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.



August 20, 2022

Saint Gabriel the Fool for Christ and the Two Cigarettes

 

One day two women came to Elder Gabriel from Tbilisi. They talked for a long time and Father Gabriel called them to his cell. After he had sat for a while, the women asked him for permission to smoke. He, without hesitation, allowed them to smoke. The women calmly began to light cigarettes, when suddenly a nun came up to the cell, read a prayer and asked for permission to enter. The women were startled, felt ashamed, and immediately the lit cigarettes fell into the hands of Elder Gabriel. This left Elder Gabriel sitting with two lit cigarettes in his hands in his cell, with two women.

When the nun saw Elder Gabriel with two women and lit cigarettes, she stammered in surprise and asked: “What? How? You? How come? Father Gabriel, do you smoke or what?"

The women blushed, unable to utter a word, and the Elder looked at the nun raising his eyebrows and said, “Yes, so what? When I want, I light a cigarette from my right hand, and when I want, I light a cigarette from the left. Why is it such a big deal?"

The nun apologized and ran out of the cell. Realizing what happened, these women stopped smoking.
 
 

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