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.



April 19, 2011

800 Year Old Macedonian Monastery To Be Moved


Eight hundred years after its founding, one of the oldest monasteries in Macedonia, the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Torniki of Grevena, is about to go uphill 127 meters on rails to be installed 27 meters higher in order to escape the waters of the third artificial lake of the Aliakmon which will flood the area.

Weighing 300 tons and at a height of 9 meters, the PPC will move this monastery with a special technique used on ancient monuments in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The monastery was said to have been built by General John Tornikiou to glorify the victories of Emperor Nikephoros Phokas.

The lake will begin to fill in the summer of 2012. The rescue of Panagia Tornikiou Monastery is said to cost approximately 800,000 euros.

Read more here.

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