ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Church of Saint Arsenios the New in Paros

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 31, 2018

Church of Saint Arsenios the New in Paros

Saint Arsenios the New of Paros reposed on January 31, 1877 at the Monastery of the Transfiguration, known also as the Monastery of Christ of the Forest, and today also known as the Monastery of Saint Arsenios, where he served as spiritual father to the nuns. Soon after his repose a small chapel was dedicated to him at the monastery, erected at the site of his tomb, which was included inside it. Later, between 1935 and 1945 a much larger chapel was built to replace the old one. Official recognition of his sainthood came in 1967 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Soon after two more chapels dedicated to Saint Arsenios were dedicated to him in the suburbs of Athens, one at Moschaton and one in Spata.

Because Saint Arsenios is so highly revered in Paros, a much larger church was sought to be established there by the faithful of the island dedicated to their patron saint. For this reason a larger church was established next to the Monastery of Christ of the Forest, where the foundation was set in 1998, and it was consecrated in 2002.