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.



November 28, 2015

The Fate of the Sixth Son of Roman Emperor Maurice


Emperor Maurice was murdered on November 27 (some say November 23), 602 at the order of Phocas, his successor. It is said that the deposed emperor was forced to watch his six sons executed before his eyes, before he was beheaded himself. Empress Constantina and her three daughters were spared and sent to a monastery.

Maurice's marriage produced ten known children:

- Theodosius (4 August 583 – 27 November 602). According to John of Ephesus, he was the first heir born to a reigning emperor since the reign of Theodosius II (408–450). He was appointed Caesar in 587 and co-emperor on 26 March 590.
- Tiberius (d. 27 November 602).
- Petrus (d. 27 November 602).
- Paulus (d. 27 November 602).
- Justin (d. 27 November 602).
- Justinian (d. 27 November 602).
- Anastasia (d. circa 605).
- Theoctista (d. circa 605).
- Cleopatra (d. circa 605).
- Miriam/Maria (b. ca 582), married to Khosrau II.

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich 
(Prologue: November 28)

Emperor Maurice had six sons of which the sixth and youngest was not yet weaned. For this youngest son, the emperor kept a special wet-nurse at court who fed it. A terrible fate came upon Emperor Maurice: Phocas ousted him from the throne and condemned him to death together with all of his six sons. Before Maurice's eyes, his sons were slain, one after the other.

When the wet-nurse had to hand over the emperor's sixth son to be slain, she genuinely felt sorrow over the fate of the unfortunate emperor and his children, and in a moment, decided to save the life of at least one of the emperor's sons. So, when they sought the emperor's son from her breast, she gave them her own young son and he was beheaded. Finally, the Emperor Maurice was beheaded.

The emperor's youngest son grew up believing his wet-nurse to be his mother. However, when the wet-nurse revealed the secret to him, he became very serious, then resolutely left the world and withdrew to Mount Sinai, where he was tonsured a monk and dedicated himself to God. He did this to requite that innocent young child who was put to death in his place.

By St. Anastasios of Sinai 
(Concerning the Holy Fathers of Mount Sinai: Ch. 29)

Abba George the Gademite, a venerable man of the old fathers shared what he had seen when he was younger. He said: "A certain brother arrived here to live in detachment, not entrusting to anyone either his homeland nor his name. He was formed in such piety and silence that except in need he did not speak quickly with a man, neither a small word nor great. Having done in two years his work, he departed directly to the Lord, being buried in the tomb of the fathers. The next day another of the fathers died. Opening the tomb to bury him they did not find the body of the brother they had just buried, he being transferred by God to the land of the living.

After this we were curious and someone said that he was the son of the Emperor Maurice who was saved by his nurse when the children of Maurice were slaughtered in the hippodrome by Phocas the tyrant. In the general tumult she took the child and switching them gave her own child to be killed in the place of the emperor’s. When he became a man the nurse told him the thing. And he said he would go and offer himself to God for the sake of the one who was slaughtered for him.
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