ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Gelasios

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.

June 6, 2017

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Gelasios

St. Gelasios the Martyr (Feast Day - June 6)

Verses

You laughed with blessed laughter blessed one,
And were beheaded right-minded O Gelasios.

The blessed Martyr of Christ Gelasios, when a persecution was set in motion by the idolaters against the Christians, became inflamed with divine zeal, and distributed all his belongings to the poor, dressed himself in a white garment, and went to the Martyrs of Christ. Seeing how they were being punished for Christ with various torments, he kissed their wounds, asked for their prayers, and urged them to remain brave in their martyric struggle.

On account of this he was arrested by the idolaters, who presented him before the governor. He examined the Martyr, who confessed that Christ was the true God, and the idols he proclaimed deaf and senseless. The governor in turn considered him worthless and good for nothing. After this, he had him lightly flogged, and finally ordered for the Saint to be beheaded, thus receiving from the Lord the unfading crown of martyrdom.