Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism. 

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written. 

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.



June 8, 2013

The Myrrhgushing Icon of St. Ephraim the New in Romania


The icon above can be found at the Holy Monastery of Sihastria Rarau in Romania. It performs many miracles and is myrrhgushing.

It began in 2010 when a priest, Father Onufrie Căruntu, visited the Monastery of Saint Ephraim in Nea Makri and purchased an icon of St. Ephraim there for 15 euros. Upon returning to Romania, he brought it to his home. On Easter day in 2010 it began to flow with myrrh. Soon after very many miracles began to follow.

The blog of the Monastery can be found here:

A Romanian website dedicated to St. Ephraim's miracles in Romania is here:

Two books have so far been published in Romania with dozens of testimonies of miracles attributed to St. Ephraim of Nea Makri.





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