The Mystagogy Resource Center is a network of websites dedicated to the preservation, translation, publication, and study of Orthodox Christian history, theology, spirituality, hagiography, apologetics, liturgics, patristics, and related subjects.
The word mystagogy comes from the Greek mystagogia, meaning "guidance into the mysteries." In the early Church, mystagogy referred especially to the instruction given to newly baptized Christians after their initiation into the life of the Church. Having received the Holy Mysteries, the faithful were gradually led into a deeper understanding of the faith, the Scriptures, the liturgical life of the Church, and the spiritual path of salvation. It is in this spirit that the Mystagogy Resource Center seeks to educate, inspire, and spiritually enrich Orthodox Christians today.
The mission of the Mystagogy Resource Center is to make the riches of the Orthodox Christian tradition more accessible to contemporary readers. Through original research, historical studies, translations, and educational resources, the project seeks to connect modern Orthodox Christians with the living inheritance of the Church.
A particular emphasis of this work is the translation and publication of materials that have never before appeared in English. These include rare books, manuscripts, sermons, letters, theological treatises, lives of saints, prayers, historical studies, and other significant texts drawn from the vast treasury of Orthodox tradition. Many of these translations are original and unique, making available sources that would otherwise remain inaccessible to most English-speaking readers.
The Mystagogy Resource Center is not intended merely as a repository of information. Rather, it seeks to serve the deeper purpose reflected in its name: the spiritual formation of Orthodox Christians through a greater understanding of the faith, worship, history, and experience of the Church. By bringing together resources from across the centuries, it aims to assist readers in entering more deeply into the life of Christ as preserved and transmitted within the Orthodox Church.
The Mystagogy Resource Center presently consists of a number of interconnected websites, each devoted to a particular area of Orthodox Christian study and interest. Together they form a growing library of resources designed to serve clergy, monastics, scholars, students, and the faithful throughout the world.
For more information about each individual project, please see below.
MYSTAGOY RESOURCE CENTER
This is the flagship website and central hub of the Mystagogy Resource Center network, bringing together a vast collection of Orthodox Christian resources spanning theology, spirituality, Church history, hagiography, liturgics, Scripture, apologetics, and contemporary issues. Through thousands of original translations, articles, studies, homilies, and historical documents, it seeks to make the riches of the Orthodox tradition freely accessible to readers throughout the world. The site serves as both a comprehensive Orthodox resource library and the gateway to the broader network of specialized websites dedicated to the ongoing work of Christian education and spiritual formation.
The word mystagogy comes from the Greek mystagogia, meaning "guidance into the mysteries." In the early Church, mystagogy referred especially to the instruction given to newly baptized Christians after their initiation into the life of the Church. Having received the Holy Mysteries, the faithful were gradually led into a deeper understanding of the faith, the Scriptures, the liturgical life of the Church, and the spiritual path of salvation. It is in this spirit that the Mystagogy Resource Center seeks to educate, inspire, and spiritually enrich Orthodox Christians today.
The mission of the Mystagogy Resource Center is to make the riches of the Orthodox Christian tradition more accessible to contemporary readers. Through original research, historical studies, translations, and educational resources, the project seeks to connect modern Orthodox Christians with the living inheritance of the Church.
A particular emphasis of this work is the translation and publication of materials that have never before appeared in English. These include rare books, manuscripts, sermons, letters, theological treatises, lives of saints, prayers, historical studies, and other significant texts drawn from the vast treasury of Orthodox tradition. Many of these translations are original and unique, making available sources that would otherwise remain inaccessible to most English-speaking readers.
The Mystagogy Resource Center is not intended merely as a repository of information. Rather, it seeks to serve the deeper purpose reflected in its name: the spiritual formation of Orthodox Christians through a greater understanding of the faith, worship, history, and experience of the Church. By bringing together resources from across the centuries, it aims to assist readers in entering more deeply into the life of Christ as preserved and transmitted within the Orthodox Church.
The Mystagogy Resource Center presently consists of a number of interconnected websites, each devoted to a particular area of Orthodox Christian study and interest. Together they form a growing library of resources designed to serve clergy, monastics, scholars, students, and the faithful throughout the world.
