THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERIES

Including: DISCIPLINA ARCANI (Discipline of the Secret); Library of Alexandria; The Didache
http://www.osv.com/OSV4MeNav/CatholicAlmanac/GlossaryDM/tabid/345/Default.aspx, Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac: Glossary D-M, Disciplina Arcani:

Disciplina Arcani: A Latin phrase, meaning discipline of the secret and referring to a practice of the early Church, especially during the Roman persecutions, to: (1) conceal Christian truths from those who, it was feared, would misinterpret, ridicule and profane the teachings, and persecute Christians for believing them; (2) instruct catechumens in a gradual manner, withholding the teaching of certain doctrines until the catechumens proved themselves of good faith and sufficient understanding.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03430b.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Catechumen: Catechumen," in the early Church, was the name applied to one who had not yet been initiated into the sacred mysteries, but was undergoing a course of preparation for that purpose. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10662a.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Mystery (Greek mysterion, from myein, "to shut", "to close".): This term signifies in general that which is unknowable, or valuable knowledge that is kept secret. In pagan antiquity the word mystery was used to designate certain esoteric doctrines, such as Pythagoreanism, or certain ceremonies that were performed in private or whose meaning was known only to the initiated, e.g., the Eleusinian rites, Phallic (penis) worship. In the language of the early Christians the mysteries were those religious teachings that were carefully guarded from the knowledge of the profane (see DISCIPLINE OF THE SECRET). http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05032a.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Discipline of the Secret (Latin Disciplina Arcani ): A theological term used to express the custom which prevailed in the earliest ages of the Church, by which the knowledge of the more intimate mysteries of the Christian religion was carefully kept from the heathen and even from those who were undergoing instruction in the Faith. The custom itself is beyond dispute The origin of the custom must be looked for in the recorded words of Christ: "Give not that which holy to dogs; neither cast your pearls before swine; lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you" (Matthew 7:6) Although the origin of the custom is thus to be traced back to the very beginnings of Christianity, it does not appear to have been so general, or to have been carried out with so much strictness in the earlier centuries as it was immediately after the persecutions had ceased. This may be due in part to the absence of detailed information with regard to the earlier period, but it is probable enough that the discipline was growing more strict all through the second and third centuries on account of the pressure of persecution

Having to be hid, it must be something that the general public dislikes, something related to Phallic (penis) worship like free sex that would offend the then marriage and prostitution standards. At least orgies, incest, etc. (free sex things) is what the official government accusations were. Its hard to keep things totally hidden especially when its practiced a lot. Especially if the Roman government happened to be smart enough to place a impersonating spy into the love feast before carrying out a very severe punishment.

 (1) Catechumens: The rule of reticence applied to all the sacraments, and no catechumen was ever allowed to be present at their celebration. St. Basil(c. 330-379 AD) (De Spir. S. ad Amphilochium, xxvii) speaking of the sacraments says: "One must not circulate in writing the doctrine of mysteries which none but the initiated are allowed to see." St. Basil, in the treatise already spoken of (De Spir. S., xxv, 11), says that no one has ever ventured to speak openly in writing of the holy oil of unction (because it was semen for the eucharist), and Innocent I, writing to the Bishop of Gubbio on the sacramental "form" of the ordinance answers: "I dare not speak the words, but I should seem rather to betray a trust than to respond to a request for information" (Epist. i, 3). Holy orders in the same way were never given publicly. The Council of Laodicea(c. 363 AD) forbade it definitely (in its fifth canon) in its speaking of the practice of begging the prayers of the faithful for those who are to be ordained, says that those who understand co-operate with and assent to what is done.

Assent/agree: You mean some might disagree with free sex? So it sounds like the sex orgies went on in the fourth century but in secrecy from the general public, and with clerical controversy, hence the writing of Augustine.
2) The Heathen: If it was forbidden to speak or write publicly of these doctrines, silence was completely accounted for. Protestant controversialists, therefore, endeavoured first of all to deny that the practice had ever really existed, and then when they were driven from this position, they asserted that it was unknown to the earliest Christians, as shown by the freedom with which Justin Martyr speaks on the subject of the Holy Eucharist, and that it was the result of persecution.

