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 29, 2014

A Rare 13th Century Fresco of Saint Anna Galaktotrophousa


"And when the days were fulfilled, Anna purified herself from her childbed and gave suck to the child, and called her Mary." - Protoevangelium of St. James

In the 11th century Metropolitan Church of Saint Stephen in Kastoria there is a separate chapel within dedicated to Saint Anna painted with images of maternity. There are three 13th century depictions of Saint Anna in this chapel, together with another mother saint and her two children whose identity is debateable. Among the images of Saint Anna is one known as Galaktotrophousa (Milk-feeding), which shows Saint Anna nursing the infant Mary, showing motherly tenderness, care, nurture and love.

Read more about this image in the article "Painted Sources for Female Piety in Medieval Byzantium" by Sharon E.J. Gerstel [Dumbarton Oaks Papers 52 (1998): 89-111].







Labels: , , , ,

BECOME A PATREON OR PAYPAL SUBSCRIBER


Patreon!