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.



March 13, 2014

A Romanian Hut Dweller Who Built 3 Churches and Lives Underground


Father Joel, from Preutesti in Suceava County of Romania, is a true example of humility for those around him.

Though he is the founder of three churches, he himself lives in an extremely poor hut.

Comforts and material goods never mattered to the 83-year-old Fr. Joel. He has never even given a thought to abandoning the hut that he himself had dug below ground. At only a few square meters, it is big enough for the monk to go in there and pray.

To build the churches in the villages where he lives, Fr. Joel struggled and ran tirelessly in order to collect donations, and is pleased that his achievement was successful.

"I dug out the hut, and for two years was supplicating the Panagia to help me find the money to build a church. I finally built not one, but three churches! I don't know how to thank God for all this," he stated.

Source: Liber Tatea, "A ridicat trei biserici, dar stă într-o colibă", August 23, 2011. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.


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