ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Adrian the New

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 17, 2019

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Adrian the New

St. Adrian the New (Feast Day - April17)

Verses

They do not know who is in the midst of the flames,
Spoke knowledge. Adrian was steadfast.

The Holy Martyr Adrian was one of the Christians who was captured by the Greeks and put in prison. When the Greeks were offering sacrifices to their false gods, they removed this Saint from prison, and they were forcing him to go near the sacrificial altar to offer incense, that is to offer incense to demons. However, the brave Martyr of Christ not only did not do this, but he ran towards it and knocked down the sacrificial altar, while the sacrifices on it spilled over, and the fire was extinguished. This enraged the ruler, and the hearts of the idolaters present were inflamed with anger, so they took him and beat him without mercy. One person struck him with rods, while another crushed his mouth with a rock, and yet another hit him on the head. Finally, they lit up a great furnace, and put the Saint inside. In this way the road to martyrdom for the blessed one came to an end, and he entered a crown-bearer into the heavens.