Collier's New Encyclopedia

A complete general encyclopedia of 1921 — the world as it was understood just after the Great War, from Aachen to Zwingli, across twelve volumes and six thousand pages.

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Mystery

a kind of mediæval drama, or dramatic composition, the characters and events of which were drawn from sacred history. They were totally devoid of invention or plot, following the sacred narrative of the legends tamely and literally. They were also called MIRACLE PLAYS. Mysteries were succeeded in the as they contain some rudiments of a find the first attempts at dramatic art, as they contain some rudiments of a plot, and even attempted to delineate character and to paint manners. specially, that they possessed more direct communion with God than did other Christians. Individuals have more or less held this view in every age of the Church. The creed of modern mysticism may be found in the universally popular somewhat less known are the poems of Madame Guyon, translated by Cowper. The piety breathed in her verse is most ardent, though at times the language used is more familiar than is usually addressed to God.

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