Speaking "In a Mystery" Among the Perfect: Paul's Hidden Wisdom in 1 Corinthians

The Apostle Paul’s use of the phrase “in a mystery” (ἐν μυστηρίῳ) in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 has sparked extensive scholarly debate. This phrase, which can be translated and interpreted in multiple ways, significantly impacts our understanding of the wisdom Paul speaks about and the manner in which it is communicated.

The Syntactical Puzzle

The Greek phrase in question is:

ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην

This phrase can be interpreted in various ways:

1. Adverbial Modification of "We Speak":
   • "We speak in the mystery of the hidden wisdom of God."
2. Adjectival Modification of "Wisdom":
   • "We speak of the mysterious/secret wisdom of God that has been hidden."
3. Adverbial Modification of "Has Been Hidden":
   • "We speak of the wisdom of God that has been hidden in the mystery."

Theological Discomfort and Fee’s Changing Views

Initially, Gordon D. Fee supported the adjectival reading in his 1987 commentary, aligning with the New International Version (NIV) translation: "We speak of the secret wisdom of God that has been hidden." This choice was influenced by a theological preference to avoid suggesting that Paul’s teachings were esoteric or secretive.

However, in the 2014 revised edition of his commentary, Fee expressed frustration with this interpretation. He noted that it could lead to misunderstandings, emphasizing that "God’s wisdom is not esoteric teaching, spoken in secret" (Fee 2014: 112). Fee’s revised approach treats the prepositional phrase as an appositive, proposing a translation that aligns with the more common New Testament usage of μυστήριον (mystery) as a previously hidden truth now revealed to all. Consequently, the 2011 New International Version (TNIV) replaced "we speak" with "we declare":

• TNIV: "No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began."
• NIV: "No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began."

Lang’s Objective Analysis

T.J. Lang conducted an extensive analysis using the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae database, identifying instances of the dative singular of μυστήριον (mystery) before the third century. Lang found that this usage is rare outside of Christian writings. In early Christian texts, the phrase frequently appears with the preposition ἐν, forming a fixed formula for several centuries. This combination often modifies verbs related to speaking or transmitting information, rarely modifying nouns, and never modifying σοφία (wisdom) or ἀποκρύπτω (hide).

Lang’s findings strongly support the translation: "we speak in the mystery of the hidden wisdom of God." More importantly, this usage provides insight into the phrase’s meaning. Early Christian writers used "in a mystery" to denote either a coded or figurative dimension of the communicated message or to describe communication in a private context.

Figurative and Private Dimensions

In the figurative sense, "in a mystery" implies that the spoken message contains hidden meanings, accessible only to certain individuals. This concept is reflected in the writings of early Christian authors like Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria, who used the phrase interchangeably with "in parable." For example, Justin Martyr asserted that Moses proclaimed the name of Jesus as a name for God "in a mystery" (Dialogue with Trypho 75.1).

Alternatively, "in a mystery" can indicate that the communication occurs in a private setting, regardless of whether the message is figurative or coded. This private communication context is essential for understanding the transmission of esoteric wisdom among early Christians.

Combining Figurative and Private Elements

Two examples provided by Lang illustrate how the elements of speaking figuratively and communicating privately can be combined. This combination appears to be the case in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7.

1. Carpocratian Teachings: Irenaeus describes the teachings of the Carpocratians as follows:

   "And in their writings it is thus written and thus they explain: that Jesus, speaking in a mystery (λέγοντες ἐν μυστηρίῳ), spoke in private (κατ᾿ἰδίαν) with his disciples and apostles and charged them to transmit these things to those who are worthy and persuaded." (Haer. I.25.5, translated in Hedrick 2013: 59)

   This statement combines the language of speaking "in a mystery" that we find in 1 Corinthians 2:7 with explicit descriptions of private communication and the worthiness of the recipients, implicitly suggested in Paul’s phrase "among the mature" in 1 Corinthians 2:6. Here, Jesus speaks in a mystery within the private teaching context depicted in Mark 4, particularly in the opening and closing verses, which reference private instruction and the division of recipients into disciples and apostles.

   "When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, 'To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may see but not perceive, and hear but not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven.'" (Mark 4:10-12)

   "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately (κατ᾿ ἰδίαν) to his own disciples he explained everything." (Mark 4:33-34)

2. Clement of Alexandria’s Stromateis: A similar scenario occurs in Clement of Alexandria’s Stromateis:

   "These things our Savior himself seals when he says: 'To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven' [Mark 4:11; Matthew 13:11]. And again the Gospel says that our Savior spoke the word to the apostles in a mystery (ἔλεγεν ... ἐν μυστηρίῳ). For even the prophecy says of him: 'I will open my mouth in parables (ἐν παραβολαῖς); I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world' [Matthew 13:35]. And now, with the parable of the leaven, the Lord shows the concealment; for he says: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened' [Matthew 13:33]." (Strom. V.12.80.6-8)

   Each of these statements derives from the parable chapter in Mark and the parallel account in Matthew 13. However, the phrase "in a mystery" (ἐν μυστηρίῳ) does not appear in any of the canonical Gospels but may derive from the mystical version of the Gospel of Mark known to Clement and the Carpocratians, according to Clement’s Letter to Theodore (see Brown 2005). Clement’s key point in offering these proof texts is that discussions about God and His powers should occur in a hidden form (Strom. V.12.80.3-4).

Understanding 1 Corinthians 2:6-7

These references to Jesus speaking "in a mystery" to his close circle offer a possible indication of what Paul meant when he claimed to speak in a mystery among the perfect. Both statements about Jesus allude to the situation in Mark 4, where Jesus speaks in parables before "a great crowd" but offers private explanations to a smaller group, described as "those around him with the Twelve." Only this smaller group is told that his parables convey a reality called the mystery of the kingdom of God, but they do so in a way that hides this mystery from "those outside" (Mark 4:10-12). This is why Jesus speaks to them in parables: to prevent outsiders from grasping this mystery and being saved!

At this point, the reader might expect an explanation of this mystery, but oddly enough, the subsequent private teaching is not much different from the public one. It begins with an allegorical exposition of the parable of the sower (Mark 4:14-20), where Jesus reveals the correct method to unveil its hidden meanings, but does not explain how this parable itself conveys the mystery of the kingdom of God. This allegorical interpretation is followed by a series of enigmatic sayings (Mark 4:21-25), which, when interpreted in succession, imply that the effort to penetrate these hidden meanings will be rewarded with understanding from God (Brown 1999: 369-372; 2005: 210-211). The private instruction concludes with two unexplained parables of the kingdom of God, again involving seeds and growth.

Conclusion

In essence, the private exposition does not consist of secret doctrines but of enigmatic analogies that, with sufficient effort, should be rewarded with insight. This method of speaking in a mystery among the mature aligns with the enigmatic and figurative teaching style Jesus employed with his closest followers, as depicted in the Gospels. For Paul, speaking "in a mystery" means imparting divine wisdom in a manner that requires effort and spiritual maturity to comprehend fully.

Acknowledgment

This blog post is based on insights from Scott Brown's paper "L'esoterismo in Paolo: La sapienza nascosta di 1 Cor 2,6-3,4, Parte prima," which provides a comprehensive analysis of Paul's hidden wisdom and its implications for early Christian teachings.