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.



January 30, 2017

The Relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian


1. Portion of skull at Vatopaidi Monastery in Mount Athos.


2. Portion of right leg at Saint Paul Monastery in Mount Athos.


3. Portion of body and skull at the Church of Saint Gregory in New Karvali in Thrace.



4. The right hand in Ioannina.

 
 


5. Various portions at the Church of Saint George in the Ecumenical Patriarchate.


6. Portion of the skull at the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Meteora.

7. Various portions at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.

8. Portion of the skull at Slatina Monastery in Romania.

9. Right arm at Gregoriou Monastery in Mount Athos.

10. Left forearm at Koutloumouseiou Monastery in Mount Athos.

11. Three portions at Pantocratoros Monastery in Mount Athos.

12. Other portions are at Hilandari, Dionysiou, Xenophonotos, Stavronikita and Panteleimon Monasteries in Mount Athos.

13. Portion at the Lavra of Saint Alexander Nevsky in St. Petersburg.

14. Portion at the Church of Saint George of the Greeks in Venice.

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