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.



July 21, 2010

The Candle of St. Seraphim of Sarov


Mother Margarita (1899-1997) had the blessing of being a part of two periods of Diveyevo Convent: in 1927 when she was a 28 year old nun the Bolsheviks shut down the Convent and in 1991 when she was 92 years old the Convent was reopened and the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov were miraculously discovered in St. Petersburg and returned to Diveyevo. Mother Margarita was the last surviving nun of Diveyevo from before its closing in 1927.

Before St. Seraphim fell asleep in the Lord he gave the nuns of Diveyevo a candle and said that with it they will one day receive him again. The candle passed on from one generation to another until it was found to be in the possession of Mother Margarita. In 1991, when the relics of St. Seraphim were transferred from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in St. Petersburg to Diveyevo Convent, Mother Margarita lit this candle to receive back his relics.

For an outline tracing the history of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov from 1903 until 2003, read here.

Read also: 1991: THE RETURN OF ST. SERAPHIM’S RELICS TO DIVEYEVO


The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in St. Petersburg where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov were found on 11 January 1991.


The Divine Liturgy officiated by Patriarch Alexy in Kazan Cathedral on January 11, 1991


The relics today at Diveyevo Convent
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