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.



September 26, 2024

Homily on the Day of the Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (St. John of Kronstadt)


Word Twelve

Homily on the Day of the Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on September 26, 1905)

The holy repose of the beloved disciple of Christ is a lesson in the resurrection and immortality.

Today the Church of Christ celebrates the glorious memory of the death of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian from temporal life to eternal, from corruptible to incorruptible, from laborious and sorrowful to eternal peace and joy, from toil to royalty, for to him, together with the other Apostles, the royal seat and judgment over the twelve tribes of Israel were promised by the Truth Himself - Christ. The death of the beloved disciple and confidant of Christ was supernatural: three days after the burial, his body was not found in the ground in which he was buried; he was transferred with his body to the heavenly dwellings, to the throne of God, having received at the same time the lot - to remain on earth at will, until the second terrible coming of Christ, in fulfillment of the words of the Lord, spoken to the Apostle Peter: "If I want him to remain [in the body] until I come, what is that to you?" (John 21:23)

Thus exalted, immortalized and deified is human nature in the person of the Apostle John, such a thundering, wise, divine Theologian and teacher of the true faith is given to humanity in the person of the beloved Apostle John. His divine, wonderful Gospel, filled with divine simplicity and grandeur, has penetrated to all ends of the world; it has taught and teaches all peoples who have accepted the faith of Christ, true, soul-nourishing and soul-saving Theology.

Let us pay special attention to the words spoken by the Lord, the Author of our life, to the Apostle Peter regarding his martyrdom on the cross and regarding John’s stay until the second coming of the Lord: "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"

What do these sovereign words of the Creator and Lord of creatures mean? They mean that John will not die for several thousand years, and will experience death for several days only before His second, glorious coming to earth. Let us learn, dear brothers and sisters, about our resurrection and immortality from the wondrous death of Christ's Apostle John, and let us constantly prepare for the move to another, eternal world. The Apostle departed, but did not die, but lives in body and does not depart from the earth, as the Church says, and awaits the second terrible coming of the Lord to judge the whole world (Stichera at the Small Vespers, Glory).

Our so-called intellectuals do not believe in the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the human soul, in a just retribution for all, in the eternal blessedness of the righteous and in the eternal torment of unrepentant sinners, and therefore they have completely strayed from the vital, rational, Divine foundation and have become not intellectuals (rational), but madmen, doing completely mad things; they have become imbued with hatred for faith, for Christian piety, for truth and justice, for everything holy, honest and praiseworthy; they have proclaimed wild freedom for their senseless passions, declared war on the authorities and any public order, indulged in disobedience, all sorts of lawlessness, murder in broad daylight, all lies and slander against those who are hateful to them. They have proclaimed in word and deed the so-called terror and keep the authorities themselves in fear, while they themselves should be afraid of the authorities, for it is said: "There is no power except from God, but the powers that be are ordained by God. Will you not fear the authorities? Do good, and you shall have praise from them, and when you do evil, be afraid, for he bears not the sword without reason" (Rom. 13:1, 4).

And here is what is surprising: the authorities are afraid to use the sword against those who raise the sword or throw deadly missiles, while the seditionists use deadly weapons against the authorities with impunity; the authorities do not possess the sword given to them by God. But the faithful servants of the fatherland, like sheaves, fall and there is no one to protect them.

And when I speak thus, I think that these notorious enemies of all truth, the enemies of the Church of Christ, raise their sword against me. But may the Eternal and Living One, who dwells in heaven, preserve those who fight against unrighteousness. "Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 120:4). We see phenomena that have never happened before: children and youths, who have just entered life and do not understand it, its purpose, want to rule over men of experience and science, over people who have served their fatherland with benefit, honor and glory, over people in power, invested with the king's trust. In truth, boys rule over elders, according to the Prophet Isaiah (3:4). When will this end? When will the authorities carry the sword wisely? When will he receive the power bestowed by God and strike fear into those who want to rule the authorities with fear? Oh, how the Russian people, and especially the so-called liberals, have become unworthy of their Christian calling, unworthy of the Gospel, because they oppose it in everything – unworthy of Christ, the Lamb of God, Who redeemed us with His blood from the righteous wrath of God, from the hereditary corruption of sin, from the curse and death.

"Beloved Apostle of Christ our God, hasten to deliver a people without defense. He who permitted you to recline upon His bosom, accepts you on bended knee before Him. Beseech Him, O Theologian, to dispel the persistent cloud of nations, asking for us peace and great mercy" (Apolytikion of the Feast). Amen.

Source: From the book Golden Words. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
 
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