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FILIP DOROSZEWSKI Even when the emperor was still unbaptized, Eusebius seems to say, he was not like an ordinary man. Having been divinely chosen, he enjoyed a privileged intimacy with God, just as Moses did. It seems, therefore, that the term őpyia is used here, too, to indicate a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, an understanding that brings one closer to God. This is all the more likely since Eusebius, when describing the deathbed baptism of Constantine in V.C. 4.62.4, does not use the word öpyia, even though he employs other mystery terms.? Moreover, Eusebius admits in the same passage that when finally baptized, the emperor Pwrög EveniunAato Belov, “was filled with divine light,” which, in fact, not only emphasizes that even Constantine, although outstanding in every respect, needed the light of baptism, but also confirms the emperor’s uniqueness, as before his proper illumination, he already had a deep understanding of God’s mysteries. CONCLUSION Most of the 86 occurrences of the word dpyta found in the Christian writers of the 4" and 5" centuries refer to religious practices regarded by these authors as improper: 50 are applied to pagan worship, four to Jewish worship, and three to the practices of heretics. In each of these cases, the term dpyta appears in a negative and polemical context. In another 19 occurrences, öpyıa is a metaphor for various kinds of knowledge, sometimes very exclusive, that can only be gained by instruction or by some kind of initiation process. This way of using the term can be traced back to at least the classical period. The research on which this comparison is based revealed only ten instances in which the word dpyta appears in a Christian context. A closer examination, however, showed that in none of these instances did the term denote a Christian celebration, although the sacrament of baptism was an underlying theme in both of the disputable passages from Eusebius of Caesarea. Thus, it must be concluded that, as far as the 4'* and the 5"* centuries are concerned, the extant sources offer no support for the view according to which some Greek Christian authors used the term dpyia for Church celebrations. The reason for this seems obvious. In late antiquity, the metaphorical usage of the word öpyıa for the arcana of the Christian faith stood firmly in a long and honourable tradition of mystery metaphors rooted in the writings of Plato and adapted by his followers, Philo and Clement. When employed in a non-metaphorical way, by contrast, the term carried strongly negative 73 Eusebius says that the emperor Xptotod pwwotnpiois dvayevvwpevos EtedELovto, “was initiated by rebirth in the mysteries of Christ”; trans. Cameron and Hall. ° 78 + Daréczi-Sepsi-Vassanyi_Initiation_155x240.indb 78 6 2020. 06.15. 11:04:14
