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.



August 25, 2016

Why There Was No Liturgy at Panagia Soumela on August 15, 2016


Nikos Maginas
August 24, 2016

Projects of renovation being done on the premises of Soumela Monastery in Pontus are the reason why the Divine Liturgy was not celebrated at Panagia Soumela this year, which has taken place annually since 2010.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate was informed last year that there would not be an opportunity to celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos at the historic Monastery in August of 2016. As early as last September the premises of the Monastery have been fenced around. It should be noted that previous restoration work was not appropriate, according to the former Turkish Minister Of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay.

Rather, permission was granted to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at Phaneromeni Monastery in Artaki of Cyzicus, where on the 23rd of August Patriarch Bartholomew came for a second time to the ruins of the historic Monastery.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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