In reference to the above:

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Synod of Laodicea, Canon 5: Ordinations(sacraments, rites, holy orders) are not to be held in the presence of hearers. http://70.84.222.89/index.php?title=Discipline_of_the_Secret (Original Catholic Encyclopedia [19071914]), Discipline of the Secret, The Heathen: Theodoret(c.393-458 AD) (Quaest. xv in Num.) lays down the general principle in terms which are quite clear and unmistakable: "We speak in obscure terms concerning the Divine Mysteries, on account of the uninitiated, but when these have withdrawn we teach the initiated plainly." That passage alone would suffice to refute allegation not unfrequently made that the Discipline of the Secret was a confinement of the knowledge of the mysteries of the Faith to a chosen few, and was introduced in imitation of the heathen "mysteries". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Eucharist, History of the Eucharist | Mystery Cults: They were known as the "mysteries," because their adherants took oaths never to reveal their rites to the uninitiated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric_Christianity, Esoteric Christianity:

Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a Mystery religion.[1] [2] All these spiritual currents share some common denominators, which are: the acceptance of an oral tradition inherited by the Apostles and in which the inner teachings of Jesus Christ are transmitted (this oral tradition is often referred as disciplina arcani)[3].
Christianity as a Mystery Religion The word used by Early Christians to indicate the Christian Mystery is . This very word, musterion, dictated in modern scholars an entire direction of research. The Old-Testament versions

use the word mysterion as an equivalent for the Hebrew sd, "secret" (Proverbs 20:19; Judith 2:2; Sirach 22:27; 2 Maccabees 13:21). In the New Testament the word mystery is applied ordinarily to the sublime revelation of the Gospel (Matthew 13:11; Colossians 2:2; 1 Timothy 3:9; 1 Corinthians 15:51), and to the Incarnation and life of the Saviour and His manifestation by the preaching of the Apostles (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:4; 6:19; Colossians 1:26; 4:3). Theologians give the name mystery to revealed truths that [6] surpass the powers of natural reason, so, in a narrow sense, the Mystery is a truth that trascends the created intellect. The impossibility of obtaining a rational comprehension of the Mystery leads to an inner or hidden way of comprehensionof the Christian Mystery which is indicated by the [7] term esoteric in Esoteric Christianity. In most currents of Esoteric Christianity , this esoteric knowledge is identified with the disciplina arcani of the early stages of Christianity, an unwrittenapostolic [9] tradition mentioned in several texts written by the Church Fathers.

I may be the only one who can explain the evils of marriage, and how the desire for sexual diversity is good. Or, I just live in the age of effective birth control, where people might be able to understand it.
Colossians 2:1-3:
1

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love(agape), and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0MDO/is_6_29/ai_95148882, Ambrose of Milan's Method of Mystagogical Preaching - Book Review: What is mystagogical preaching? It is preaching on the "mysteries," that is, the sacraments, as experienced by those baptized and communed at the Easter Vigil The instruction focused not on baptism or the Eucharist but on the moral life that was expected of the baptized. The rites were part of the Disciplina Arcani, the secret disciplines of the church, too holy to be discussed before they were experienced. http://semlife.blogspot.com/, Seminary LIfe: An insider's view of life in a Roman Catholic seminary 2002-2004:

3. Purpose of Mystagogy Why was there mystagogy in the first place? Why was it needed? Wouldnt it have made sense for someone being initiated to know what they are getting themselves into, rather than be told after the fact? Three answers are commonly given, all rooted in the disciplina arcani, or secretiveness surrounding truths of the faith. The disciplina arcani made explanation of sacraments after the fact necessary. Thedisciplina arcani resulted from the Churchs need for self-preservation in times of persecution
Random House Word Menu, 1992, p. 845, Faith | Magic and the Occult | Occult States and Experiences | mysteries:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc01.html?term=Arcani%20Disciplina (Christian Classics Ethereal Library), Arcani Disciplina, Not Earlier than the Third Century:

