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 18, 2023

Homily Before the Epitaphion on Great Friday (St. John Maximovitch)


By St. John Maximvoitch

A mournful meeting. A sad spectacle. Before us is a dead man, moreover, an unusual dead man. The King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the entire universe, lies before us. He died for us. We sinned, but He suffered. People have violated the commandments of God, departed from God, and God, wanting to draw us to Himself with His love, suffers and dies for us. God could not suffer and die as a Deity, therefore He incarnates, and suffers and dies in His human nature, without ceasing to be God. All this He does for us to show His love for us.

With what gratitude our hearts should be filled for Him!

How can we thank Him worthily?

Flowers were brought to His tomb, candles were lit near Him. The Lord does not reject these sacrifices, but He wants something else from us, and only with this will He accept the rest of the offerings. “Son, give me your heart” (Prov. 23:26), God said this even through the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. The Lord is waiting for our heart; this is what we should give Him. To love His commandments and teachings and to fulfill them is gratitude to Him who suffered for us, agreeable and pleasing to Him.

Approaching to kiss the face of the lifeless Savior, let us make a firm decision to follow the path indicated by Him. And if you have to endure adversity and experience difficulties on this path, Christ Himself will be the Helper, Who will resurrect with Himself those who suffered for Him and give them endless blessings in His Heavenly Kingdom, which we too will be honored with. Amen.
 
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 
 
 

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