Abstract The phrase “the mystery of piety” in 1 Tim 3:16 is often interpreted as an allusion to Christian belief, praxis, or both. While more specific readings are occasionally suggested, none has gained widespread approval. In this article, I make an extended case for one such reading: when the author speaks of “the mystery of piety,” the author refers to the piety that Christ displays from his incarnation to glorification, as the subsequent hymn intimates. In order to demonstrate the plausibility of this interpretation, I first canvass early Christian receptions of the verse and a broader tradition of speaking of Christ’s piety. Having shown from these traditions that the phrase could be—and sometimes was—interpreted as a reference to Christ’s piety, I proceed to sketch the exegetical basis for that reading. Finally, I conclude by outlining the main reasons why such a reading is not only plausible, but even appealing, for the greater precision and coherence it lends to 1 Timothy.
Grayden McCashen (Sun,) studied this question.