Sacred Actions In The Early Church

Source: The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Robert E. Webber, General Editor

Understanding the sacred actions of the early church requires a short language lesson. Two words, the Greek word mysterion, and the Latin word sacramentum, are important to this discussion. This article describes the history of these terms in early Christian thought and gives clues to their meaning and significance for the Christian tradition.

As Christianity penetrated the Graeco-Roman world, it moved from the Greek East to the Latin West. Greek New Testament terms had to be translated into...

 

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