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.



March 28, 2025

"I Cannot Question the Kingdom of Heaven When Elder Porphyrios Calls Me!" (Saint Gabrielia the New)



Shortly before her earthly end, Eldress Gabrielia had a miraculous experience. A few days before he departed for heaven, Saint Porphyrios called her in Leros to say goodbye, just before December 1991. The incident is narrated by N.M., her beloved child and eyewitness:

"I am calling you to say goodbye. I am leaving for Kavsokalyva."

They talked for a long time. At one point he said to her:

"Sister, why aren’t you sitting down?"

She, beaming with joy, sat down and they made a rendezvous first for prayer and then for heaven. They said a lot and I saw her happy and content, while at that time she was not in very good health. After three months she departed for heaven. I asked her why she was standing while she was talking to Elder Porphyrios and she said to me:

"I feel like a gendarme being spoken to by his commander. I couldn’t speak. First of all, where did he find my phone number?"

And then she said to me:

"The unexpected determines destiny. And what is destiny? That I will meet Elder Porphyrios and I am very happy about it. My destiny is to meet him. Why? Because we come from one eternity, we meet, we love each other and we go to another place, which is the kingdom of heaven. I cannot question the kingdom of heaven when Elder Porphyrios calls me!"

Source: From the book The Eldress of Joy: Nun Gabrielia Papagiannis by Nun Philothei. Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 

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