Faith & RitualGreek → English
Mystagogy
/ˈmɪstəɡoʊdʒi/noun
Instruction given to those newly admitted to religious mysteries or sacraments.
The Greek roots
μύστης
mýstēs
initiate
ἀγωγός
agōgós
leader, guide
Literally: “leading of initiates”
The story of the word
A mystagogue led initiates into the rites, and the Christian church took the office over whole. Cyril of Jerusalem's Mystagogical Catecheses were delivered in Easter week to people baptised days before, explaining the meaning of rites they had already undergone in the dark. The sequence is the point: in a mystery you do the thing first and are told what it meant afterwards.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Same family
mysterymysticpedagogydemagoguesynagogue
In a sentence
The parish runs a mystagogy programme for adults through the weeks after Easter.
Ambrose practised mystagogy on the newly baptised of Milan.