shown the mystical union with God’s will by uniting their entire beings, their suffering, and their wounds to their love for Christ. Nevertheless, even though some Christian mystics have received spiritual ecstasies, apparitions, and locutions, these do not necessarily show or point to the existence of a mystical heart.
It is crucial for those who are following Church teachings to be on the safe side when contemplating whether to follow any prophecies or cautions. This means to follow those that they know are biblical based and not to rush to label any person as a modern mystic. If one believes they are receiving some private revelations it is crucial that they get spiritual guidance from a lay person or priest who is trusted and in full communion rather than from people with no spiritual understanding of such revelations (Jeffrey, 2013). Generally, however, every Christian has the ability to experience the full love of God through an unexplainable communion between their heart and that of Christ Jesus. A communion they get just by believing in Christ. God seeks a deep spiritual relationship according to the creatures and that relationship usually manifests in different ways which must all be embraced.
Methods 
This particular study will involve the collection of data through the utilization of the systematic literature review method. The method entails an organized review of relevant works. In this case the relevant works include authoritative books and journal articles on Bible mysteries. The specific organization will revolve around criticisms/ controversies, history, context, methodology, theories, and themes. The university library and other databases such as Google Scholar will be extensively utilized to search for dissertations, articles, journals, books, and encyclopedias related to biblical mysteries. To search the electronic databases, keywords such as “reflection on biblical mysteries,” “new testament mysteries,” “old testament mysteries,” and “bible mysteries” among others, will be used.
Rationale
Epistemology is forever a continuing process. This means that knowledge acquisition will never come to an end. One idea or reality can be explored in very many different ways. The different ways can also be compared to find out the differences and similarities or to create new ideas. This is why systematic reviews are important. They help to review different thoughts and findings and opinions from different authors and scholars (Siddaway, 2014). They help to piece together the findings collected by different researchers who have perhaps collectively spent hundreds of hours in their research (Mulrow, 1994; Mulrow, Cook & Davidoff, 1997). The piecing together of different works and their findings usually provides greater understanding on issues and provide clarifications in areas that different authors might have different conclusions on.
With regards to biblical mysteries, each selected literature work will be taken into account as one piece of many and used to provide an explanation, an analysis, criticism, and/ or reflection. The end result will be a review that comprehensively details and analyzes bible mysteries and their contexts and offers a cumulative viewpoint on the topic.
The advantages of utilizing a systematic review method are quite many. The method helps to show if findings can be generalized in some way or if they vary significantly in some aspect. A systematic review also has more precision and power in approximating effects and risks according to Mulrow (1994). With its explicit method, a systematic review can also reduce bias and boost the accuracy and reliability of recommendations.
Analysis method
The data gathered via the method proposed in this study will then be subsequently analyzed utilizing the meta-analysis method. The method involves the synthesizing and summarization of data and findings from different studies which investigate a hypothesis in a specific manner (Ahn & Kang, 2018). In addition to the synthesizing of findings and data to offer one estimate of effect, the meta-analysis method can also help to analyze relevant information such as sample sizes, baseline characteristics, and inclusion criteria for the studies analyzed (Cook, Mulrow & Haynes, 1997).
Limitations of the study
· The author knowledge on bible mysteries may be biased and not necessarily the accepted reflection.
· The systematic review may be conducted poorly resulting in personal opinions being taken as facts resulting in poor validity and reliability.
· A number of literature works will be aggregated for the study. Poor aggregation could drown some important effects.
· The systematic review findings could end up not being in agreement with findings from more reliable larger scale research.
Study validity
Several things threaten the validity the study at different stages (Cooper, 1998). For example, the accuracy and quality of information gathered from the review of literature could affect the study’s accuracy and quality. It could also potentially affect the construct validity. The link between validity and the review of literature could also impact the credibility of the research and its use in decision-making and policy-making.
Addington, J. E. (1969). The Hidden Mystery of the Bible. DeVorss & Company.
Ahn, E., & Kang, H. (2018). Introduction to systematic review and meta-analysis. Korean journal of anesthesiology, 71(2), 103.
Beale, G. K., & Gladd, B. L. (2014). Hidden but now revealed: A Biblical theology of mystery. InterVarsity Press.
Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in accordance with the official Latin text.  Promulgated by Pope John Paul II (2nd edition). Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference.
Cook, D. J., Mulrow, C. D., & Haynes, R. B. (1997). Systematic reviews: synthesis of best evidence for clinical decisions. Annals of internal medicine, 126(5), 376-380.
Florovsky, G. (1972). Bible, church, tradition: an Eastern Orthodox view (Vol. 1). Nordland Publishing Company.
Jeffrey, G. R. (2013). Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible. WaterBrook.
Katz, S.T. (1978). Language, Epistemology, and Mysticism. New York, Oxford University Press.
Keller, C. (1978). “Mystical literature.” In Katz, S.T. (ed.) Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis. New York, Oxford University Press.
Mulrow, C. D. (1994). Systematic reviews: rationale for systematic reviews. Bmj, 309(6954), 597-599.
Mulrow, C. D., Cook, D. J., & Davidoff, F. (1997). Systematic reviews: critical links in the great chain of evidence. Annals of internal medicine, 126(5), 389-391.
Murphy, R. E., & Murphy, R. E. (2002). The tree of life: An exploration of biblical wisdom literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Pontifical Council for Culture, (2003). Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the New Age. Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.
Sauvage, G. (1911). Mysticism. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from New Advent.
Siddaway, A. (2014). What is a systematic literature review and how do I do one. University of Stirling, (I), 1.