ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: An African Neomartyr

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.

December 19, 2020

An African Neomartyr

By Archimandrite Seraphim Demopoulos

In 1985 an African - who was then a deacon - named Nicholas narrated to us the following circumstance.

In Uganda, Archimandrite Nikodemos Sarikas (1878-1941) preached for the first time (in 1933). Among those who heard him preaching was a young African boy.

That night, when the boy and his family sat to eat, he did his cross first.

"What are you doing?" asked his father, a fanatical Muslim. "Did you change your faith? Get up, right now!"

They went outside, he gathered a big heap of wood, he ignited a large flame, and said to his son:

"Tell me! Will you return back to our faith?"

"No," said the young boy, "I am a Christian."

"I will ask you one more time. Will you come back to our faith?"

"No," said the young soldier of Christ.

"This is the last time I will ask you. Will you come back to the faith of your fathers?"

"I am not afraid. I am a Christian!"

Then the father grabbed his child and cast him into the flames. And the young martyr of Christ became a victim of the fire.

Source: From the book Ένα κάθε μέρα. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.