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.



October 7, 2009

Ecumenical Patriarchate to Support Metropolitan Vladimir in Ukraine


Constantinople Patriarchate Considers Metropolitan Vladimir as a Key Figure in Ukrainian Orthodoxy

Kiev, 6 October 2009, Interfax - Constantinople views Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine as a spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox believers.

Thus, the representatives of the Constantinople Patriarchate at a meeting with Metropolitan Vladimir in Kiev "highlighted that Metropolitan had united all Orthodox believers of Ukraine, regardless of their jurisdiction," the Ukrainian Orthodox Church website reports.

Constantinople representatives also thanked the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church "for his efforts to unite Orthodox believers of Ukraine" and said that the purpose of their visit to Ukraine was to assist the country in overcoming schisms.

"They emphasized, however, that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople would not act unilaterally, but only in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," the report says.

Metropolitan Vladimir, in his turn, awarded his guests and Pyotr Yuschenko, head of the For Local Ukraine NGO, who was also present at the meeting, with anniversary orders "The 450th Anniversary of Bringing the Pochayev Icon of Holy Mother to Volyn".
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