ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Finding of the Sacred Relics of the Holy New Martyr Theodore the Hatzis of Mytilene in 1967

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.

September 4, 2018

Finding of the Sacred Relics of the Holy New Martyr Theodore the Hatzis of Mytilene in 1967

The Holy New Martyr Theodore of Mytilene, who was from Pyrgos Thermis of Lesvos, and commemorated by the Church on January 30th, was hanged in Mytilene in 1785 by the Turks for his love for Christ and refusal to embrace Islam. His honorable relic was then cast into the sea by the Turks, but a few days later it was found by certain Christians on the shore, and they buried him within the Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner in Mothona. There he remained buried until September 4, 1967 when his holy relic was found.

The discovery of his relics was made in the presence of the Metropolitan Iakovos, the Deputy Speaker and the Governor of Mytilene, among others, after research was done as to the location of the remains of the Saint. The primary source was the Life of the Saint written by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite in his New Martyrology, who said that after the recovery of the remains of Saint Theodore from the sea, Christians buried him "in the Church of Saint John the Forerunner outside of Mothona." Upon the renovation of this chapel, the holy relics were brought to light, found under the floor to the right of the entrance in the narthex. It seemed that the Christians buried him there out of expediency, having just removed a "criminal of the state" from the sea and secretly buried him without a monument, leaving no trace of it and concealing it from his persecutors, hoping to preserve it. Though an average person would usually never be buried within a church, those of particular importance could be buried in the narthex area, such as a martyr.

Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner in Mothona

Today the Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner in Mothona, near the old hotel Xenia, is part of the early 19th century Church of the Zoodochos Pege in Varia. The relics of the Saint are therefore kept in the Church of the Zoodochos Pege. On September 3, 1985 a small portion of his relics was translated to his hometown of Pyrgos Thermis. The videos below record this event.