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.



January 14, 2022

A Journalists Harrowing Escape from Bombardment With the Help of Saint Tatiana


By Maria Giachnaki,
Journalist-International Correspondent

It was August 2006, it had already been that all summer I was still covering the Israeli–Lebanese war. In that war I completely changed my philosophy in life. I had lost my associates in the bombing of Tyre in southern Lebanon, at the time I left the hospital to bring a colleague to the shelter and they had stayed inside. I had escaped a second bombing in the village of Cana where 54 children were killed inside the shelter for which I could hardly say a word on the air as I was one of the few journalists in the village that was being ruthlessly bombarded (I do not want to say much).

Now towards the end of August and after southern Lebanon had been leveled I had to leave for the Syrian side and leave the country overnight. In this war I had a good angel named Tatiana who with her whole family helped me and saved me many times by offering me safe places to live.

So the night I left Tatiana hugged me and gave me a small icon of a Saint I did not know. She was worried about the outcome of my departure from the country. "It's Saint Tatiana," she told me, "please take her with you. She will protect you."

The small icon Tatiana gave me.

The same night, just before midnight, I was crossing the devastated area and the bombed bridges with the Lebanese driver who would take me to the Syrian border. There was only one bridge left that was still in place and we tried to cross it.

Suddenly over our heads just before the border with Syria the bombers started grazing behind us the bridge we were just crossing. I held the icon in my hands and my heart started beating loudly. I looked at the driver who had stepped on the accelerator making the car roar and closing my eyes I prayed until I was at the point of the border with Syria having overcome the danger. The only bridge connecting the two countries had been completely leveled! 
 
Behind the icon I engraved the date of that night.
 
There, the Syrian soldiers asked me, giving me tea, which Saint I had as a helper...

I am writing this story because today this Saint celebrates who was martyred for her faith and so I want to WISH many years to my distant friend Tatiana who lives, Glory be to God, safe, still in Lebanon.

Source: This was written on 12 January 2017, the feast day of Saint Tatiana. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
 
 
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