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.



May 29, 2019

Synaxarion of the Holy Hieromartyr Olbianos the Bishop of Anaea with his Disciples

St. Olbianos of Anaea (Feast Day - May 29)

Verses

Olbianos I say was very happy,
For on behalf of God he died all-happy.

He was during the reign of Emperor Maximian, and during the consulate of Alexander and Maximus, when Julias Sextus and Aelianus governed Asia, in the year 301. For the faith of Christ he was brought before the previously mentioned governors. When Agrippinus and Clementius, the custodians of the idols, were offering sacrifices to the false god Rhea, Saint Olbianos was urged to sacrifice to her. Then the Hierarch of Christ with many demonstrable proofs, elevated and exalted the faith of Christ, while the religion of the idols he spoke against and demeaned.


For this reason, first they burnt the back and inward parts of the Saint with a fiery spit. Then, because he could not be persuaded to sacrifice to the sun, the governor referred his disobedience to the proconsul. The proconsul ordered for the Saint to be beaten with rods without mercy, after having first stripped him naked. After this the servants of error lit a great fire, into which they cast the athlete of Christ together with his disciples, and thus through fire they met their end, and he received from the Lord the crown of the contest.

The Saint performed many miracles both during his life, as well as after his venerable repose many remarkable actions were done through his honorable relic, for those who hasten to him with faith, as his longer history records.


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