ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Saint Quintianus, Bishop of Rodez (+ 525)

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.

November 13, 2018

Saint Quintianus, Bishop of Rodez (+ 525)

St. Quintianus of Rodez (Feast Day - November 13)

Saint Quintianus was a Bishop of Rodez and a Bishop of Clermont-Ferrand (Arvernes) in the sixth century, and participated in the Councils of Agde (508) and Orleans (511).

Tradition makes him a native of Africa and a priest of Carthage who fled to France due to the persecutions of the Vandals. At the death of Saint Amantius (Amans) in 487, Quintian succeeded him as Bishop of Rodez.

During the war between the Franks and the West Goths, he was a zealous supporter of Clovis I. To avoid the persecutions of the Arian Visigoths, he fled Rodez and proceeded to Auvergne, where he was hospitably received by Bishop Euphrasius.

King Theodoric I appointed Quintianus successor to Sidonius Apollinaris (grandson of the famous Sidonius Apollinaris), as Bishop of Clermont. On the death of the latter, Quintianus succeeded to the See of Clermont, which he occupied until his death on November 13, 525 or 526.

Saint Gregory of Tours wrote about him in his History of the Franks (Bk. 3) and Life of the Fathers (Ch. 5), of which the latter could be read below.