Lexicon index Lexicon
Mysterion
Mystery / Sacrament — a sacred rite through which divine grace is genuinely communicated; the Orthodox prefer this term to 'sacrament.'
Mysterion (mystery) is the Greek word for what Latin theology calls a sacramentum. The Orthodox Church recognizes seven principal mysteries: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Holy Unction. 'Mystery' is preferred because it captures the sense of participation in something that exceeds comprehension — not a mechanism but an encounter.