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.



May 6, 2021

Reflection for Bright Thursday (St. Theophan the Recluse)


By St. Theophan the Recluse 
 
Beneficial is the work of those who, using sensible reason, crush the enormous lie mustered against the truth of the Resurrection. Read and arm yourself with this reason; meanwhile, do not be too lazy to allow more and more space for the power of Christ’s Resurrection to enter into you. The more you do this, the more you will breathe the air of the Resurrection, and you will become quite safe from all the darts of the enemy, which are directed against this truth. You ask, what is needed for this? Nothing special: be the way you ought to be according to the vow you made in Holy Baptism, which is our resurrection. You spat on Satan and all his works? So continue to preserve yourself thus in relation to him. Did you unite yourself with Christ? Then abide with Him. The deeds of darkness and light are obvious. Flee from the former and make all diligence with the latter. But do this without any compromises, even the smallest, so that the norm of your life becomes the following: there is no communion of light with darkness, or of Christ with Belial (cf. II Cor. 6:15).
 
 
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