In Contra Celsum, iii. 59-61, he has no cultic acts in view; when he remarks (Levit. hom., 9, 10; ix. 364, ed. Lommatsch), He who is imbued with the mysteries knows the flesh and the blood of the Word of God, he is thinking of the mysteries of the gnosis (Anrich, 129, n. 2). His reference to the anxiety lest some of the consecrated bread should be dropped (Exod. hom., xiii. 3; ix. 156) is a warning against the inattentive hearing of the Word; and his reference (Lev. hom., xiii. 3; ix. 403) to ecclesiastica mysteria proves nothing. Methodius does not applyMatt. vii. 6 to sacred acts (Photius, Bibl., cod. 235), nor are such acts the orgies of our mysteries, the mystic rites of those who are initiated (Sympos., vi. 6).
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sacrament (Classic Encyclopedia: Based on the 11th Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica [pub. 1911]), Sacrament: In the treatise To the Nations, i. 16, he speaks of " the sacraments of our religion," intending, it would appear, the love-feast and Eucharist. So in the Apology, ch. vii., he speaks of " the sacrament of infanticide and of the eating of a murdered child and of incest following the banquet," the crimes of which the Christians were commonly accused. That baptism is called the Seal (vdpa'yls), and Illumination (4ceno-phs) in the 2nd century has been set down to the influence of the pagan mysteries; but as a matter of fact the former term is a metaphor from military discipline, and the idea conveyed in the latter that gnosis or imparting of divine love is an illumining of the soul is found both in the Old and New Testaments. Nor because the pagans regarded the close meetings of the Christians usually held in private houses asmysteries in which incest and cannibalism were rife, does it follow that the Christians themselves accepted the comparison. The Christians' of Bithynia were evidently quite frank about them to Pliny ( c. 112), and Justin in his Apology reveals everything to a pagan emperor (c. 150). That catechumens could not participate in the agape or love-feast The sacred feasts of the Essenes and Therapeutae in particular, as described by Josephus and Philo, closely resembled the Eucharistic agape. 5th centuries in their, discourses often make a point of not citing the creed or describing the Eucharist; they stop short and ejaculate such remarks as 'oa6cv of irco-roi, norunt fideles (" the faithful know it "). Such was the Disciplina arcani. All will admit who study the post-Nicene Church, that the Christian sacraments have stolen the clothes of the pagan mysteries, dethroned and forbidden by the Christian emperors.

And, the pagan mysteries is Dionysus, Orpheus, Cotytto, etc.: all the ones noted for sex orgies (see later pages at this website).

http://www.ewtn.com/library/THEOLOGY/PHIL631.htm (Global Catholic Network [TV, radio, etc.), An Introduction to Christian Philosophy, Chapter VThe Teaching Church:

Interestingly, St. Cyril still seems to be observing the ancient Disciplina arcani, the secrecy about some major doctrines. In the second century, there ere three kinds of popular charges against Christians: atheism [not worshipping the gods of the state], sex orgies, and cannibalism. The last was of course based on garbled reports of the Eucharist. Tertullian in his Apologeticum 2 ridicules this charge saying: "What a glory it would be for a governor who had found someone who had already eaten a hundred infants!"
Chapter VIThe Patristic Origin of Christian Philosophy:

1. Pagan Attacks on Christianity: Paganism was aggressive. Vile rumors were rampant. There were chiefly three charges popularly made against Christians: atheism, sex orgies, and cannibalism. Tertullian in his Apologeticum, written in 197 AD before he became a Montanist, wrote in 2. 5 that torture was used to try to force Christians to confess terrible crimes, e.g., "how many acts of incest a person has committed in the dark? what cooks and what dogs were on hand?" He reflects the pagan charge of sex orgies: Christians, they said, would gather in a large place after dark, with light only from one torch on a lampstand. They would tie a dog to the stand by a leash, and then throw a piece of meat in front of the dog, but so far out he would have to pull the stand over to get the meat. Then the light would go out, and an orgy would follow. The obvious answer is: Why bother to go to such trouble to have sex? And why have a fire hazard? The third charge was cannibalismclearly coming from garbled reports about the Eucharist.
http://www.catholicculture.org/library/most/getchap.cfm?WorkNum=11&ChapNum=6 (Catholic Culture), Library: Most Theological Library: An Introduction to Christian Philosophy: The Patristic Origin of Christian Philosophy:
1. Pagan Attacks on Christianity: Paganism was aggressive. Vile rumors were rampant. There were chiefly three charges popularly made against Christians: atheism, sex orgies, and cannibalism.

Tertullian in his Apologeticum ,written in 197 AD before he became a Montanist, wrote in 2.5 that torture was used to try to force Christians to confess terrible crimes, e.g., "how many acts of incest a person has committed in the dark? what cooks and what dogs were on hand?" He reflects the pagan charge of sex orgies: Christians, they said, would gather in a large place after dark, with light only from one torch on a lampstand. They would tie a dog to the stand by a leash, and then throw a piece of meat in front of the dog, but so far out he would have to pull the stand over to get the meat. Then the light would go out, and an orgy would follow. The obvious answer is: Why bother to go to such

make it non-discriminatory: theres no looks discrimination when its dark; and, to better hide it from the Roman government.)
trouble to have sex? And why have a fire hazard? (To

4. Minucius Felix: One of the first, if not the first, of the Latin apologists (debated whether he or Tertullian wrote first). We know he was a lawyer at Rome, probably early in third century. We have a rather philosophical type of dialogue from him, the Octavius.It is a dialogue in which Caecelius, a pagan, passionately defends paganism and attacks Christianity. He is answered by Octavius a Christian. It is very interesting for showing the very specific intellectual arguments used against Christianity, and the replies. Caecilius says The morals of Christians are bad: they come from the

dregs of society, they worship the head of an ass, and do horrible sex crimes. Their faith is absurd. They think there is only one God, present everywhere - but He could not prevent the subjection of the Jews to Rome. Christians hope for an immortal reward, but their present evils foretell what awaits them in the future.

