Mystical sense. The allegorical explication of an event, precept, discourse or passage from Scripture. If one studies the origin of this method of interpreting Scripture, it is not startling to learn that the ancients wrote in allegorical and mystical senses . They sought to hide their knowledge under symbols and enigmas. The Egyptians did it, as did Orientals, Pythagorians and Platonists. In a word, both Greeks and Barbarians used this method of teaching. Of course, there is no doubt but that Moses, who was Egyptian, or raised in Egypt, also did so and the Prophets followed his example. The Philosophers, who hid their knowledge under enigmatic symbols, can also been seen as imitators of Moses. One can also be persuaded that from the first centuries of Christianity, Jesus had not only understood Moses and the Prophets in the mystical sense (from where the Apostles found faith), but, before His Resurrection, He gave His disciples the knowledge of the mystical sense of the law and the Prophets, which they, in turn, transmitted to their successors. It is this knowledge which is called γνῶςις.

Basically, it is true that Jesus interpreted the Holy Scriptures to his disciples. He had to convince them that His death and crucifixion had been predicted by the divine oracles and that His suffering was the only path to glory. But, it is quite false that Jesus revealed the secret knowledge of the mystical sense to some or all of His disciples to be passed on only to their successors. They didn’t hide what they knew, as shown by the writings of the Apostles, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews. How did the Apostles and the faithful view all this? They did not doubt that 1) Holy Scripture need not be explained mystically, at least in several places; but they did believe that 2) the Holy Spirit would reveal the mysteries [ mystical sense ] to the faithful. Thus said St. Peter ( II Peter 5:20 ) and this is the knowledge of which St. Paul spoke in his Epistle to the Galatians (4:24) .

As soon as the miraculous gifts ceased, the allegories had no more effect than human thought which had no certainty and which, for the most part, were nothing but mental games. However, the holy fathers did admire this manner of understanding Scripture and regarded it as the sublime knowledge of the sages and the elect. Clement of Alexandria extolled this knowledge in the five books of his Stromata and was wrongly persuaded that it had been taught by the Gnostics.