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Sacred Secrets
hillsbororiver:
Hi Eirik,
I see it as an enigma, a mystery because of the confusion of her many doctrines. Worshipping a god that is impotent and not able to save his own creation even though he really wants to, he just can't. The mystery/confusion of the Word of God saying one thing and the god of Babylon saying something different.
Babylon is confusion, but those within her cannot see it. That is one of the reasons why I believe the 'mystery/(musterion)' is attached to her name, those who are called out of her see it (sacred secret from God) clearly those still partaking of her do not.
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
YellowStone:
Hi Joe,
Thanks for looking that up and posting what you found. I would agree that a 'sacred secret' does indeed cast a different shadow than simply a mystery, even although both are profound. Just to satisfy my curisosity I pulled out my Hebrew Greek Bible and it is literal word translation and the word translated Mystery is mustêriô
This word seems to denote mystery. Yet I find that I agree with what you posted regarding Rotherham's translation. I believe Sacred Sectre fits a whole lot better in the context (I know bad word) given than the word mystery. At least as how it pertains to understanding today. Because it sure is a mystery why gas prices are so high. :)
Thanks Joe,
Darren
hillsbororiver:
Hi Darren,
Here is a bit from how and why Joseph Rotherham translated the way he did;
In Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible, Joseph B. Rotherham, who was a biblical scholar of the first rank, translated musterion as “sacred secret.” We studied the subject and have come to agree with Rotherham, and our reasoning for using “sacred secret” as the translation of the Greek word musterion is presented below.
Although many Bible versions render the Greek word musterion as “mystery,” that is not a good translation. In fact, “mystery” is a transliteration of the word musterion, not a translation of it. “Transliteration” is when the letters of a word in one language are brought across into another language. The prefix “trans” means “across,” and the Latin littera means “letter.” Thus, transliteration is literally “bringing across the letters.” In contrast, “translation” is bringing the meaning of a word in one language across into another language. If we are going to have the meaning of the Greek brought into English, we must translate, not transliterate.
Musterion: In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the Eng. Word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God.
But whereas “mystery” may mean, and in contemporary usage often does mean, a secret for which no answer can be found, this is not the connotation of the term mysterion in classical and biblical Gk. In the NT, mysterion signifies a secret which is being, or even has been, revealed, which is also divine in scope, and needs to be made known by God to men through his Spirit.
But while the musterion thus implies something hidden, and inaccessible to the unaided reason, and usually also of weighty import, it by no means necessarily denotes anything strictly mysterious and incomprehensible. The fact or truth, though requiring to be revealed, may, when revealed, be of a very elementary character.
Mystery in the NT does not deal with the unknowable, but with what is imparted by revelation.
The mystery of the New Testament has been described as an ‘open secret’; matters previously kept secret in God’s eternal purposes have now been or are being revealed (Eph. 3:3-5; 1 Cor. 2:7-8).
Numerous other sources give the same information, and the point is that the word musterion does not mean “mystery,” and should not be translated that way. Although God kept His Sacred Secret a secret for years, it has now been made known. There are a number of verses showing that a musterion can be revealed by God and understood by mankind. Because it is important to understand this point, I will quote quite a few of them.
Matthew 13:11b (KJV)
…it is given unto you to know the mysteries [musterion] of the kingdom of heaven….
Romans 16:25b and 26a (NIV)
(25b) …the mystery [musterion] hidden for long ages past,
(26a) but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God….
Ephesians 1:9 (NIV)
And he made known to us the mystery [musterion] of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
Colossians 1:26 (NIV)
the mystery [musterion] that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
Now that we have established that musterion does not mean “mystery,” and that a musterion can be revealed and understood, we will show why we translate it as “sacred secret” and not just “secret.” The Greek language uses musterion for secrets in the religious sphere, but has another word, kruptos, for secrets that are in the secular realm. [9] The word kruptos appears in many places in the New Testament. For example, Jesus said to give alms in secret (Matt. 6:4-KJV); he taught that every secret thing will be brought to light (Mark 4:22-KJV); he went to Jerusalem in secret (John 7:10-KJV); God will judge men’s secrets (Rom. 2:16); and, prophecy reveals the secrets of the heart (1 Cor. 14:24 and 25).
The verb krupto also appears many times in the New Testament. Examples include: a city on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14); the wicked servant hid his talent in the ground (Matt. 25:25); a Christian’s new life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3); and, Moses’ parents hid him after he was born (Heb. 11:23).
From the above information we see that translating musterion as “secret,” which some versions do in some places, does not bring out the true meaning of the Greek text. Anyone reading the Greek New Testament immediately understands whether God is speaking of a secular secret (kruptos) or a sacred secret (musterion), and a good translation brings out that difference. When a version translates both words as “secret,” the truth that God so clearly communicated in the Greek text is lost. When translators use “secret” for kruptos and “mystery” for musterion, the words are not confused, but the English Bible is made to say something that it just does not say—that the things of God are mysterious.
Is there a way to translate kruptos and musterion such that the meaning of the Greek words is communicated clearly into English? Yes, there is. There is not one time in the New Testament where musterion cannot be fittingly translated as “sacred secret.” If we translate kruptos as “secret,” and musterion as “sacred secret,” the meaning of the Greek is communicated clearly, and we English-speaking people are in a better position to know and understand what God has said in His Word.
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
Deborah-Leigh:
A great find Joe! Thanks for sharing. :D
To add to Eiriks thoughts... :D
Rev 17 : 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dist thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery (sacred secret...musterion) of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
For me this points to the fact that the origin and nature of evil is yet unrevealed to many. Many believe that Lucifer is a project that God got wrong and that evil is without the jurisdiction of God. God creates both good and evil but not many accept, understand or believe it! :D
Isaiah 45 : 7 ......I create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Peace be to you
Arcturus :)
YellowStone:
Hi Joe,
That was an awesome find, that being the differences between Transliteration and Translation.
This also explains why my Greek bible has it wrong, for it clearly states that it is a Word for Word rendering of the Greek text.
Thank you so much for taking the time to research that and post it.
Love in Christ,
Darren
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