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.



December 10, 2018

Saint Thomas Dephourkinos of Mount Kyminas in Bithynia

St. Thomas Dephourkinos (Feast Day - December 10)

Verses

Thomas established himself on the unbreakable base of God,
Showing himself mightier than the instruments of the demons.

Saint Thomas Dephourkinos was born at the foot of Mount Kyminas in Bithynia in the ninth century to middle class parents. From his youth he studied ecclesiastical writings and longed for the monastic life after visiting many monastic centers. Finally he entered one of the area monasteries and became a monk. Later in his life, when the Roman official Galolektos had founded a monastery at the Sangarios River, Saint Thomas was already an experienced monk, and the brethren chose him as head of the new monastery. He governed the monastery in an orderly way and was an example to his fellow monks.

From there Saint Thomas withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he labored in solitude. The monk overcame many snares of the devil in the wilderness. For years he was sorely afflicted by demonic attacks in the form of mosquitoes, flies, wasps and snakes, from which he was finally delivered after prayer to God. The Lord in turn glorified him with the gift of healing and clairvoyance.

Once, the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came to the monastery to Saint Thomas for advice. Not finding the monk at the monastery, the emperor sent his messenger with a letter for him. And just as the messenger arrived at the the Elder’s hut, the Saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the emperor’s question.

The Venerable Thomas reposed in deep old age, having reached the pinnacle of the spiritual life. The allusion to Emperor Leo is the only chronological indication in his late synaxarion notice, found in a fifteenth century manuscript.


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