The Christians obviously denied these sex orgy charges simply because free sex disrupts marriage and the Roman prostitution trade, and they really didnt really want to be persecuted, die or suffer.
http://books.google.com/books?id=3Dj6NOnPaI0C&pg=PP2&lpg=PP2&dq=%22the+esoteric+path+an+in troduction+to+the%22&source=web&ots=kvnoPdrnIN&sig=M5euqfMcw6lxdjXWjOXmpOAJ2k#PPA95,M1, The Esoteric Path: An Introduction to the Hermetic Tradition Google Book Result, by Luc Benoist, 2004, p. 95, Esoteric Christianity:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_of_Alexandria, Clement of Alexandria: Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens) (c.150-211/216), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. He was born about the middle of the 2nd century, and died between 211 and 216. He united Greek philosophical traditions with Christian doctrine and valued gnosis that with communion for all people could be held by common Christians. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=m4ue2zYLJqoC&dq=%22do+this+in+remembrance+of+me%2 2&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=_HRvY9bCFz&sig=yCGfTZwIvhC7eozSRlXSaigQ7nU#PPA163 ,M1, Do This in Remembrance of Me: The Disputed Works in the Lukan INstitution Narrative (Luke 22.19b20): An Historico-Exegetical, Theological and Sociological Analysis Google Book Result, by Bradly S. Billings, pp. 163-164, Thyestean Banquets and Oedipodean Intercourse:

(Tacitus Annals 14.17 must be an error, probably meaning 15.44)

http://books.google.com/books?id=VBN6r3cC6v0C&printsec=frontcover&vq=%22When+Children+Becam e+People:+The+Birth+Of+Childhood+In+Early#PPA127,M1, When Children Became People: The Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity Google Book Result, by Odd Magne Bakke, 2005, pp. 127128, Abortion, Infanticide and Expositio, and Sexual Relations:

http://www.scta.org.au/catholicanswers/lv_introduction.doc (Society of Catholic Teachers Australia Inc.), Introduction, Defend the Faith:

During the first centuries of the Churchs history, the Christian religion was outlawed by the civil authorities of Rome and attacked by pagan apologists as atheistic, cannibalistic and sexually promiscuous. Christian apologists such as Aristides, St. Justin Martyr and Athenagoras responded by showing that these accusations were no more than calumnies and that Rome had nothing to fear from toleration of the Christian religion. The apologetical struggle against paganism was taken up in the late second and early third centuries AD by St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian. They aimed their energies at exposing and refuting the plethora ofmystery cults, Greek mythology and Gnostic heresies prevalent at the time.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/info/marcion-wace.html, Marcion, a noted and permanently influential heretic of the 2nd cent.: Discipline and Worship.--In rites Marcion followed the church model. Marriage he

condemned. A married man was received as a catechumen, but not admitted to baptism until he had agreed to separate from his wife (ib. i. 29 and iv. 10). This probably explains the statement of Epiphanius that the Marcionites celebrated the mysteries in the presence of unbaptized persons. The sect could not have flourished if it discouraged married persons from joining it; and if it admitted them only as catechumens, that class would naturally be granted larger privileges than in the Catholic church.
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/church_tradition_florovsky.htm, On Church and Tradition. An Eastern Orthodox View, Archpriest George Florovsky (1893-1979), The function of tradition In the Ancient Church | St. Basil(c. 330-379 AD) and Unwritten Tradition:

His phrasing, however, was rather peculiar. "Of the dogmata and kerygmata, which are kept in the Church, we have some from the written teaching ( ), and some we derive from the Apostolic paradosis, which had been handed down en mistirio ( ). And both have the same strength ( ) in the matters of piety" (de Spir. S., 66). At first glance one may get the impression that St. Basil introduces here a double authority and double standard Scripture and Tradition. In fact he was very far from doing so. His use of terms is peculiar. Kerygmata were for him what in the later idiom was usually denoted as "dogmas" or "doctrines" a formal and authoritative teaching and ruling in the matters of faith, the open or public teaching. On the other hand, dogmata were for him

