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.



June 16, 2012

Elder Polycarpos Matzaroglou Has Reposed


On June 15, 2012, at 6:10 AM, Fr. Polycarpos Mantzaroglou reposed at the age of 83.

The blessed elder Fr. Polycarpos came from Edessa and was born in 1929 to his parents Amphilochios Matzaroglou and Vayia Kozanite. He was tonsured a monk at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist and Theologian on Patmos. He was ordained a Deacon on 10/11/1951 by the late Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Panteleimon Papagiorgiou and was appointed on 11/6/1952. He was ordained a Presbyter and Archimandrite on 1/12/1958 by the same Metropolitan.

Fr. Polycarpos served the Metropolis of Thessaloniki from 1952 till 1970 when he was transferred to the Metropolis of Cassandria where he stayed until 1983. In 1983 he established the Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos with some nuns in Makri, which today is occupied by 50 nuns. He retired as vicar of the Metropolitan Church of Saint Nicholas in Alexandroupolis on 12/31/1987.

For his overall contribution to monastic life he was awarded in 1991 by Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios the title of Archimandrite to the Ecumenical Throne and was honored by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece in 2002 with the Golden Cross of the Apostle Paul, the highest decoration of the Greek Church.

The blessed elder Fr. Polycarpos, as a spiritual treasure of the Metropolis of Alexandroupolis, was known throughout Greece and even abroad, especially in Syria and Romania, and he had many bishops, priests, monks and nuns as spiritual children who fled to him for spiritual guidance and counsel.

The funeral of Fr. Polycarpos took place on Saturday June 16 at 12:00 noon at the Holy Monastery of the Dormition in Makris.

Read also the link below written by Elder Polycarpos concerning his meeting with Elder Paisios and the founding of the Monastery of Souroti.














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