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.



January 29, 2011

God and the Devil


By Fr. John Romanides

God also loves the devil. There is no chance the devil will be saved however. God loves everyone. The issue is not about if God loves me, then I will be saved. The issue is if one undergoes therapy, which is necessary in order to be found in a state of illumination, so that, when found before the vision of the glory of God, we will see the glory of God as light and not as eternal fire and outer darkness.

The devil had no law in his sight. He is not one who makes war, as we today make war, when we say things like "you know the Treaty of Lausanne says...." The devil does not recognize any regulation of good conduct in his battle against people. For this reason it is very difficult for anyone to become an Orthodox theologian. The first concern of the devil is for us not to hear the name of Christ, nothing about the name of Christ. If by a mistake of the devil, we hear of Christ and begin to take interest, well, then he changes tactics. As long as he loses that battle, he has other strongholds. He makes war elsewhere.

There are people who think that when they have noble intentions, such as when they see a poor person and have compassion, these are human sympathies that exist. And when we have good feelings, we say that they are inspired by God. Yes, but good feelings can be inspired from the devil also. Inspirations are many. In the patristic tradition, the only nondelusional feeling that can exist in humans, is when the very Holy Spirit prays within man.

Source: From the new book of Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos titled Emperical Dogmatics.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Labels: ,

BECOME A PATREON OR PAYPAL SUBSCRIBER


Patreon!