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

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 26, 2019

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Adrian of Rome

Holy Martyr Adrian of Rome (Feast Day - August 26)

Verses

Adrian was decapitated and adorned with a crown,
On the great day of crowning.

Adrian contested during the reign of Emperor Licinius in 313 while in Byzantium with his brother Dometios, who became the Bishop of Byzantium after Bishop Titus of Byzantium. He was from Rome, the son of Emperor Probus of Rome, who ruled in the year 276. This blessed man longed to be martyred for Christ, so he went to Nicomedia, and rebuked Licinius, because he vainly hindered the Roman armies, with the excuse that he was persecuting Christians. Having been punished by Licinius with various tortures, he was finally beheaded, and in this way the renowned one received the crown of martyrdom. His brother Dometios, the Bishop of Byzantium, took his holy relic and buried it in Argyropolis which was next to Byzantium, where the holy relics of the martyrs Adrian and Natalia can be found, together with the relic of Stachys the Apostle, who was anointed first Bishop of Byzantium by Andrew the First-Called.