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 1, 2018

Holy New Martyr Peter of Tripoli in Peloponessos (+ 1776)

St. Peter of Peloponnesos (Feast Day - January 1)

Verses

Your faith was established on a rock blessed Peter,
You were raised up from the earth, to the heavens by hanging.

Saint Peter was from Tripoli in Peloponessos. From the little information we have about him, it seems he went to Asia Minor, probably because of the Orlov Revolt in 1770. In Odemis, which is about 113 km southeast of Smyrna (Izmir), Peter was arrested by the Turks for an unknown reason. At his trial he was urged to reject the Christian faith of his forefathers and embrace Islam or face death. He chose to remain a servant of Christ and die for His glory. Thus he was sentenced to be hanged, and in this manner received the crown of martyrdom.

The only icon of Saint Peter is in the Metropolitan Church of Saint Basil in Tripoli, which was installed there in 2016.


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