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 19, 2016

Finding Christmas


By Alexis Alexadrou

I missed the point. For years now I've looked.

And you come and say to me:

"Do not look for Christmas in the snow, in the ornaments. Do not look for it in gifts and fat Santa Clauses; in decorated trees, in bags full of gifts, in red caps; in songs, festivities, and tables full of foods.

Do not look for Christmas around you. You will not find it anywhere. Hence the melancholy.

This is why you lose your joy when the lights go out, when the holidays have passed.

Christmas is within you, in your heart. You decorated your tree, but have you decorated your heart? Have you cleaned it? Have you prepared it to receive Christ?

Did you feel the message of His birth? The message of our salvation? The message of hope, joy, and the incarnation of the Word?

So I'm telling you.

Do not look for Christmas in the world. Seek Christ. Seek your heart."

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace!

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.


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