Biblical Mysticism and Mystery in the Old and New Testaments

Introduction to Biblical Mysticism

Western scholars coined the term mysticism to describe a special religious and phenomenological concept. The term is generally used today based on the broad assumption that elements found in every religion — such as rituals, practices, goals, and experiences — are also found in other religions and outside the domain of religion altogether (Keller, 1978; Katz, 1978). The concept of mysticism has fascinated generations and gathered considerable attention, especially in the modern world with the increasing influence of eastern religions and the New Age Movement. This influence has blurred the lines between general mystical experiences and experiences with the Living God. Increasingly, certain states of consciousness are regarded as authentic spiritual experiences (Florovsky, 1972).

This research proposal investigates biblical mysticism and the major biblical mysteries found in the Christian Bible, focusing particularly on how the mysteries found in the Old Testament are similar to those found in the New Testament.

Background and Christian Mysticism

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, biblical mysticism begins when an individual commits to loving a personal and eternal God and moves beyond intellectual knowledge of God into a more intuitive sense. Mysticism considers the initial union between a human soul and God to be achieved through love and contemplation, and then attempts to explain that union beyond those two means. According to this concept, the union is not merely based on an individual's intellectual knowledge of the divine but on intuition and something deeper (Sauvage, 1911).

For many centuries, practitioners of eastern religions, gnostics, pantheists, and pagans supported several heretical versions of mysticism. Most of these versions primarily involved emptying oneself into an abyss of nothingness in order to unite one's consciousness with the consciousness of one's surroundings or environment. In response to the pagan interpretation of mysticism, Christianity proposed a different perspective — particularly through the writings of Church Fathers such as Pseudo-Dionysius and Saint Augustine. In Christian mysticism, the Church Fathers openly undermined gnostic heretical principles. As a result, 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, reason, and Divine Grace that humans can grasp the mysteries of the Divine and achieve complete union with the Living God (Sauvage, 1911). There are therefore meaningful differences between the pagan view of 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 regarding how mystery reveals the links between the New and Old Testaments. Several studies analyze mystery in the Christian Bible; however, most of them are brief and do not provide comprehensive explanations of immediate contexts (Beale & Gladd, 2014). By contrast, a number of monographs exist on mystery as it relates to certain themes and books, and these are usually more exegetically focused.

The significance of this study is that it seeks to fill the void between those brief studies and the more detailed monographs by paying close attention to context. The study aims to identify and explain every occurrence of mystery by concentrating on the quotations and allusions that appear in the Old Testament alongside those occurrences. Simply put, this study attempts to analyze Old Testament allusions and quotations in order to reveal and explain mysteries in that section of the Christian Bible (Addington, 1969; Beale & Gladd, 2014). A significant part of the study will be to determine whether the New Testament perspective on mystery — understood against the background of the Old Testament — is the most effective approach to understanding mystery.

Literature Review

The Church's instruction on mysticism has helped to reconcile the debate between heretical mysticism and Christian mysticism. It proclaims that human beings can only reach divinity through analytical knowledge or reason, and that whatever human beings cannot know through natural reason or logic they can know through faith and revelation. Whatever human beings cannot attain through their own natural abilities they can receive through God's grace — and through grace, God has elevated humanity to a supernatural state (Catholic Church, 1997).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also attempts to explain 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 receive communications in this contemplative and unconventional mystic manner, and argues that the authenticity of such individuals can only be determined by the Magisterium through a thorough investigative process. Generally, however, it is the teaching of the Church that one does not need to accept mystical revelations as a basis for faith. This is because the Catholic Church, and the broader Christian Church, holds that everything God seeks to reveal for one's salvation is revealed through faith and through His Word alone. This need for faith is expressed in Apostolic Traditions, Sacred Scripture, and Public Revelation (Catholic Church, 1997).

While Public Revelation involves no mysticism, the Church argues that God does reveal certain mysteries through Private Revelation — not to complement any doctrine or tenet of faith already revealed, but to guide persons toward a greater understanding of God and a deeper love for Him. Even so, it remains the Church's position that Private Revelations are unnecessary for salvation. There are certain situations, however, in which God may choose a prophet or prophetess to share a specific message to stir souls, guide, or warn individuals or groups. These are considered public revelations. In such cases, the Catholic Church holds that as long as the person remains within the Magisterium, receives the sacraments, communes regularly with other congregants, and follows all the dogmas and doctrines of faith, they can be used by God to share a special message that may be regarded in today's world as a mystical revelation.

Nevertheless, it is crucial to differentiate between authentic Christian mysticism and New Age mysticism. In today's world, there is a marked preference for New Age mysticism over Christian mysticism, partly because many persons regard themselves as spiritual but not religious. An authentic Christian mystic, however, is one who abides by biblical teaching and is completely obedient to the guidelines provided by 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 nature of the contemplative relationship between the mystic and the divine. In Christianity, the relationship between the believer and God is deeply personal. New Age mysticism, by contrast, embraces a more human-centered understanding of the divine — one that teaches that God is everything and everyone. Christian mysticism counters this by placing God at the center of all relationships as an Infinite yet Personal God who loves humanity and seeks to save it (Pontifical Council for Culture, 2003).

Over time, certain Catholic mystics have become well known for their explanations and understanding of Christian mysticism, including Saint Padre Pio, Saint Teresa of Ávila, and Saint John of the Cross. Many more Christian saints have demonstrated the mystical union with God's will by uniting their entire beings — including their suffering and their wounds — to their love for Christ. Even though some Christian mystics have received spiritual ecstasies, apparitions, and locutions, these phenomena do not in themselves necessarily indicate the existence of a mystical heart.

It is important for those following Church teachings to exercise caution when considering whether to follow any prophecies or warnings. This means following only those that are biblically grounded and not rushing to label any person a modern mystic. If someone believes they are receiving private revelations, it is essential that they seek spiritual guidance from a trusted priest or layperson who is in full communion with the Church, rather than from those lacking 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 obtained simply through belief in Christ. God seeks a deep spiritual relationship with each person, and that relationship manifests in different ways that must all be embraced.

References

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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 ed.). 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. Oxford University Press.

Keller, C. (1978). Mystical literature. In S. T. Katz (Ed.), Mysticism and philosophical analysis. Oxford University Press.

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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. 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? (Unpublished manuscript). University of Stirling.