ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: The Holy Monastery of the Holy Infants in Thebes

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.

September 10, 2010

The Holy Monastery of the Holy Infants in Thebes

The Holy Monastery of the Holy Infants was founded in 2000 with the blessing of Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and is dedicated to the Holy Infants slaughtered by Herod soon after the birth of Christ. When Herod had heard that the Magi did not return to inform him of the location of the new-born King, and an Angel revealed to them to return to their homeland by another route, he became very angry and ordered his soldiers to slaughter every infant in Bethlehem and the surrounding villages under the age of two in order to kill the infant Christ. His plan failed however according to God's will, but the slaughter left many Infants dead, and the Church considers them martyrs who gained the Kingdom of Heaven. Tradition says that the number of Infants slaughtered were 14,000.

This Holy Monastery, the only one in the world dedicated to the Holy Infants, is found in the village of Oinoi (Οινόη) before Villia (Βίλλια) near the 11th century Monastery of Saint Meletios Kithairinos.

It celebrates its feast day on December 29, which is the feast of the Holy Infants.