ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: Monk Ghenadie of Neamt, Who Died on his Knees in Prayer at the Age of 96

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.

September 7, 2021

Monk Ghenadie of Neamt, Who Died on his Knees in Prayer at the Age of 96

Monk Ghenadie of Neamt Monastery in Romania was born on 19 May 1927 and reposed on 3 September 2021. He was found in his monastic cell dead on his knees while in prayer.

Iconographer Daniel Codrescu, the artist who created the mosaic works at the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation, had a meeting with Monk Ghenadie at the Neamt Monastery on August 21, 2021.

After making his portrait on the bench on which he usually sat, with his eyes looking at the crowds of believers, he said to him: “Pray for me that God will end my good life and remember me.”

"He went to the Lord on his knees in prayer on September 3, and the funeral service will be on Tuesday at the Neamt Monastery, at 10 o'clock. God grant him rest among the righteous!", Daniel Codrescu transmitted, and published as a tribute the sketches from that August day, which we reproduce.