MYSTERY
663
MYSTICISM
answer the first objection we have only to recall that
there is a twofold evidence: the internal evidence of a
thing in itself, and the external evidence of trust-
worthy authority. The mysteries of revelation, like
the facts of history, are supported by external evi-
dence and therefore they are evidently credible.
The second difficulty rests on a false assumption.
The religious life of the Christian is rooted in his
faith in the supernatural, which is an anticipation
of the beatific vision (St. Thomas, "Comp. Theol. ad
fratrem Reg.," cap. ii), a profound act of religious
homage (Contra. Gent., I, vi), and the measure by
which he judges the world and the ways of God.
The history of civilization bears witness to the benefi-
cial influence that Christian faith has exerted on
the general life of mankind (cf. Gutberlet, "Apolo-
getik," II, 2 ed., Miinster, 1S9.5, 23). Some Ration-
alists, trusting to far-fetched similarities, pretend
that the Christian mysteries were borrowed from the
religious and philosophical systems of Paganism.
A study of the origin of Christianity suffices to show
the absurdity of such an explanation. Semi-Ration-
alism explains mysteries either as purely natural
truths expressed in symbolic language (Schelling,
Baader, Sabatier) , or as soluble problems of philosophy
(Giinther, Frohschammer). The errors of Giinther
were condemned in a pontifical letter to the Arch-
bishop of Cologne in 1857, and in another to the Bishop
of Breslau in 1860 (Denzinger, "Enchiridion", ed.
Bannwart, nn. 1655-1658); those of Frohschammer,
in the Brief "Gravissimas Inter", 11 Dec, 1862.
(2) Relations of Natural and Supernatural Truth. — (a) Superiority of the Supernatural. — The mysteries contained in supernatural revelation are not simply disconnected truths lying beyond the realm of natural things, but a higher, heavenly world, a mystical cosmos whose parts are united in a living bond. (Scheeben, "Dogmatik", I, 25.) Even in tho.se parts of this vast system that have been revealed to us there is a wonderful harmony. In his great work "Die Mysterien des Christenthums", Scheeben has sought to show the logical connexion in the supernatural order by considering its supreme mystery, the in- ternal communication of Divine life in the Trinity, as the model and ideal of the external communication to the creature of the Divine life of grace and glory. The knowledge of the supernatural is more excellent than any human wisdom, because, although incom- plete, it has a nobler object, and through its de- pendence on the unfailing word of God possesses a greater degree of certitude. The obscurity which surrounds the mysteries of faith results from the weakness of the human intellect, which, like the eye that gazes on the sun, is blinded by the fulness of light, (b) Harmony of Natural and Supernatural Truth. — Since all truth is from God, there can be no real warfare between reason and revelation. Super- natural mysteries as such cannot be demonstrated by reason, but the Christian apologist can always show that the arguments against their i)nsKibility are not conclusive (St. Thos., "Suppl. Bopth. dc trinitate", Q. ii, a. 3). The nature of God, vvhicli is infinite and eternal, must be incomprehensible to an intelligence that is not capable of perfect knowledge (cf. Zigliara, " Proptedeutica " , I, ix). The powerle.ssness of science to solve the mysteries of nature, a fact that Rational- ists admit, shows how limited are the resources of the human intellect (cf. Daumer, "Das Rcicli de.s Wim- dersamen und Geheiinnissvollen," Ratisbon, 1872). On the other hand reason is able not only to recognize wherein consists the special niysteriousness of a super- natural truth, but also to dispel to some extent the obscurity by means of natural analogies and to show the fittingness of the mystery by reasons of congruity (Council of Cologne, I860). This was done with great success by the Fathers and the Scholastic theologians. A famous example is St. Thomas'
argument ex convenientia for the Divine processions
in the Trinity (Summa Theol., I, QQ. xxvii-xxxi). (See
Faith, Reason, Revelation.)
Ziai.l.\RA, Propadeutica in S. Tkeologmm (Rome, 1890), 45 sq., 113 sq.: Scheeben, Die Mysterien des Christenthums (Freiburg, 1898) : BossuET. Elevations a Dieu sur tous les myst^res de la reli- gion chretienne (Paris, 1711); Ottinger, Theolooia fundamentalist I (Freiburg, 1897), 66 sq.; Newman, Critic, Essays, I (London, 1SS8), 41.
J. A. McHuGH. Mystery Plays. See Miracle Plays. Mystical Body of the Church. — The analogy
borne by any sooiety of men to an organism is suffi- ciently niaiiili'st. In every society the constituent individuals are united, as are also the members of a body, to effect a common end: while the parts they severally play correspond to the functions of the bod- ily organs. They form a moral unity. This, of course, is true of the Church, but the Church has also a unity of a higher order : it is not merely a moral but a mystical body. This truth, that the Church is the mystical body of Christ, all its members being guided and directed by Christ the head, is set forth by St. Paul in various passages, more especially in Ephe- sians, iv, 4-13 (cf. John, xv, 5-8). The doctrine may be summarized as follows: (1) The members of the Church are bound together by a supernatural life com- municated to them by Christ through the sacraments {ibid., 5). Christ is the centre and source of life to Whom all are united, and Who endows each one with gifts fitting him for his posiilon in the body (ibid., 7- 12). These graces, through which each is equipped for his work, form it into an organized whole, whose parts are knit together as though by a system of liga- ments and joints (ibid., 16; Col., ii, 19). Through them, too, (2) the Church has its growth and increase, growing in extension as it spreads through the world, and intensively as the individual Christian develops in himself the likeness of Christ (ibid., 13-15). (3) In virtue of this union the Church is the fulness or com- plement {trXTripwiia.) of Christ (Eph., i, 23). It forms one whole with Him; and the Apostle even speaks of the Church as "Christ" (I Cor., xii, 12). (4) This union between head and members is conserved and nourished by the Holy Eucharist. Through this sacrament our incorporation into the Body of Christ is alike outwardly symbolized and inwardly actual- ized; "We being many are one bread, one body; for we all partake of the one bread" (I Cor., x, 17).
Fr.\nzelin, De Ecclesia, Thesis XVIII; Passaglia. De Eccle- sia, II, n. 742; Pesch, Pralcct. Dogm., I, n. 396.
G. H. Joyce.
Mystical Phenomena. See Theology, Mys- tical.
Mystical Sense of Holy Scripture. See Ex- egesis.
Mystical Theology. See Theology, Mystical.
Mysticism (from tJ.veiv, to initiate), according to its etymology, implies a relation to mystery. In phi- losophy, Mysticism is either a religious tendency and desire of the human soul towards an intimate union with the Divinity, or a system growing out of such a tendency and desire. As a philosophical .systi^m, Mysticism considers as the end of philiisdphy (he di- rect union of the human soul with the I)i\ iiuly through contemplation and love, and attempts to determine the processes .and t he means of realizing this end. This conteini)latioii, according to Mysti<-isni, is not based on a merely analogical knowledge of the Infinite, but on a direct and iinnK'iiiate intuition of the Infinite. According to its tendency, it may be either speculative or practical, as it limits it.self to mere kriciwlcdge or traces duties for action ami life; ci)iilcinplati\i' or afTective, according as it eni))liasizes tlir p:iri of intel- ligence or the part of thiMvill; orthodox or heterodox, according as it agrees with or opposes the Catholic teaching. We shall give a brief historical sketch of
