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 23, 2010

Patriarch Kirill: "Life Becomes Dangerous Without a Sense of Humor"


Life Becomes Dangerous Without a Sense of Humor - Patriarch Kirill at Meeting With Odessits

Most bad people are deprived of a sense of humor

July 23, 2010
Interfax

Odessa (Ukraine) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia believes sense of humor is a useful quality.

"Life becomes dangerous without humor," Patriarch Kirill said on Thursday at his meeting with public figures in the Odessa National Opera and Ballet Theatre answering the questions of the participants.

Residents of Odessa hailed his words with a storm of applause.

The Patriarch believes that "most bad people are deprived of a sense of humor." According to him, humor "levels up human conflicts, takes the heat out of the situation," and get people into a good mood.

Patriarch Kirill also noted that the quality of humor always depends on person's culture, and his ability to avoid vulgarity in his jokes.

"It's very important for humor to be light, indeed leveling up human conflicts and just forming an optimistic attitude to the world around," the Primate believes.

He confessed that he had liked to read Anton Chekhov since childhood and it was the only author the future Patriarch had read from "cover to cover."

Sense of humor refined by Chekhov helped the Russian Church Primate in his school years as it helped the young believer to take oppression of atheist teachers easy.

Read also:

Patriarch Kirill Believes Official Atheism in Europe Will Lead to Ghetto of Religious Fanatics

Patriarch Kirill Condemns Artists Whose Art Inflicts Sufferings on Others

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