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 22, 2010

Patriarch Kyrill Brings Icon Which Belonged To St. Seraphim of Sarov To Ukraine


November 22, 2010
Interfax

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Monday arrived in Kiev for a visit.

Several dozen priests led by Ukrainian Metropolitan Vladimir met Kirill at Kiev's airport.

To mark Metropolitan Vladimir's 75th birthday, the patriarch brought a Loving Kindness icon, a supposedly miracle-working icon showing the Virgin Mary caressing a Baby Jesus. The icon will be displayed in Kiev churches until December 6.

"It is a great holy item that St. Seraphim of Sarov had in his monastic cell. He prayed before this icon and died before this icon," Patriarch Kirill told reporters.

The icon was rescued when the Monastery of St. Seraphim in Diveyevo was ravaged and nuns from Diveyevo kept it in Murom, a town in Russia's Vladimir Region, after which a priest took it over and kept it before it was returned to the church.
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