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.



December 9, 2014

A Miracle of Saint Anna for a Barren Woman


Published on 06/24/2006:

I've been married eight years and we could not have a child. My wife had a problem with her period and while we went to many doctors they could not do anything. They found that everything was well with her and they would lift their hands in surrender. For the first six years of our marriage, my wife did everything she could, taking many pills, receiving many injections and various other things suggested by physicians.

Since we saw that nothing could be done, we decided to remain childless. We stopped everything and two years passed, without the anxiety of having to take pills and the other things we did at the advice of physicians. Certainly nothing could be done with the issue of childbearing.

One day, therefore, we went to confession to a young priest, because in the church we went to there were many people, and I didn't have enough time to be absent from my job. So this man told us about the miracle of Saint Anna which, for those who don't know, regards childbearing, because Saint Anna, who gave birth to the Panagia, also was sterile. He told me to go to Mount Athos, to the Skete of Saint Anna, and to follow the instructions they would give me there. We did everything according to the instruction of the monks, we fasted forty days and kept the various things written in the book of Saint Anna, and immediately after we came in contact. MY WIFE BECAME PREGNANT WITH THE FIRST! Without a period, without any pills, without the help of doctors - everything came through prayer!

The doctors could not believe my wife was pregnant. Again, they lifted their hands in surrender. Currently we have a healthy baby boy of four months, and our life has changed for the better too. Every Sunday we go to church and we commune every Sunday, daily glorifying Saint Anna, and generally we are thrice-blessed.

So this Friday on 02/10/2006 I am returning to the Monastery and again will thank Saint Anna up close. This is the biggest miracle that has taken place in my life, and I also want to say that at Mount Athos, when I went, all was so beautiful and serene that I have not found anything like it anywhere. Therefore, I will come again on Friday and I am very happy.

I hope everything turns out well for the world and they all have my happiness.

Y.G.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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