For more information about each individual project, please see below.
MYSTAGOY RESOURCE CENTER
This is the flagship website and central hub of the Mystagogy Resource Center network, bringing together a vast collection of Orthodox Christian resources spanning theology, spirituality, Church history, hagiography, liturgics, Scripture, apologetics, and contemporary issues. Through thousands of original translations, articles, studies, homilies, and historical documents, it seeks to make the riches of the Orthodox tradition freely accessible to readers throughout the world. The site serves as both a comprehensive Orthodox resource library and the gateway to the broader network of specialized websites dedicated to the ongoing work of Christian education and spiritual formation.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW
The original website founded by John Sanidopoulos in 2009, which grew from a personal Orthodox weblog into a large international ministry containing more than 14,000 posts. Although no longer actively updated, it remains an extensive archive of articles, translations, historical studies, and Orthodox Christian resources accumulated over many years. The site now serves as a repository preserving this material while directing readers to the broader Mystagogy Resource Center network for new content.
HONEY AND HEMLOCK
Explores culture, philosophy, psychology, politics, literature, music, films and other aspects of contemporary life from an Orthodox Christian perspective. Inspired by Saint Basil the Great, the site seeks to discern and separate what is beneficial ("honey") from what is harmful ("hemlock") in the ideas and influences that shape the modern world. Its purpose is to engage thoughtfully with secular culture while remaining guided by the wisdom and spiritual tradition of the Orthodox Church.
EROTAPOKRISEIS
Dedicated to exploring Orthodox Christianity through the traditional question-and-answer format that has long been used by the Church Fathers and Orthodox spiritual literature. The site presents concise responses to a wide variety of topics, including theological, historical, liturgical, biblical, and spiritual questions, making complex subjects accessible to both inquirers and faithful Orthodox Christians. Its purpose is to educate, clarify, and encourage deeper engagement with the Orthodox faith through a format that is both practical and rooted in tradition.
KNOW THYSELF
Gnothi Seauton ("Know Thyself") examines the spiritual, moral, and ethical dimensions of human life through the lens of Orthodox Christianity. Rooted in Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the ascetical tradition of the Church, it explores self-knowledge, repentance, virtue, the passions, and spiritual healing. The site also engages contemporary moral and ethical questions, seeking to illuminate modern challenges with the enduring wisdom of the Orthodox faith.
Gnothi Seauton ("Know Thyself") examines the spiritual, moral, and ethical dimensions of human life through the lens of Orthodox Christianity. Rooted in Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the ascetical tradition of the Church, it explores self-knowledge, repentance, virtue, the passions, and spiritual healing. The site also engages contemporary moral and ethical questions, seeking to illuminate modern challenges with the enduring wisdom of the Orthodox faith.
ORTHODOX YOUTH RESOURCES
Dedicated to providing Orthodox Christian youth, parents, teachers, clergy, and youth workers with educational, spiritual, and practical resources for the formation of young people in the life of the Church. Drawing from a wide variety of Orthodox sources, it gathers materials on catechesis, discipleship, leadership, service, family life, and youth ministry in order to support the next generation of Orthodox Christians. The site seeks to nurture a vibrant Orthodox identity by helping young people engage the faith thoughtfully, actively, and authentically in the modern world.
ORTHODOXY AND WORLD RELIGIONS
Examines the beliefs, practices, histories, and sacred texts of the world's religions and religious movements from the perspective of Orthodox Christianity. The site seeks to foster informed understanding and thoughtful engagement by presenting both the Orthodox Christian worldview and the teachings of other religious traditions in a fair and well-documented manner. Its purpose is to equip Orthodox Christians with the knowledge necessary to navigate religious diversity while remaining grounded in the faith of the Church.
PANOPLY OF ORTHODOXY
Dedicated to the study of heresies, schisms, sects, and new religious movements from the perspective of Orthodox Christianity. Inspired by the Byzantine Dogmatic Panoply and the anti-heretical tradition of the Church Fathers, it seeks both to defend Orthodox doctrine and to provide readers with the theological, historical, and apologetic tools necessary to understand and respond to religious error. Combining the imagery of spiritual armor and spiritual medicine, the site presents Orthodoxy as both a defense against false teachings and a remedy for the spiritual maladies that give rise to them.
