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.



April 11, 2018

Saint Pharmuthius the Anchorite

St. Pharmuthius the Anchorite (Feast Day - April 11)

Verses

Pharmuthius departed from hither,
In the month of Pharmuthi, which is April.

Saint Pharmuthius lived during the early fourth century, and was a desert anchorite in Egypt to whom a young Saint John of the Well (March 30) first went to receive a blessing to go further into the desert to pray. As John went he came across a deep dry well filled with scorpions, snakes and other reptiles, and entering therein he prayed. There he stayed initially for forty days, sustained with food sent by an Angel of the Lord to Pharmuthius who delivered it to the Saint. The bread was sent to Pharmuthius when John was young, in order to protect the youth from falling into pride. This lasted for a few years, until the devil deceived Pharmuthius to go and tempt John with words that would have taken him out of the well. John set the elder right and had him return to his cell, where he lived out the rest of his days in the Lord and reposed in peace.


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