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 7, 2022

The Holy Ninety-Nine Fathers of Crete including Venerable John the Hermit

 
MEMORY OF THE VENERABLE NINETY-NINE FATHERS,
who practiced asceticism on the island of Crete
including JOHN THE HERMIT

Commemorated on October 7th

By St. Justin Popovich
 
THESE ninety-nine venerable fathers, among whom the most famous was John the Hermit, practiced asceticism and perfected themselves on the island of Crete, but their origin was from various regions. Venerable John was from Egypt and with him thirty-five other fathers; thirty-nine fathers were from the island of Cyprus, and the other twenty-four from Attaleia. Traveling by ship to the island of Crete, they were miraculously saved from a storm and landed on the neighboring island of Gavdos, and from there they came to Crete. But John the Hermit lagged behind them, who then came across the sea standing on his tunic, which, after praying to God, he spread on the water and thus by the power of God he also sailed to Crete.

Having found lonely and desolate places in Crete, these venerable men wandered in the mountains and caves in various ways pleasing to God. John the Hermit lived separately from them. Coming out of his cave one day, he was shot by a hunter, who thought it was some kind of beast; and so he reposed in the Lord. The other ascetics, having prayed to God, all reposed on the same day. (They lived before the 16th century). [1]

Notes:

[1] The head of one of these venerables, according to the tradition of John the Hermit, is located on the island of Chios and exudes a wonderful sweet fragrance.

From Lives of the Saints for October.
 
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