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 21, 2010

Iconography of the Entrance of the Theotokos at Hilandari Monastery


Hilandari Monastery (Chilandari or Hilandar) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, founded in 1198 by the monk Simeon Nemanja (Stefan Nemanja, King of Serbia from 1168 to 1196) and his son Sava (St. Sava Nemanjic, 1174-1235, first Serbian archibishop and author).

The Katholikon is the principal church of the Hilandar Monastery and is dedicated to the Entrance of the Virgin Mary Into the Temple (Nov. 21). It was built in 1293 and rebuilt in the 14th century by King Milutin of Serbia. The katholikon also has an older marble sanctuary screen behind the more modern one of carved wood.

More can be read about the katholikon here.





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