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.



January 13, 2015

What St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva and St. Paisios the Athonite Said About Each Other


By Hieromonk Christodoulos the Athonite

One morning in 1981, when I was a young monk, I went to see Elder Paisios, to ask him if there was another contemporary holy elder through whom Divine Grace was at work... His response was clear:

"There is Elder Porphyrios, who is in a great spiritual state and is a sanctified figure. You should go and visit him, when you can, because he is an old man and may repose."

I asked where I could find him, and he told me that he lives in an hesychasterion in Nea Palatia in Oropos.

My first question was answered, but now I had a second question to have answered:

"I wanted you to tell me about another, if you knew someone else, who is in the same state. No matter where he lives - either here at the Holy Mountain or elsewhere - no matter where he is, I want to visit him."

Elder Paisios, speaking again of Elder Porphyrios, responded: "You should go to him. He is in a very great state!"

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It was refreshing to see how Elder Paisios and Elder Porphyrios thought of each other.

A certain monk asked Elder Paisios: "Elder, I want to see you about a certain problem that I discussed with Elder Porphyrios."

Elder Paisios told him: "If you discussed it with Elder Porphyrios, then you don't need to discuss it with me, because he bears the gift of having a color television, while mine is black and white."

The Elder had such a humble mind. Elder Porphyrios would tell us:

"The Grace of Elder Paisios has greater value than mine, because he acquired it after labor and ascetic sweat, while God gave me it completely free, when I was young, for the sole reason to help the brethren."

From the book Σκεύος Εκλογής, pp. 347-348 and 379. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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