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.



December 29, 2017

Saints and Feasts of December 29


On the twenty-ninth the slaughtered infants called for pappa.

Holy Fourteen Thousand Infants 
Massacred at the Decree of Herod

Holy Innocents Resource Page


Commemoration of All Christians Who Died 
from Starvation, Thirst, Cold and the Sword

Commemoration of All Christians Who Died from Starvation, Thirst, Cold and the Sword


Venerable Markellos, 
Abbot of the Akoimeton Monastery
  
 

Saint Markellos of the Unsleeping Ones and the Demon Possessed


Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Thaddeus the Confessor (+ 818)


Venerable Benjamin of Nitria

Life and Sayings of Holy Abba Benjamin of Nitria


Venerable Athenodoros

Saint Athenodoros the Leper, Disciple of Pachomios the Great


Venerable George, Bishop of Nicomedia, 
Composer of Canons and Troparia

Saint George, Bishop of Nicomedia, Composer of Canons and Troparia


Saints Mark the Grave-Digger 
and Theophilus the Weeper
 
 
 
 Venerable Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos
 
 
 
 
Consecration of the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs 
near the Bronze Tetrapylon

The Bronze Tetrapylon and the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Constantinople


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