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.



January 25, 2020

Did Gregory the Theologian Refer to the Writings of Dionysius the Areopagite?


In his Oration on the Theophany of Christ, Gregory the Theologian writes in section 6:

"But when I say God, I mean Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... This then is the Holy of Holies, which is hidden even from the Seraphim, and is glorified with the thrice-repeated Holy, meeting in one ascription of the title Lord and God, as one of our predecessors has most beautifully and loftily pointed out."

The question is: Who is the "predecessor" Gregory is referring to? Some believe Gregory is referring to Athanasius the Great, while others believe he is referring to Dionysius the Areopagite.

Here is the problem: Gregory reposed in 390 and Athanasius reposed in 373, which fits well, but modern scholars believe the writings of Dionysius were not written by the first century Athenian, but were written by an anonymous writer who used the name "Dionysius the Areopagite" as a pseudonym 100 to 150 years after the repose of Gregory. If this true, then the only possible choice of the two is Athanasius. Perhaps, however, this may prove the writings of Dionysius can be dated earlier.

But let us trace the sources. Here is what Athanasius says (On Luke 10:22 and Matthew 11:27, sect. 6):

"What's nearer to God than the Cherubim or the Seraphim? Yet even they don't see God or stand on their feet; they don't dare offer their praises with bare faces, but veil them, while with untiring lips they glorify the divine and indescribable nature with the 'Holy, holy, holy...' The fact that these venerable living creatures offer their praises three times - 'Holy, holy, holy' - proves that the three persons are perfect, just as in saying 'Lord' they declare the Essence is one."

There is nothing that comes so close in the writings of Dionysius. Some refer to chapter 7 in the Celestial Hierarchy, but a close reading of that chapter has nothing as close as to what Gregory was referring to. If a case can be made for the authenticity of the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite, this reference doesn't seem to be part of it.

It should be concluded therefore that the "predecessor" Gregory the Theologian was referring to was in all likelihood Athanasius the Great.



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