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.



October 12, 2022

The Bright Feast and Glorious Celebration of Saint Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)


By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Today common joy arose throughout the world for the bright feast and glorious celebration of Saint Symeon the New Theologian. Heaven above rejoices and the whole triumphant Church rejoices, because it has in its midst the blessed soul and the divine and all-illuminated spirit of the sacred Symeon. The earth below also rejoices, and the entire militant Orthodox Church is celebrating, because it possesses as precious treasures and delights and enjoys the divinely inspired and luminous and melodious writings of Symeon. And with this common joy of heaven and earth, the heavenly and earthly glorify the life-bestowing and all-holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the God of all, who graced and glorified and exalted as great His holy Symeon, when he was on earth with so many supernatural gifts, and when he was transferred to heaven with so many inconceivable glories and beatitudes.

***

We, brethren, the Christians and monks of this wicked age, what should we do to please God and be saved? Let us imitate the example of the God-pleasing life and conduct of our Holy and God-bearing Father Symeon. For today we celebrate his venerable memory not so much to honor him - because the transcendental honor and glory he enjoys in the heavens is enough for him and he does not need more from us - but so that we may benefit by imitating his life according to God.
 
 
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