the total complex of "unwritten habits" ( ), or, in fact, the whole structure of liturgical and sacramental life. It must be kept in mind that the concept, and the term itself, "dogma," was not yet fixed by that time, it was not yet a term with a strict and exact connotation [See the valuable study by August Deneffe, S.J.,Dogma. Wort und Begriff, in the Scholastik, Jg. VI (1931), ss. 381 -400 and 505-538]. In any case, one should not be embarrassed by the contention of St. Basil that dogmata were delivered or handed down, by the Apostles en mistirio ( ). It would be a flagrant mistranslation if we render it as "in secret." The only accurate rendering is: "by the way of mysteries," that is under the form of rites and (liturgical) usages, or "habits." In fact, it is precisely what St. Basil says himself: [Most of the mysteries are communicated to us by an unwritten way]. The term ta mistika ( ) refers here, obviously, to the rites of Baptism and Eucharist, which are, for St. Basil, of "Apostolic" origin. He quotes at this point St. Pauls own reference to "traditions," which the faithful have received ( 2 Thess. 2:15; 1 Cor. 11:2). The doxology in question is one of these "traditions" (71; cf. also 66) , [The Apostles and Fathers who from the very beginning arranged everything in the churches, preserved the sacred character of the mysteries in silence and secrecy]. Indeed, all instances quoted by St. Basil in this connection are of ritual or liturgical nature: the use of the sign of the Cross in the rite of admission of Catechumens; the orientation toward East at prayer; the habit to keep standing at worship on Sundays; the epiclesis in the Eucharistic rite; the blessing of water and oil, the renunciation of Satan and his pomp, the triple immersion, in the rite of Baptism. There are many other "unwritten mysteries of the Church," says St. Basil: (c. 66 and 67). They are not mentioned in the Scripture. But they are of great authority and significance. They are indispensable for the preservation of right faith. They are effective means of witness and communication. According to St. Basil, they come from a "silent" and "private" tradition: [From the silent and mystical tradition, from the unpublic and ineffable teaching]. This "silent" and "mystical" tradition, "which has not been made public," is not an esoteric doctrine, reserved for some particular elite. The "elite" was the Church. In fact, "tradition" to which St. Basil appeals, is the liturgical practice of the Church. St. Basil is referring here to what is now denoted as disciplina arcani [The discipline of secrecy]. In the fourth century this "discipline" was in wide use, was formally imposed and advocated in the Church. It was related to the institution of the Catechumenate and had primarily an educational and didactic purpose. On the other hand, as St. Basil says himself, certain "traditions" had to be kept "unwritten" in order to prevent profanation at the hands of the infidel. This remark obviously refers to rites and usages. It may be recalled at this point that, in the

practice of the Fourth century, the Creed (and also the Dominical Prayer) were a part of this "discipline of secrecy" and could not be disclosed to the non-initiated. The Creed was reserved for the candidates for Baptism, at the last stage of their instruction, after they had been solemnly enrolled and approved. The Creed was communicated, or "traditioned," to them by the bishoporally and they had to recite it by memory before him: the ceremony of traditio and redditio symboli. [Transmission and Repetition (by the initiated) of the Creed]. The Catechumens were strongly urged not to divulge the Creed to outsiders and not to commit it to writing. It had to be inscribed in their hearts. It is enough to quote there the Procatechesis of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, cap 12 and 17. In the West Rufinus and St. Augustine felt that it was improper to set the Creed down on paper. For that reason Sozomen in his History does not quote the text of the Nicene Creed, "which only the initiated and the mystagogues(One who prepares candidates for initiation into a mystery cult) have the right to recite and hear" (hist. eccl. 1.20) . It is against this background, and in this historic context, that the argument of St. Basil must be assessed and interpreted. St. Basil stresses strongly the importance of the Baptismal profession of faith, which included a formal commitment to the belief in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (67 and 26). It was a "tradition" which had been handed down to the neophytes "in mystery" and had to be kept "in silence."One would be in great danger to shake "the very foundation of the Christian faith" if this "unwritten tradition" was set aside, ignored, or neglected (c. 25). The only difference between dogma() and kirigma () was in the manner of their transmission: dogma is kept "in silence" and kerygmata are "publicized:" , . But their intent is identical: they convey the same faith, if in different manners. Moreover, this particular habit was not just a tradition of the Fathers such a tradition would not have sufficed: uk eksarki. In fact, "the Fathers" derived their "principles" from "the intention of the Scripture" [Following the intention of the Scripture, deriving their principles from the scriptural witnesses]. Thus, the "unwritten tradition," in rites and symbols, does not actually add anything to the content of the Scriptural faith: it only puts this faith in focus [Cf. Hermann Drries, De Spiritu Sancto, Der Beitrag
des Basilius zum Abschluss des trinitarischen Dogmas (Gttingen, 1956); J. A. Jungmann, S.J., Die Stellung Christi im liturgischen Gebet, 2. Auflage (Mnster i/W, 1962), ss. 155 ff., 163 ff.; Dom David Amand, Lascese monastique de Saint Basile, Editions de Maredsous (1949), pp. 75-85. The footnotes in the critical editions of the treatise De Spiritu S. by C. F. H. Johnson (Oxford, 1892) and by Benoit Pruche, O.P. (in the Sources Chrtiennes, Paris, 1945) are highly instructive and helpful. On disciplina arcani see O. Perler, s.v. Arkandisciplin, in Reallexikon fr Antike and Christentum, Bd. I (Stuttgart, 1950), ss. 671 -676,. Joachim Jeremias, Die Abendmahlsworte Jesu (Gttingen, 1949), ss. 59 ff., 78 ff., contended that disciplina arcani could be detected already in the formation of the text of the Gospels, and actually existed also in Judaism; cf. the sharp criticism of this thesis by R. P. C. Hanson, Tradition in the Early Church(London, 1962), pp. 27 ss]. Harpers Latin Dictionary, Lewis & Short, 1879, p. 1183, mysterium:

