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.



April 16, 2022

Homily for the Saturday of Lazarus (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

 
 
By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin
 
"Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days" (John 11:39).

The story of Lazarus' resurrection is known to you, listeners. We now turn our attention to one of its circumstances. When Jesus Christ approached the tomb of the righteous Lazarus to resurrect him, and when He said to take away the stone that lay at the tomb, the sister of the deceased, Martha, said: "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days."

Christian Listeners! Stink comes from a sinner, a rotten smell can be smelled, just as it stinks from a dead person on the fourth day after his death. Does every sinner stink? All the unrepentant. Who can smell that a sinner stinks? People smell, guardian angels especially smell, Jesus Christ smells, and the stench of sin is smelled most clearly; but He does not move away, does not run away from the sinner, but approaches, and approaches as close as possible to him, in order to resurrect him, who has died from sins, in order to take away the stench of sin from him. He approaches and stands, and waits for the sinner to reveal his sin, which, like a stone, lies on him and crushes his soul.

But let us not forget what long-suffering a sinless God needs in order to approach a sinner who stinks! Do you remember how He shed tears, how He grieved, how He was indignant in spirit when He wanted to resurrect Lazarus? And why? From the stench of sin, from the evil that sin does to people, from those tears and sorrows caused by sin.

Therefore, let us not keep a sinful stone on our soul, let us rather reveal our sins to God. It is hard to shed tears, hard to sorrow; but tears for sins and sorrow before God are short-lived, and Jesus Christ is with us, immediately our soul, which died from sins, like Lazarus who died, will resurrect, and tears, and sorrow, and the stench of sin will drive away, and we will come to life, calm down.

O Lord, create in me a clean heart and open my mouth so that I can weep before You for my sins and reveal my transgressions to You. Amen.
 
 
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