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.



January 2, 2025

When Father Lefteris Kapsomenos Met Saint Seraphim of Sarov


Father Lefteris Kapsomenos (1923-1981) of Crete had a spiritual experience with Saint Seraphim of Sarov, without having previously heard anything about him.

One night, the Elder saw in his sleep that he was in a wild and inhospitable landscape, where he was wandering in fear. Suddenly, an immeasurably deep cliff opened up before him, where black, ugly and horrible-looking goats were climbing up and down, watching him mockingly, ready to push him into the abyss. Desperate, he turned around, looking for help.

And then a monk appeared, with a parting in the middle of his straight white hair and extended his hand to him, saying:

"Come, we will cross the cliff together."

Papa-Lefteris trusted him, but he dared to ask:

"Who are you, Elder?"

And the monk was illuminated with an unearthly light and said to him:

"I am Seraphim," and he disappeared, along with the dream that ended, leaving in the soul of the still young priest, an indescribable joy and a sense of confidence in the face of the already existing problems, ecclesiastical and personal, but especially in those that suddenly arose in his later short life.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
 

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