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.



August 16, 2019

Commemoration of the Depletion and Issuing Forth Again of the Holy Water in the Church of the Life-Giving Spring


Verses

The spring became empty of its wonderworking waters,
And it was once again wondrously filled.

On August 16th we commemorate the Depletion and Issuing Forth Again of the Holy Water in the Church of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pege) in Constantinople. We do not know exactly when this miracle took place, but it probably took place on August 16, 542 when a great earthquake struck Constantinople, which is also commemorated on this day. During this earthquake, the spring probably dried up, as is common when earthquakes occur in an area of springs, since desertification might be an effect of fault motions resulting from earthquakes. This likely caused great distress among the people, but their joy was returned when the spring began to flow again. In thanksgiving for the restoration of the flow of these wonderworking waters, this feast was established.


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