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.



May 26, 2010

The Championship Wrestler Who Became An Athonite Ascetic



The video above is about Fr. Vasilios, a monk on Mount Athos who was once a championship wrestler. He wrestled for five years and won about a dozen medals before he abandoned all at the age of 24 in 1992 to become an ascetic on Mount Athos. When asked why he became an ascetic, he responds by saying: "First for the love of God, and after for the love of the Panagia." When asked if he found what he was looking for, he responds: "I found it and much more. I didn't realize I would find such things at such a high level. I had lower expectations."

He goes on to say that his father had passed away in 1987 and his mother accepted his decision. After a year and a half he was joined by his brother, Fr. Dorotheos. They reside in the Hesychastic Cell of the Birth of Christ in Katounakia.

When Fr. Vasilios' godmother gave him as a gift an engagement ring for him to one day give his bride, he decided to give it to the Panagia when he became a monastic. "It was better to give it to my Bridegroom Christ, and my mother the Panagia rather than a woman of the flesh", he said.

The commentary on the video is typical Greek secular sarcasm when confronted with these issues. For a video without the commentary, see below:

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