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.



July 16, 2013

Saint Donald of Ogilvy and His Nine Virgin Daughters

St. Donald of Ogilvy and his Nine Holy Virgin Daughters ( Feast Day - July 15)

Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Donald of Ogilvy, lived in in Olgivy, in Forfarshire, Scotland, in the early part of the 8th century. Upon the death of his wife, he and his nine daughters began to live a monastic lifestyle at home under his direction, cultivating the land by hand, and eating barley bread and water once a day. After Saint Donald's repose at around 716, his daughters all entered a monastery in Abernethy, founded by Saints Darlugdach and Brigid, where they became known as the Nine Maidens, or the Nine Holy Virgins.

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