Sexualia: From Prehistory to Cyberspace, Clifford Bishop and Xenia Osthelder, Konemann, 2001, The Classical World, Festivals and Mysteries, p. 215:

http://books.google.com/books?id=rey19p_ycHUC&pg=PP6&lpg=PP6&dq=suns+of+god+by+acharya+s& source=web&ots=83B5FlaqoX&sig=WVsBikgx0aPOM-5UtvP0RN6l4tI#PPA505,M1, Suns of God Google Books Result, by Acharya S, 2004, p. 505, The Mysteries Brotherhood:

P. 506:

I can see how human sex can be looked at as creat[ing] union with the Godhead. Ill have to try it. Of course, doing this with multiple people might be kind of hard without establishing a religious following, which I have no interest in doing.
Man, Myth & Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Universe , Cavendish, 1995, vol. 13, p. 1810, Mystery Religions:

P. 1811:

Distinct differences sexual rites: A modern day assumption.

http://books.google.com/books?id=9FnnE2dfqUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Evangelism+In+The+Early+Church&sig=Q3wH6iM1DrPXZlQE P0VcGZRUDus#PPA40,M1, Evangelism In The Early Church Google Books Result, by Michael Green, 2004, p. 39, Pathways for Evangelism | Enthusiastic cults:

P. 40:

http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar380000&st=Mysteries, Mysteries: Mysteries, in religion, are secret ceremonies. Those who are initiated promise never to reveal the group's secret ceremonies and doctrines. Other mysteries practiced in ancient times were
connected with the worship of the god Dionysus in Greece or the goddesses Cybele and Isis in Rome. Mysteries also became part of religious worship in early Christianity. Christians received the Eucharist in secret rituals. However, after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the early 300's, the sacraments became more public.

http://www.catacombe.roma.it/en/persecuzioni.html, THE CHRISTIANS OF THE AGE OF PERSECUTIONS in the defence by the Apologists:

The " IDENTITY CARD" of the Christians. The Christian religion developed rapidly in Rome and all over the world since the 1st century, owing to its being original and suitable for all mankind; but this was also due to the testimony of fervour, of brotherly love and of charity shown by the Christians towards everybody. The Roman authorities were at first indifferent to the new religion, yet very soon, incited also by the people showed themselves hostile to it, because the Christians refused to worship the ancient pagan deities of Rome, as well as the emperor. The Christians were accused of disloyalty to their fatherland, of

atheism, of hatred towards mankind, of hidden crimes, such as incest, infanticide and ritual cannibalism; likewise they were held responsible for all natural calamities, such as plagues, floods, famines, etc.
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/535/syllabus.html, Religious Studies 535: Varieties of Early Christianity, 13. Patterns of Social Involvement and/or Withdrawal:

In what ways, and for what reasons, did early Christians attempt to distance themselves from the world in which they found themselves and in what ways did they acknowledge and affirm it? Pay attention to attitudes regarding social contacts and meetings, citizenship, military service, attendance at theater and/or the games and banquets (note accusations of misanthropy, atheism, secret orgies, and the like).
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/persecution.htm (ReligionFacts), Persecution in the Early Church, Reasons for Persecution:
On a more social, practical level, Christians were distrusted in part because of the secret and misunderstood nature of their worship. Words like "love feast" and talk of "eating Christ's flesh" sounded understandably suspicious to the pagans, and Christians were suspected of cannibalism, incest, orgies, and all sorts of immorality.

