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.



August 7, 2018

Saint Dometios the Sign-Bearer of Philotheou

St. Dometios the Sign-bearer (Feast Day - August 7)

Verses

You were made worthy most-blessed one to work signs,
You Dometios, as a dwelling-place of grace.

Our Venerable Father Dometios was an ascetic in the mountains near Philotheou Monastery at the Holy Mountain of Athos in the sixteenth century. We read about him in the New Martyrology of Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, where we are told that the Holy New Martyr Damianos (Feb. 14), after leaving Philotheou Monastery, went to live under obedience to Saint Dometios, who is called a "Sign-bearer", for a period of three years. There they lived together in constant prayer, fasting, vigils and hardwork, perfecting the virtues. Saint Damianos went on after three years to preach the word of God in the villages surrounding Mount Olympus, and suffered martyrdom by the Turks in 1568. Saint Dometios reposed in peace at Mount Athos.


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