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.



July 10, 2024

Saint Jeremiah Who Was Martyred in Crete

Church of Panagia Zerviotissa

On the 2nd Sunday of Matthew, commemoration is made of Saint Jeremiah, who was the head of the Metochion of Panagia Zerviotissa in Stylos of Crete, which was a dependency of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Patmos. We have little more information about him, except that he was murdered by the Turks in July of 1821. He is commemorated on the 2nd Sunday of Matthew because it is the same day in which is celebrated All the Saints of Patmos, and it usually falls in July.
 
The Monastery of Panagia Zerviotissa in Stylos of Hania, specifically in the area of the ancient city of Aptera, is about 25 kilometers from Hania. The temple dates from the 11th century when the emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118) granted to Saint Christodoulos from the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Patmos, estates from the area of Aptera. At the end of the 11th or beginning of the 12th century, the monks from the Monastery in Patmos built this Monastery as a Metochion or Dependency.

The church is also called Monastira because of its large size, while the name Zerviotissa was given to it by some icon of Panagia Aristerokratousa. The church is also known as Serviotissa.

It is a cruciform church with an octagonal dome and its plan resembles a three-aisled basilica. Today, its fresco decoration is barely preserved.
 
 
 
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