When the writer of Ephesians...
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When the writer of Ephesians speaks of the "mysteries" of the Christian faith, he is not
meaning to say, as proponents of the ancient mystery religions used to teach, "This
knowledge is secret, and you will obtain it only when you're worthy." Rather, he is saying
-- about the very public events of the cross and resurrection of Jesus -- that there is still
something of the miraculous about them, things we don't understand.
Martin Luther says somewhere that "The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding." Saint Augustine is well known for having said, "If we have understood, then what we have understood is not God."
"I would rather live in a world where life is surrounded by mystery," writes Harry Emerson Fosdick, "than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it."
Martin Luther says somewhere that "The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding." Saint Augustine is well known for having said, "If we have understood, then what we have understood is not God."
"I would rather live in a world where life is surrounded by mystery," writes Harry Emerson Fosdick, "than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it."