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.



April 24, 2020

90-Year-Old Woman from Kalymnos Chants "Anastaseos Imera" ("It is the Day of Resurrection")


Katerina Makarouna, the "Nightingale of Palionisos" as she is known, is a 90-year-old widow from Kalymnos, who has 6 children, 23 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, and lives in Palionisos, the most remote village of the island with only six inhabitants for the past 67 years (they only received electricity 6 or 7 years ago and a paved road in 2006). Below she chants with a sweet and melodic voice the Paschal Doxastikon hymn "It is the Day of Resurrection" from within the Chapel of Saint Peter, which she visits once or twice a week.

The chanting of the hymn alone can be seen in the first video, but the longer report (which I recommend) is in the second video, where Katerina is featured at the 5 minute mark, as well as other villagers from the area discussing how they are dealing with the coronavirus crisis during the paschal holidays (it should be noted that no one in this village ever gets sick). Below that is a video with an interview with Katerina, followed by an interview with her son who also lives in the village.








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