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 5, 2022

The Shameful Oath the African Clergy Have Made to the Patriarchate of Moscow


The Russian invasion of the Patriarchate of Alexandria under the pretext that about 100 clergy in Africa want to belong to Moscow, has also produced … oaths!

We quote an "Oath" signed by these clergymen, who declare that they are joining "voluntarily" with Moscow without any "personal financial gain", but with the "sole purpose" of saving their soul which is in "spiritual danger" from the moment the Patriarchate of Alexandria recognized the Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine, which for Moscow is still a "schism".

For the African clergy who join the Moscow Patriarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church "is free from any association with the schism."

These clergymen therefore pledge not to come into "a prayerful and canonical communion with persons who do not belong to the Orthodox Church or are in a schism" and to "protect" their flock from all heresies and schisms and to warn those who have been deceived, pointing them to the path of righteousness and salvation.

Finally, the clergyman states in the oath:

"If I break my oath of loyalty to the canonical Church and lapse into communion with a schism, may the Lord punish me." 

 
Therefore, these clergymen consider that the only "canonical Church" is the Russian one. And the Russians are spreading this very spirit: We are a canonical Church and those who recognize the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine are not only schismatic, but also heretical.

However, they are erroneously mistaken, because none of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches considers that the four Autocephalous Orthodox Churches that have recognized Autocephaly are "schismatic"! Only Moscow thinks that. Only she - unilaterally - has interrupted Eucharistic communion, only she has reduced the Ukrainian issue to a "dogmatic" case.

Is the Ukrainian issue, after all, an excuse that Moscow is using in seeking to invade everywhere?

Why are the African clergymen being forced to join the Moscow Patriarchate? Do they have so much knowledge and "sensitivity" that they cannot tolerate a recent decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and hasten so as not to lose their soul?

But the Russians are now fully revealed. What do they say in their texts on the internet?

"Besides, the historically canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, according to the canons of the Church, is Egypt, Libya, Pentapolis. The jurisdiction of the Church of Alexandria was extended to the entire African continent only by Patriarch Meletios (Metaxakis) in the twentieth century. The Russian Church (as well as other Local Churches) simply observed the tacit 'status quo' in relation to these territories."

What other Church embraced the above reasoning and hurried to make an "Exarchate"? None. Only Moscow.

So, Ukraine is finally the pretext or rather the way for the Russian invasion everywhere!

Let us hope that the Orthodox Churches will understand that "hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber."

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
 
 

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