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.



December 20, 2021

Saint John of Kronstadt as a Wonderworker of our Days (St. Justin Popovich)

 
By Archimandrite Justin Popovich
 
Here is another Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker: by the power of faith, by the power of prayer, by the power of love, by the power of mercy, by the power of all the holy evangelical virtues, and therefore by the power of miracles. Yes, the same almighty Lord Christ is in Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and in Saint John the Wonderworker of Kronstadt. The gospel is eternally true in both: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). He is the same, the All-Miraculous Savior, and His Saints are the same: Righteous, because He - the All-Loving - lives and works in all of them and through all of them at all times, even in our time. And Saint John of Kronstadt is, so to speak, our contemporary, he passed away on December 20, 1908. The Holy Father is righteous and entirely a Christ-bearer, He lives as an apostolic saint and works and performs miracles. His faith - apostolic, holy, strong and omnipotent - worked apostolic miracles. He passed through the vast land of Russia, performing countless and inexpressible miracles. People from all over Russia turned to him for help, for healing, for advice. He often did not have time to read countless telegrams, letters, requests, which were addressed to him for help. He blessed them at the holy proskomide, praying to the Lord to fulfill the prayers of the supplicants; and through his prayers there are healings throughout the vast land of Russia. This is what the Holy Word of God is about. There is no doubt, his help from heaven is needed by all of us people who live in this lost paradise called the earth.
 
Source: Lives of the Saints. Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 


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