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 8, 2018

Saint Kyros, Patriarch of Constantinople

St. Kyros of Constantinople (Feast Day - January 8)

Verses

You O Kyros who cut into pieces the flesh of my Christ,
Who stands apart in the flesh as you stand before His throne.

Saint Kyros was a recluse at Amastris of Paphlagonia and prophesied that the deposed Emperor Justinian II would return to his imperial throne from which he was deposed. When word of this came to the ears of the emperor, and his prophecy was fulfilled, the emperor had him made Ecumenical Patriarch.

Kyros was placed on the patriarchal throne in 705 by Emperor Justinian II, as a replacement for the deposed Patriarch Kallinikos I, who was blinded by the emperor and exiled to Rome. During his time Pope Constantine I visited Constantinople by order of Justinian II, and Kyros is mentioned as among those who received him; this was the last time a Pope of Rome visited Constantinople.

During his time the Church was attacked by the heresies of the Monophysites and Monothelites, despite their condemnation by the Fourth and Sixth Ecumenical Synods. The followers of these heresies were primarily in Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Armenia and Persia, and they helped the Arabs acquire their lands to break with Byzantium. Soon after Justinian's fall in December 711, Patriarch Kyros was replaced by the new Emperor Philippikos with Patriarch John VI, who shared Philippikos' Monothelite sympathies.

Kyros was imprisoned at the Monastery of Chora, where he later reposed in peace. His Synaxis was celebrated both in the Monastery of Chora and the Church of Hagia Sophia if it fell on a Sunday.

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