http://www.gnpcb.org/assets/products/excerpts/1581345194.1.pdf, DEFENDING your FAITH: AN INTRODUCTION TO APOLOGETICS, p. 8, THE TASK OF APOLOGETICS | Apologetics in the Early Church:

The third and fourth charges brought against early Christianity came as a result of rumors concerning their secret meetings in places like the catacombs. From the practice of love feasts (where early Christians partook in a common mealincluding Holy Communionattesting to their unity with Christ and each other) came rumors of incest and sexual perversion. The final accusation came from the practice of the Eucharist itself. Early Christians were charged with cannibalism. Word spread that during the secret meetings, these Christians were engaged in the eating and drinking of human flesh and blood. The apologists answered this allegation by explaining the sacrament and calling on the authorities to validate such allegations before persecuting anyone.

But, I guess government officials didnt buy it.

Composition of Scientific Words: A manual of methods and a lexicon of materials for the practice of logotechnics, Brown, 1956, p. 577, orgy:

P. 662, rite:

A Catholic Dictionary, 1960, p. 14, AGAPE:

A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities. Being a continuation of the Dictionary of the Bible , 1877, Vol. 1, p. 41, Agapae:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ySuPKGcdRLcC&pg=PA96&dq=%22Drudgery+Divine%22+%22ambiv alence+as+to+genealogy%22&sig=-hTEOVrvri3g9xPlEIEDmd4Co3Y, Drudgery Divine: On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity Google Books Result, by Jonathan Z. Smith, 1990, p. 96:

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0045.html, The Church Persecuted and Defended Chapter 3 in A Catechism of Church History: 4. What kind of charges were made against the Christians? False accusations, appealing to ignorance and the passions of the mob spirit, were used against the Christians. False rumors were spread, whereby they were accused of immorality, since they met in secret. http://www.nndb.com/people/741/000071528/, Tertullian:

The Apologeticus, which in the 3rd century was translated into Greek, is the weightiest work in defense of Christianity of the first two centuries. It disposes of the charges brought against Christians for secret crimes (incest, etc.) and public offenses (contempt of the State religion and high treason), and asserts the absolute superiority of Christianity as a revealed religion beyond the rivalry of all human systems. Respecting its relation to the Octavius of Minucius Felix much has been written; to the present writer it seems unquestionable that Tertullian's work was the later
Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, 1972, p. 1160, virginity:

Library of Alexandria:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria, Library of Alexandria: The Greek term "biblioteke", used by many historians of the time, refers in fact to the [royal] "Collection of Books", not to the building itself, which complicates the history and chronology of its destruction. The Royal Collection can be viewed as having begun in the Royal Quarter's building, commonly known as "The Great Library", before being transferred to the library at the Sarapeum, an acropolis in the Egyptian quarter of town, home to the temple of Sarapis. The transfer occurred between Caesar's Fire of The Alexandrian War in 48 BC and 272 AD when the Royal Quarter was razed in the war with Zenobia. The collection remained at the Sarapeum until at least 391 AD, the date of the destruction of the temple and specifically of the Sarapeum. It may have been destroyed by Theophilus' Christian mob as part of their destruction of the Sarapeum, or perhaps been maintained in its Sarapeum home. There is also a possibility that the collection was preserved in private libraries for years after

Decree of Theophilus in 391

In 391, Christian Emperor Theodosius I ordered the destruction of all pagan temples, and the Christian [18] Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria complied with this request. Socrates Scholasticus provides the following account of the destruction of the temples in Alexandria in the fifth book of his Historia Ecclesiastica, written around 440: At the solicitation of Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, the Emperor issued an order at this time for the demolition of the heathen temples in that city; commanding also that it should be put in execution under the direction of Theophilus. Seizing this opportunity, Theophilus exerted himself to the utmost to expose the pagan mysteries to contempt. And to begin with, he caused the Mithreum to be cleaned out, and exhibited to public view the tokens of its bloody mysteries. Then he destroyed the Serapeum, and the bloody rites of the Mithreum he publicly caricatured; the Serapeum also he showed full of extravagant superstitions, and he had the phalli (penis sculpture) of Priapuscarried through the midst of the forum. Thus this disturbance having been terminated, the governor of Alexandria, and the commander-in-chief of the troops in Egypt, assisted Theophilus in demolishing the heathen temples.

