Cyrillos & Methodios - Cyril and Methodius

[Ptolemy]

Saint Cyril (Greek: Κύριλλος, Church Slavonic: Кирилъ) (827 - February 4, 869) was a Greek (i.e. Byzantine) monk, scholar, theologian, and linguist. He is best known today for his work in Christianising the Slavs and, with his brother Saint Methodius, is credited with devising the Glagolithic and rarely also with devising the Cyrillic alphabet. He was known during his life as Constantine; the name Cyril seems to have been given to him only shortly before his death or after his death.

Early life
Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki, now part of Greece, to a Greek drungarios (a military officer) named Leon and a Slavic mother. Cyril was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers, according to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"). He is said to have given himself to the pursuit of heavenly wisdom at the age of seven, but at fourteen was made an orphan by the death of his parents.

An influential official, possibly the eunuch Theoctistes, brought him to Constantinople where he studied theology and philosophy. Photius is said to have been among his teachers; Anastasius mentions their later friendship, as well as a conflict between them on a point of doctrine. Cyril learned an eclectic variety of knowledge including astronomy, geometry, rhetoric and music.

However, it was in the field of linguistics that Cyril particularly excelled. Besides the Greek tongue of his society, he was fluent in Latin, Arabic and Hebrew. He may well also have learned the Slavonic language in his childhood; according to the Vita, the Byzantine Emperor Michael III stated that "all Thessalonians speak perfect Slavonic."

After the completion of his education Cyril took holy orders and became a monk. He seems to have held the important position of chartophylax, or secretary to the patriarch and keeper of the archives, with some judicial functions also. After six months' quiet retirement in a monastery he began to teach philosophy and theology.

Cyril also took an active role in relations with the other two great monotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism. He penned fiercely anti-Jewish polemics, perhaps connected with his mission to the Khazars, a tribe who lived near the Sea of Azov under a Jewish king who allowed Jews, Muslims, and Christians to live peaceably side by side. He also undertook a mission to the Arabs with whom, according to the Vita, he held discussions. He is said to have learned the Hebrew, Samaritan and Arabic languages during this period. The account of his life presented in the Latin Legenda claims that he also learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in the Tauric Chersonese (today Crimea).

It has been claimed that Methodius also accompanied him on the mission to the Khazars, but this is probably a later invention. His brother had by this time become a significant player in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and later became abbot of the famous monastery of Polychron.

Mission to the SlavsIn 862, Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that the Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more influenced by political than religious motives. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish ruler Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. He is said to have expelled missionaries from the Roman Church and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.

The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence, and the task was entrusted to Cyril and Methodius. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. In 863, they began the task of translating the Bible into the language now known as Old Church Slavonic and travelled to Great Moravia to promote it. They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavour. However, they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy.

It is impossible to determine with certainty what portions of the Bible the brothers translated. The New Testament and the Psalms seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament. The Translatio speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the Vita Methodii only of the evangelium Slovenicum, though other other liturgical selections may also have been translated. Nor is it known for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. They may well have used the Roman, as suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type.

The eponymous Cyrillic alphabet, which was based on the Greek uncial writing of the 9th century, has been traditionally attributed to Cyril's work. However, it is unclear whether Cyril himself was the originator of the script or whether his later followers may have devised it. On the other hand, it is generally accepted that he devised the Glagolitic alphabet, the latter fact being also confirmed explicitely by the papal letter Industriae tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher".

Journey to Rome
In 867, Pope Nicholas I invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelising mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Theotmar, the Archbishop of Salzburg and bishop of Passau, who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively. Travelling with the relics of Saint Clement and a retinue of disciples, they were warmly received in Rome on their arrival in 868.

The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. Their project in Moravia found support from Pope Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. However, Cyril fell ill late in 868, retired to a monastery and after fifty days of illness died on February 14, 869. The Translatio asserts that he was made a bishop before his death, but there is little credible evidence for this.

The disciples of Cyril and Methodius continued the brothers' work in the Slavic lands but were expelled from Great Moravia in 885. They fled to the medieval First Bulgarian Empire to found important seminaries there, which later undertook the evangelization of northern Slavic lands such as Kievan Rus'. Over time, Cyrillic eventually spread through much of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Orthodox Slavic countries. Their evangelising efforts also paved the way for the spread of Orthodox Christianity throughout eastern Europe.

Cyril was canonized as a saint by the eastern Church, with the Roman Catholic Church canonizing him separately in 1880 along with Methodius. The two brothers are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs" and are still highly regarded in Orthodox Christianity. Cyril's feast day is celebrated on February 14 (Roman Church) or May 11 (Orthodox Church). The two brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Cyril

[Ptolemy]

Saint Methodius (Greek: Μεθόδιος; Church Slavonic Мефодии) (b. Thessaloniki, Byzantine Empire, 826; d. in Great Moravia, April 6, 885) was a Greek (i.e. Byzantine) scholar, archbishop of Great Moravia ("Moravia"), and the main translator of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic using the Glagolitic alphabet created by his brother and collaborator Saint Cyril.


