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.



November 12, 2019

The Chapel of Saint Nilus the Myrrhgusher in the Village of his Birth


Kynouria is an ancient district on the eastern coast of the Peloponnese, between the Argolis and Laconia. There, in the village of Agios Petros, Saint Nilus the Myrrhgusher was born in 1601 with the name Nikolaos Terzakes. His uncle was the Hieromonk Makarios, who was a monk in the Monastery of Panagia Malevi located in the same village. Saint Nilus received his education at the monastery, tutored by his uncle. Later Saint Nilus became a monk in this monastery, tonsured with the name Nilus, and was ordained a priest. After this he went to live as an ascetic in a cave of Mount Athos, where he reposed in 1651.

Today a chapel stands in Monastery of Panagia Malevi dedicated to Saint Nilus in the place he was born both physically and spiritually. It was built in 1967. The village celebrates his memory on November 12th and May 7th. What is notable about this chapel is that every year, on May 7th, which is the feast of the finding of myrrhgushing relics of the Saint in 1815 in the cave of his asceticism on Mount Athos, his holy icon begins to gush myrrh. This chapel also contains a portion of his relics.














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