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.



June 10, 2019

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Kanides of Cappadocia

St. Kanides of Cappadocia (Feast Day - June 10)

Verses

Leaving the earth and earthly things Kanides,
You found an incorrupt recompense above.

He lived during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), was the son of pious and God-loving parents, Theodotos and Theophanou, and he lived in the land of Cappadocia, which in Turkish is called Karamania. The mother of the Saint did not eat foods with fat for the nine months she carried him in her belly.

When the Saint was born, he did not at all breastfeed from the left breast, but only from the right breast did the infant breastfeed. When the Saint was baptized and weaned, and passed the age of childhood, that is over the age of seven, he left behind all worldly things, and went to a mountain in those parts, where he entered and shut himself inside a small cave, occupying and concerning himself with fasting and sacred prayer, eating a little bit of raw vegetables without salt once a week, and in this way the thrice-blessed one passed seventy-three years.

Because the area of his cave was at a downward slope, water passed through there, making his cave very wet. Because of this excess moisture, the hairs of his head and beard withered and fell. Having conducted his life in this manner, he departed to the Lord.


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