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.



July 8, 2020

Synaxis of All Military Saints


The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced in 2019 for the annual commemoration of the Synaxis of All Military Saints on July 8th. The announcement in detail is below:

Under the presidency of His Most Divine All-Holiness, the Holy and Sacred Synod assembled to hold its regular session on Thursday 14 February 2019, in order to examine the written addresses of those who have been invited to the daily meeting.

At this time, the Holy and Sacred Synod unanimously accepted the proposal of His Eminence the Metropolitan of Rhodes Kyrillos, appointing since it is missing from the Festal Calendar of the Orthodox Church, the sacred commemoration of all the Military Saints, which will be celebrated on the 8th of July every year.

At the end of this last session, there was an exchange with His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Vryoula, on behalf of the outgoing members of the Holy and Sacred Synod, and His Most Divine All-Holiness addressed and objected to the expiration of the present synodal period.

From the Patriarchate, on the 15th of February 2019.

By the Chief Secretery
of the Holy and Sacred Synod

Most of the Military Saints of the Orthodox Church gave their lives for their faith in Christ, displaying the same heroic courage and prudent bravery in the midst of persecution just as they would any enemy, but even further displaying this bravery and courage through the grace of the Holy Spirit. When crowds of people saw them enduring the tortures for their faith in Christ in the spiritual and physical arena, they also came to believe in Christ as the one true God, smashing within their hearts the idols of stone they once worshiped.

In his study The Holy Soldiers: Icons and Lives (Οι Άγιοι στρατιώτες: Εικόνες και βίοι), John Souliotis uncovered 416 Saints we know by name who were in the military as well as 6,000 whose names are not known to us.

On Mount Athos the Synaxis of All Military Saints was celebrated on May 24th, and there is a Divine Office composed for this feast, where the following iambic verses are written:

Verses

With your spilled blood you signed your faith,
As soldiers of Christ, you were crowned with glory.


 
 




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