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In ancient Greek occurs chiefly in the plural, denoting certain secret religious [[ritual|ceremonies]] (the most famous being those of [[Demeter]] at [[Eleusis]]) which were allowed to be witnessed only by the initiated, who were sworn never to disclose their [[nature]] (see sense 7a). In the [[Septuagint]] the word occurs only in [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and the [[Apocrypha]], where it has the sense of ‘secret purpose or counsel’ (especially of a king or of [[God]]). This sense is found in the [[New Testament]], where the word also means either a religious [[truth]] long kept secret, but now [[revelation|revealed]] through Christ to his Church, or something of [[symbol]]ic significance. In later Christian use became equivalent to SACRAMENT n. (in several passages, e.g. Daniel 2:18, the Vulgate renders it by sacramentum, even when it means only ‘secret’; in other passages mysterium is used). In Old French and [[English]] the Christian senses of the [[word]] appear earliest.
In ancient Greek occurs chiefly in the plural, denoting certain secret religious [[ritual|ceremonies]] (the most famous being those of [[Demeter]] at [[Eleusis]]) which were allowed to be witnessed only by the initiated, who were sworn never to disclose their [[nature]] (see sense 7a). In the [[Septuagint]] the word occurs only in [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and the [[Apocrypha]], where it has the sense of ‘secret purpose or counsel’ (especially of a king or of [[God]]). This sense is found in the [[New Testament]], where the word also means either a religious [[truth]] long kept secret, but now [[revelation|revealed]] through Christ to his Church, or something of [[symbol]]ic significance. In later Christian use became equivalent to SACRAMENT n. (in several passages, e.g. Daniel 2:18, the Vulgate renders it by sacramentum, even when it means only ‘secret’; in other passages mysterium is used). In Old French and [[English]] the Christian senses of the [[word]] appear earliest.