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 25, 2016

Saint Maximus the Confessor on Heretics


By St. Maximus the Confessor

Heretics, therefore, we should in no way help, as heretics, even if we all are allowed without fear to do anything, both for the aforementioned reasons, nor to impinge on God without realizing it; and because it is not good to give them the freedom to festively process in their falsehood and protest against piety, so as to prevent them from shaking the secure foundation of the Faith of certain ones who are naive, with the bite of treachery, like snakes, appearing within us, and we also are found, without wanting, to participate in the punishment which hangs over them for this. [...]

I do not write these things in order to grieve heretics, nor to rejoice in their misfortune - God forbid - but rather to rejoice and be glad in their return. Because what is more pleasant to the faithful, than to see the scattered children of God, to gather together 'as one'? Nor again do I admonish you to prefer severity over philanthropy - let us not be so mad - but I plead with you that with care and examination to do and act with goodness towards all people and become 'all things to all', according to the manner in which each has need. But I do want and I pray that you will certainly be severe and unsoftened in helping heretics, which would result in the support of their lunatic doctrines. For I certainly define as misanthropy and separation from the divine love to try to give strength to their error, towards the further corruption of those who are occupied by it.

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Ου δεί ουν αιρετικοίς καθ οίόν δήποτε τρόπον, ως αιρετικοίς, βοηθείν, ει και πάσι πάντα μετελθείν αδεώς επετέτραπτο· δια τε τας ειρημένας αιτίας, ίνα μη τω Θεώ προσκρούοντες λάθωμεν· και μη καλόν είναι διδόναι αυτοίς άδειαν εμπομπεύειν τω οικείω ψεύδει, και ανασείεσθαι κατά της ευσεβείας· ίνα μη δι ημών εμφανισθέντες, όφεως δίκην, των αφελεστέρων τινάς απάτης δήγματι δυνηθώσι της κατά την πίστιν ασφαλούς βάσεως κατασείσαι· και ευρεθώμεν και ημείς, ως ου θέλομεν, της υπέρ τούτου επηρτημένης αυτοίς συμμετέχοντες δίκης. […]

Ου θέλων δε τους αιρετικούς θλίβεσθαι, ουδέ χαίρων τη κακώσει αυτών, γράφω ταύτα, μη γένοιτο, αλλά τη επιστροφή μάλλον χαίρων και συναγαλλόμενος. Τι γαρ τοις πιστοίς τερπνότερον, του θεάσθαι τα τέκνα του Θεού τα διεσκορπισμένα, συναγόμενα εις εν. Ούτε υμίν του φιλανθρώπου το απηνές παραινών προτιθέναι· μη ούτω μανείην· αλλά μετά προσεχείας και δοκιμασίας ποιείν τε και ενεργείν τα καλά εις πάντας ανθρώπους, και πάσι πάντα γινομένους, καθώς έκαστος επιδείται υμών, παρακαλών· προς μόνον το καθοτιούν αιρετικοίς συνάρασθαι εις σύστασιν της φρενοβλαβούς αυτών δόξης, σκληρούς παντελώς είναι υμάς και αμειλίκτους βούλομαί τε και εύχομαι. Μισανθρωπίαν γαρ ορίζομαι έγωγε, και αγάπης θείας χωρισμόν, το τη πλάνη πειράσθαι διδόναι ισχύν εις περισσοτέραν των αυτή προκατειλημμένων φθοράν.

From Letter 12 - "To John the Cubicularius, On the Correct Dogmas of the Church of God and Against Severus the Heretic", PG 91, 464–465. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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