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 5, 2013

The Philanthropic Work of the Church of Greece in 2012


By John Sanidopoulos

On Tuesday, 4 June 2013, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece gathered in its second meeting for the month of June under the presidency of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece. Among the reports discussed was the philanthropic work of the Church in 2012.

The Synodal Commission for Social Welfare and Benefaction stated that for the year 2012, the Archdiocese of Athens and the Holy Metropolises of the Church of Greece, spent one hundred and six million euros, (106.073.864,17 €), for the maintenance and operation of Ecclesiastical institutions for philanthropic and social purposes.

The Church of Greece carries out an enormous amount of social and philanthropic work to alleviate the suffering of the disadvantaged, which is accomplished by about seven hundred (700) institutions in the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and the Holy Metropolises.

At the same time we were informed that the care of the Archdiocese of Athens and of the Holy Metropolises offered with love and distinction, on a daily basis, more than 50,000 rations of food to both Greeks and foreigners who must resort to the soup kitchens of the Church.
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