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.



December 12, 2012

Saints Canonized By the Ecumenical Patriarchate (1992-2012)


By His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh

Over the course of the two decades of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople's Archpastorate, the Holy Synod has proclaimed several holy men and women Saints of the Orthodox Church. Here is a provisional list.

In 1992:
• Savvas the New of Kalymnos (d. 1947), April 7 or 5th Sunday of Lent
• The 150 Martyrs of Ntaou Penteli (d. 1690), April 10
• Elder Anthimos of Chios (d. 1960), February 15
• Martyrs Christodoulos and Anastasia (d. 1821), Tuesday of Bright Week
• Nicholas Planas (d. 1932), March 2

In 1993:
• Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Smyrna and those martyred with him, the Hierarch Gregorios Kydonion, Amvrosios Moschonision, Prokopios Ikoniou, Euthymios Zilon, as well as the clergy and laity of the Asia Minor Catastrophe (d. 1922), Sunday before the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross (Sep. 14)

In 1994:
• (Deacon) Makarios Kalogeras of Patmos (d. 1737), January 16
• Rostislav the Illuminator, Duke of Moravia (9th c.), October 29

In 1995:
• Martyr George Neapolitis (d. 1797), November 3
• Athanasios of Paros (d. 1813), June 24

In 1998:
• The 6 Martyrs of Megara (4th cent.?), August 16
• The 4 Martyrs of Megara (4th cent.?), February 1
• Joachim “Papoulakis” of Vatopaidi (d. 1868), March 2 (and May 23 – translation of relics)
• Emmeleia, mother of St. Basil the Great (4th c.), January 1
• Anthousa, mother of St. John Chrysostom (4th c.), November 13

In 2000:
• Theophanis of Perithorion (14th century), May 3
• Martyr Dionysios of Vatopaidi (d. 1822), July 31
• Hierotheos of Turkey [Hungary] (10th c.), August 20
• Stephen, first king of Hungary (d. 1038), August 20
• The Martyrs Plato of Tallin and the Presbyters Michael and Nicholas (20th c.), January 14
• The Neomartyrs Gerasimos of Crete and ten bishops of Crete (19th c.), June 23

In 2002:
• The Martyr Monks of Leipsoi (16th-17th c.), July 10

In 2003:
• Gregorios [Kallides] of Herakleia (d. 1925), July 25

In 2004:
• The Martyrs of Western Europe Fr. Alexi Medvedkov, Fr. Dimitri Klepinine, Mother Maria Skobtsova and her son Iuri Skobtsov (20th c.), July 20
• The Estonian Martyr Presbyters Vassily Solovsky, Ioan Pettai, Ioann Sarv, Karp Elb, and Stephan Grigonogov (20th c.), January 12 and 20, December 3, September 24. The last is patron saint of children in Estonia.
• Monk Joseph Gerontogiannis of Crete (d. 1874), August 7

In 2007:
• Monk Parthenios (d. 1905) and Hieromonk Evmenios (d. 1920) of Koudouma Monastery, Crete, July 10
• Martyr Konstantinos of Karditsa (17th c.), August 18

In 2008:
• Hieromonk George Karslidis (d. 1959), the New Confessor of Pontos and Drama , November 4

In 2009:
• The parents and family of St. Gregory Palamas (14th century), 1st Sunday after November 14

In 2010:
• Arsenios of Karditsa (d. 1626), Archbishop of Suzdal, May 8

In 2011:
• 1241 New Martyrs of Naousa, (d. 1822), Sunday of Thomas
• Ephraim the New of Nea Makri (d. 1426), May 5
• Sophia Hortokoridou (d. 1974), the ascetic of Kastoria from Pontos, May 6.

In 2012:
• 11 New Martyrs of Estonia (d. 1940-41), June 14
• Nikephoros the Leper (d. 1964), from Chios, January 4

Edited by John Sanidopoulos
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