Date

3-10-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Andreas Kostenberger

Keywords

mystery, new testament, Paul

Disciplines

Christianity | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The world in which the apostle Paul ministered was not one where the religious landscape was blank and there was no competition for worldviews. Indeed, the cultural forces of Judaism, Hellenism, and Roman imperialism produced an environment where numerous religious belief systems were present including Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism, Greco–Roman mystery religions, and imperial worship. Paul found himself preaching a message that had to stand on its own merits in an environment that had been religiously conditioned for centuries. Typical of their parent culture, competing religious systems of Paul’s day took different views of Christianity. For Judaism, Christianity represented a heresy of the highest order. Religious systems of Hellenism viewed Christianity as a philosophy of nonsense, and Roman imperialism viewed it as a weak and impractical system of belief. Yet, Paul skillfully leveraged specific features of those cultures (along with his own unique background) to effectively make the case for Christianity. Specifically, one of the cultural dynamics that Paul spoke into—especially in his letters to the larger churches among the Gentiles—was the common struggle of mortal man to relate to divinity that seemed inaccessible and incomprehensible. In a manner analogous to his Athens address in Acts regarding Athenian worship of “unknown gods,” Paul uses the concept of μυστήριον (“mystery”) to provide previously hidden insight—to both Jews and Gentiles—regarding the true God’s personal revelation of himself in Jesus Christ and his plan for redemption, reconciliation, and re–creation of his people, including Jews and Gentiles in a new redeemed humanity (the church).

The thesis of this dissertation is that, while the Gentile religions and Judaism of Paul’s day reflect aspects of μυστήριον, Paul’s use of the term in his preaching to the Gentiles is polemic to highlight the shortcomings of Judaism and illuminate the previously hidden path to personal, corporate, and salvific relationship with God for Gentiles.

The New Testament concept of mystery highlights its salient characteristic of being hidden in the past by God and undiscernible by human effort. Certainly there were numerous mystery and pagan religions that exhibited varying elements of mystery in their respective belief systems. Moreover, Judaism also exhibited elements of mystery with some of those elements closely aligning to Pauline concepts. Yet, Paul obviously had much to say about Jewish concepts of mystery as he reflects on the temporary estrangement of Israelites who rejected the Messiah and the incorporation of the Gentiles into the people of God. Similarly, since the revelation of God’s mystery in Jesus Christ was so new and profound, it is reasonable to posit that the “mystery religions” of Paul’s day did not shape his theology of mystery, rather these Greco–Roman religions served as relevant antitheses where he could challenge and change their thinking about mystery.

This dissertation will examine Paul’s use of the word μυστήριον (“mystery”) in his letters to the churches at Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus.

The goals of this dissertation are to:

(1) Examine the cultural and religious backgrounds of the various churches at the time of Paul’s correspondence.

(2) Discuss the meaning and implications of Paul’s use of μυστήριον in the historical context of the various letters and audiences.

(3) Elaborate on the polemic aspects/functions of Paul’s writings relative to the surrounding religious milieu.

(4) Synthesize the implications of continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments evidenced by μυστήριον and suggest application for ministry beyond the church age with the eternal state in imperfect view.

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