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.



May 22, 2015

Holy Relics and Pastoral Theology


By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos
of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Orthodox Church is a "laboratory of the resurrection," and it can even be said that it is a laboratory of sacred relics.

The revelation and manifestation of God offered to the saints takes place through deification. A person receives the revelation after participating in the uncreated deifying energy of God. Therefore, revelation is very closely associated with the deification of a person. The highest degree of divine revelation is Pentecost. When a person arrives at deification, they become entirely deified, in both soul and body, which is why we have the existence of grace-bestowing and incorrupt relics. The sacred, incorrupt and wonderworking relics certify the truth of the revelation and the experience of deification.

It is very typical that when visiting the monasteries of Mount Athos, one will find that the greatest act of kindness displayed by monastics is the offer to embrace sacred relics. Even the smallest cell of Mount Athos has sacred relics. And when you visit them you are first led to the sacred church to embrace them, since they are the greatest inheritance and blessing of the hut.

The presence of the Grace of God in sacred relics is manifested in various ways. Sometimes they are incorrupt, sometimes they give off a fragrance, sometimes they exude an oily myrrh substance, sometimes they work miracles, etc. These things are felt by those who have faith and pure spiritual senses.

From the book The Person in the Orthodox Church. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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