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 24, 2020

Saint Philotheos, Builder of Philotheou Monastery (+ 10th cent.)

St. Philotheos the Builder (Feast Day - January 24)

Venerable Philotheos was a disciple of Saint Athanasios the Athonite, and went on to establish what became known as Philotheou Monastery in 992. According to historical sources, the original name of the monastery was the Little Monastery of Fteris which was located in the region of Kravvatos, where today stands the Chapel of the Prophet Elias. The monastery was moved to its current location in the 11th century without any differences in the buildings and the architecture from the initial building. The katholikon of the monastery is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Theotokos and there are many murals from 1752. It is located on the east side of the Athonite peninsula, very close to the Monastery of Karakalou, and is the 12th monastery in the hierarchy of Athos’ monasteries.

Though Saint Philotheos is not in any general synaxaria of the Church, he is commemorated within Philotheou Monastery on January 24th together with all the Saints of Philotheou Monastery throughout the ages, which include: Dionysios the Builder (+ 1388, June 25), Theodosios of Trebizond (+ 1391, January 10), Dionysios of Olympus (+ 1541, January 23), Venerable Martyr Damianos the New (+ 1568, February 14), Symeon the Single-Tunicked and Barefooted (+ 1594, April 19), Dometios the Sign-bearer (+ 16th cent., August 7), and Hieromartyr Kosmas the Aitolos (+ 1779, August 24).





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