BIO-ORTHODOXY
Examines contemporary issues in bioethics, medicine, science, technology, and human life through the lens of Orthodox Christian theology and anthropology. The site explores the relationship between science and religion from an Orthodox perspective, demonstrating how scientific discovery and Christian faith can be understood as complementary rather than inherently opposed. It also addresses questions surrounding the beginning, preservation, and end of life, applying the spiritual, moral, and pastoral wisdom of the Orthodox Church to the ethical challenges raised by modern scientific and medical developments.
ESCHATOLOGIA
Explores the Orthodox Christian understanding of the Last Things—death, judgment, heaven, hell, the Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the fulfillment of God's Kingdom. Drawing from Scripture, the Church Fathers, liturgical texts, and later Orthodox theologians, it seeks to present authentic Orthodox eschatology while critically examining contemporary prophetic claims, apocalyptic movements, and popular misconceptions about the end times. The site emphasizes that Orthodox eschatology is not merely concerned with future events but with the present experience of the Kingdom of God within the life of the Church.
DAIMONOLOGIA
Explores dark culture, folklore, demonology, the supernatural, fantasy, horror, and related subjects from an Orthodox Christian perspective. Drawing on Scripture, the Church Fathers, hagiography, history, literature, and popular culture, it examines spiritual realities, paranormal claims, and the enduring fascination with the unseen world while distinguishing authentic Orthodox teaching from superstition and sensationalism. The site serves as a unique resource for understanding the relationship between Orthodox Christianity and the fantastic, the mysterious, and the supernatural dimensions of human experience.
NEW MYRIOBIBLON
An Orthodox Christian book review journal dedicated to introducing readers to important works of theology, spirituality, history, literature, and scholarship. Following the example of Saint Photios the Great's Myriobiblon, it provides reviews, notices, summaries, and discussions of both ancient and modern books, helping readers navigate the vast treasury of Orthodox and related literature. The site seeks to cultivate a deeper appreciation for Christian learning by highlighting works that inform, inspire, and enrich the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church.
An Orthodox Christian book review journal dedicated to introducing readers to important works of theology, spirituality, history, literature, and scholarship. Following the example of Saint Photios the Great's Myriobiblon, it provides reviews, notices, summaries, and discussions of both ancient and modern books, helping readers navigate the vast treasury of Orthodox and related literature. The site seeks to cultivate a deeper appreciation for Christian learning by highlighting works that inform, inspire, and enrich the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church.
SALVATION OF SINNERS
Dedicated to the complete English translation and study of Ἀμαρτωλῶν Σωτηρία (Salvation of Sinners), the celebrated seventeenth-century spiritual classic of the Cretan monk Agapios Landos. One of the most influential and widely read works of Orthodox devotional literature in the centuries following the fall of Constantinople, it guided generations of Orthodox Christians in repentance, spiritual struggle, and the pursuit of salvation, while also serving as a source of encouragement for many of the New Martyrs during the Ottoman era. Through original translations, historical commentary, and related resources, the site seeks to make this enduring masterpiece of Orthodox spirituality accessible to modern English-speaking readers.
PRAXIS AND THEORIA
A personal collection of stories, reflections, and experiences drawn from a life lived within the Orthodox Christian tradition. Taking its name from the Orthodox understanding that spiritual practice (praxis) leads to spiritual vision (theoria), the site offers an autobiographical perspective on faith, pilgrimage, learning, relationships, and the many ways God works through the ordinary events of life. It is both a personal memoir and a testimony to the ongoing journey of Christian growth and transformation.
About the Founder
The Mystagogy Resource Center is maintained by John Sanidopoulos, a Greek Orthodox Christian layman from Boston, Massachusetts. Holding academic degrees in Religion, Theology, Philosophy, and History, he has spent many years studying and translating Orthodox Christian texts, with a particular interest in hagiography, Church history, theology, and spiritual literature.
His goal is to make the rich inheritance of Orthodox Christianity more widely accessible through original translations, historical research, and educational resources that are often unavailable elsewhere in English.
