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.



June 11, 2020

When Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Met Saint Ephraim of Katounakia


It was the year 1989 (from 22 October till 3 November), when a three-member Patriarchal Exarchy, under the late Metropolitan Maximos of Stavroupoleos, which included Metropolitan Bartholomew of Philadelphia (later Ecumenical Patriarch) and Metropolitan Athanasios of Elenoupolis (later Metropolitan of Chalcedon) visited Mount Athos, with the purpose of establishing the Brotherhood of the Monastery of Vatopaidi.

During this visit, Bartholomew of Philadelphia and Athanasios of Elenoupolis went on a pilgrimage to the wilderness of the Holy Mountain, beginning with the hermitage of the virtuous spiritual father Elder Ephraim in Katounakia. During this meeting, both the future Ecumenical Patriarch and the Metropolitan of Chalcedon asked the Venerable Elder Ephraim, who was distinguished for his wisdom and humility, to give them a spiritual word. His response was recorded in the report of Nicholas Magginas for Ekklesiastiki Aletheia:

"While a man is alive he must always struggle. The first struggle is to conquer one's self. The first and primary enemy of man is not the devil, no, but a man is a threat unto himself. This is because he does not evaluate his thoughts with his hearing, even though we have so many holy fathers to imitate by reading their writings. This is because often times our ego dominates us. When a man conquers himself he is the greatest great-martyr (μεγαλομάρτυρας) and trophy-bearer (τροπαιοφόρος) and bearer-of-victory (νικηφόρος) before God."

During this meeting, the reporter Nicholas Magginas asked Elder Ephraim a few questions as well.

"How do you see the future of our youth?"

"They will return" [that is, they will return to the Church].

"Will the youth become better?"

"They will get better and Christ from time to time will show forth personalities, who will be able to hold off the current momentum of evil. Others will come."

Elder Ephraim reposed on 27 February 1998. On 9 March 2020 the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate officially included the Venerable Ephraim of Katounakia in the list of Saints of the Orthodox Church.



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