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.



February 19, 2014

Holy Communion and the Transfer of Germs


There are Christians who are afraid to receive Holy Communion for fear of catching germs. If this were true, no priest would be alive, because at the end of the Divine Liturgy they consume the remaining content from the Holy Chalice, from which hundreds of faithful with various illnesses also commune. Yet, nothing has ever happened to any priest. The Body and Blood of the Lord is a "consuming fire".

One of many incidents that prove this fact beyond a doubt is the following:

When Metropolitan Panteleimon Fostinis of Chios (+ 1962) was a preacher in Attica, he went at one time to liturgize at the phthisiatric* hospital "Sotirias".

There the nurses brought him a large platter with many spoons.

"Why did you bring me these?" he asked.

"We were told by the doctors so you could commune the sick with these, beginning with the least severe and proceeding to the most severe."

"These aren't needed", responded the priest with faith. "I have the Holy Lavida."**

Indeed, during the Divine Liturgy he communed the sick properly and then at the end he went to the Beautiful Gate to consume the remaining portions. He did this so everyone could see it, and for the doctors to learn that Holy Communion is a fire that burns everything.

* A hospital that treats tuberculosis.

** A lavida is a pair of tongs (used to put coal in a fire), which were used in ancient times to distribute Holy Communion in the hand, but for good order this was replaced by a spoon and retained the ancient name.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.


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