MYSTAGOGUE • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Mystagogue

... days to regard mystery as too often synonymous with nonsense. The difficulty of interpreting esoteric doctrines to the vulgar generally consists in this—that the doctrines are mere collections of big words which collapse, instead of becoming lucid, when put into plain English. The mystagogue is but too closely allied to the charlatan. He may be straining to utter some secret too deep for human utterance, or he is looking wise to conceal absolute vacuity of thought. And at other times he must surely be laughing at the youthful audacity which fancies that speculation is to ...

— Hours in a Library - New Edition, with Additions. Vol. II (of 3) • Leslie Stephen