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In the writings of Paul the notion of mystery encompasses a major theological intuition. The pre-Nicene Fathers broaden this notion in terms of their exegetical, liturgical and pastoral concerns and, in so doing, deepen it in a way which easily eludes our contemporary Western minds. The different modern usages of the term “mystery” come from a historical confusion and an ideological overvaluation and hinder the access to the intuition of Paul and the Fathers.