http://www.irishoriginsofcivilization.com/irishoriginsexcerpts/irishorigins1.html, The Irish Origins of Civilization: Akhenaton, the Cult of Aton, and the Dark Side of the Sun : The Church burned enormous amounts of literature. In 391 Christians burned down one of the world's greatest libraries in Alexandria, said to have housed 700,000 rolls. All the books of the Gnostic Basilides, Porphyry's 36 volumes, papyrus rolls of 27 schools of the Mysteries, and 270,000 ancient documents gathered by Ptolemy Philadelphus were burned. Ancient academies of learning were closed. Education for anyone outside of the Church came to an end - Helen Ellerbe (The Dark Side of Christian History)

So the Catholics destroyed the greatest collections of the time, to suppress the Mysteries. Constantine was the first to legalize Christianity, but Theophilus was the first emperor who commanded the entire Roman Empire become Christian.
http://www.bede.org.uk/library.htm, The Mysterious Fate of the Great Library of Alexandria, Theophilus:

Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, is also the patron saint of arsonists. As Christianity slowly strangled the life out of classical culture in the fourth century it became more and more difficult to be a pagan. There stood in Alexandria the

great temple of Serapis called the Serapeum and attached to it was the Great Library of Alexandria where all the wisdom of the ancients was preserved. Now Theophilus knew that as long as this knowledge existed people would be less inclined to believe the bible so he set about destroying the pagan temples. But the Serapeum was a huge structure, high on a mound and beyond the abilities of the raging Christian fanatics to assault. Faced with this edifice, the Patriarch sent word to Rome. There the Emperor Theodosius the Great, who had ordered that paganism be annihilated, gave his permission for the destruction of the Serapeum. Realising they had no chance, the priests and priestesses fled their temple and the mob moved in. The vast structure was razed to it foundations and the scrolls from the library were burnt in huge pyres in the streets of Alexandria. Wow, what we could have had today if it would have survived.

The Didache (teachings of Jesus: written c. 44-120 AD):

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html (Early Christian Writings), The Didache: The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations, Roberts-Donaldson English Translation, Chapter 11. Concerning Teachers, Apostles, and Prophets:

And every prophet who teaches the truth, but does not do what he teaches, is a false prophet. And every prophet, proved true, working unto the mystery of the Church in the world, yet not teaching others to do what he himself does, shall not be judged among you, for with God he has his judgment; for so did also the ancient prophets. Isnt that saying that its okay to lie about what goes on in the mysteries? Another translation:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-lightfoot.html (Early Christian Writings), The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles: APOSTOLIC FATHERS (trans. and ed., J. B. Lightfoot) :

11:16 And every prophet teaching the truth, if he doeth not what he teacheth, is a false prophet. 11:17 And every prophet approved and found true, if he doeth ought as an outward mystery typical of the Church, and yet teacheth you not to do all that he himself doeth, shall not be judged before you; 11:18 he hath his judgment in the presence of God; 11:19 for in like manner also did the prophets of old time. Another translation:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-hoole.html (Early Christian Writings), THE DIDACHE, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles: Translated by Charles H. Hoole, CHAPTER 11:

11:10 and every prophet who teacheth the truth, if he do not what he teacheth is a false prophet;

11:11 and every prophet who is approved and true, and ministering in the visible mystery of the Church, but who teacheth not others to do the things that he doth himself, shall not be judged of you, for with God lieth his judgment, for in this manner also did the ancient prophets.
http://www.geocities.com/rik_turner/on_the_didache.html, THE DIDACHE OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES: with Commentary by Avva Andreas (Turner), Commentary:

Of the manner of the reception of the Holy Mystery, the Didache remains silent. This is the ancient custom. One might recall the prayer of St John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) ending "I will not speak of Thy Mysteries to Thine enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss as did Judas." In those times, the times of violent persecution, anything that was written down might fall into the hands of those who wished us harm.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html (Early Christian Writings), The Didache: The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations , Roberts-Donaldson English Translation, Chapter 10. Prayer after Communion:

You gavest food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to Thee; but to us You didst freely give spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Thy Servant. Before all things we thank Thee that You are mighty; to Thee be the glory for ever. Remember, Lord, Thy Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in Thy [agape] love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Thy kingdom which Thou have prepared for it; for Thine is the power and the glory for ever. Let grace come, and let this world pass away. To be able to make perfect love at a particular time has to be something done. The original Greek text:
http://www.geocities.com/baruchmar/EC/didachegraece.htm, 10:5, agape [love]:

11:11, mystery:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101227054030/http://goldenrule.name/Orgy_MysteriesDisciplinaArcani.htm