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.



October 8, 2014

Book Review: "The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society"


These thirteen lectures by Archbishop Averky, former Abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, were delivered shortly after the end of World War II in Western Europe to help introduce the Orthodox method of asceticism as a means of healing and transformation of the human person to the modern world not acquainted with it. It accomplishes its goal and is an excellent book of introduction for those who desire to root out evil and the passions within us in order to live a life of virtue in Christ.

Below are the contents of the book:

Preface: The Essence and Meaning of Asceticism

1. Self-asserting Pride and Christian Humility

2. The Importance of Spiritual Discernment

3. Gospel Love and Humanistic Altruism

4. Acquiring Gospel Love

5. Reawakening our Conscience

6. The Christian Understanding of Freedom

7. Guarding the Heart Amidst the Distractions of Life

8. Resisting Evil

9. Waging Unseen Warfare

10. Christian Struggle

11. The Holy Fathers on Combating the Passions

12. Pastoral Asceticism

This book can be acquired from Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York - here.

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