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.



July 17, 2017

The Oldest Icon in Cyprus, Saint Marina the Great Martyr


Saint Marina the Great Martyr is greatly revered in Cyprus. This is most apparent by the fact that five villages of the island are named after Saint Marina (Agia Marina Xyliatou, Agia Marina Skylloura - occupied, Agia Marina Chrysochous - occupied, Agia Marina Kelokedaron, Agia Marina Marinouda), and there are around 110 churches dedicated to her.

In the Byzantine Museum of Paphos is also preserved perhaps the oldest icon in all of Cyprus, which depicts Saint Marina in the orans position, flanked by scenes of her martyrdom. The origins of this icon may predate iconoclasm, or may have been painted during the period of iconoclasm, thus it is dated to sometime between the 7th-9th centuries.


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