Mission to the Slavs
Both brothers were now to enter upon the work which gives them their historical importance. An independent Slavonic principality had been established by Rastislav, the king of Great Moravia; and to maintain this independence it was necessary to assert also the ecclesiastical independence of his state, which had been, at least externally, Christianized from the German side. Hauck accepts the statement of Theotmar that Rastislav expelled the Teutonic clergy at the beginning of his contest with the Franks. He then turned to Constantinople to find teachers for his people. It is obvious that the opportunity to extend Byzantine influence among the Slavs would be there; and the task was entrusted to Cyril and Methodius. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. The assertion that Cyril now undertook his translation of part of the Bible contradicts the statement of the Legenda that it had already been made before his undertaking of the Great Moravian mission; and the oldest Slavonic documents have a southern character. Cyril is designated by both friends and opponents of contemporary date as the inventor of the Slavonic script. This would not exclude the possibility of his having made use of earlier letters, but implies only that before him the Slavs had no distinct script of their own for use in writing books. The so-called Glagolitic script can be traced back at least to the middle of the tenth century, possibly even into the ninth; it presupposes a man of some education as its originator, and is evidently derived principally from the Greek, but also partly from the Latin cursive. The Cyrillian script is undoubtedly later in origin, and apparently was first used in Bulgaria. It is impossible to determine with certainty what portions of the Bible the brothers translated. Apparently the New Testament and the Psalms were the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament. The Translatio speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the Vita Methodii only of the evangelium Slovenicum; but this does not prove that Cyril did not translate other liturgical selections (see BIBLE VERSIONS, B, XVI., § 1). The question has been much discussed which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. Since, however, the opposition objected only to the liturgical use of the Slavonic language, not to any alleged departure from the Roman type of liturgy, it is probable that the Western source was used. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old Glagolitic liturgical fragments brought from Jerusalem to Kief and there discovered by Saresnewsky-- probably the oldest document for the Slavonic tongue; these adhere closely to the Latin type, as is shown by the words "mass", "preface", and the name of one Felicitas. In any case, the circumstances were such that the brothers could hope for no permanent success without obtaining the authorization of Rome.

Appeal to Rome
Accordingly, they went to Rome after three and a half years of labor, passing through Pannonia (the Balaton Principality), where they were well received by Prince Koceľ (Kocelj, Kozel). The account of a discussion in Venice on the use of Slavonic in the liturgy is doubtful. But there is no question of their welcome in Rome, due partly to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; the rivalry with Constantinople, too, as to the jurisdiction over the territory of the Slavs would incline Rome to value the brothers and their influence. The learning of Cyril was also prized; Anastasius calls him not long after "the teacher of the Apostolic See". The ordination of the brothers' Slav disciples was performed by Formosus and Gauderic, two prominent bishops, and the newly made priests officiated in their own tongue at the altars of some of the principal churches. Feeling his end approaching, Cyril put on the monastic habit and died fifty days later (14 February 869). There is practically no basis for the assertion of the Translatio (ix.) that he was made a bishop; and the name of Cyril seems to have been given to him only after his death.

Methodius as BishopMethodius now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the Balaton Principality), owing to the political circumstances of the former country, where Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew Svatopluk, then delivered over to Carloman, and condemned in a diet of the empire at the end of 870. Friendly relations, on the other hand, had been established with Koceľ on the journey to Rome. This activity in Pannonia, however, made a conflict inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of Salzburg, to whose jurisdiction Pannonia had belonged for seventy-five years. In 865 Bishop Adalwin is found exercising all episcopal rights there, and the administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. The latter was obliged to retire to Salzburg, but his superior was naturally disinclined to abandon his claims. Methodius sought support from Rome; the Vita asserts that Koceľ sent him thither with an honorable escort to receive episcopal consecration. The letter given as Adrian's in chap. viii., with its approval of the Slavonic mass, is a pure invention. It is noteworthy that the pope named Methodius not bishop of Pannonia, but archbishop of Sirmium, thus superseding the claims of Salzburg by an older title. The statement of the Vita that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of Pope John VIII, written in June, 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Servia as well.

Methodius and the Germans
The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered such an injury to the rights of Salzburg that he was forced to answer for them at a synod held at Regensburg in the presence of King Louis. The assembly, after a heated discussion, declared the deposition of the intruder, and ordered him to be sent to Germany, where he was kept a prisoner for two years and a half. In spite of the strong representations of the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, written in 871 to influence the pope, though not avowing this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius, and sent a bishop, Paul of Ancons, to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were commanded to appear in Rome with the legate. The papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, though the use of Slavonic for the mass was still denied to him. His authority was restricted in Pannonia when after Koceľ's death the principality was administered by German nobles; but Svatopluk now ruled with practical independence in Great Moravia, and expelled the German clergy. This apparently secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius; and the Vita (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a period of fruitful progress. Methodius seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy; and when Frankish clerics again found their way into the country, and the archbishop's strictness had displeased the licentious Svatopluk, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the Filioque. Methodius vindicated his orthodoxy at Rome, the more easily as the creed was still recited there without the Filioque clause, and promised to obey in regard to the liturgy. The other party was conciliated by giving him a Swabian, Wiching, as his coadjutor. When relations were strained between the two, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius; but after his death (December 882) the archbishop's position became insecure, and his need of support induced Goetz to accept the statement of the Vita (xiii.) that he went to visit the Eastern emperor. It was not, however, until after his death, which is placed, though not certainly, on 8 April 885, an open conflict eventuated. Gorazd, whom he had designated as his successor, was not recognised by Pope Stephen VI, and was soon expelled, with the other followers of Methodius.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Methodius

[akritas]

I want also to add that some try to say that the Saints were Bulgars.
But
Professors Ivan Lazaroff, Plamen Pavloff, Ivan Tyutyundzijeff and Milko Palangurski of the Faculty of History of Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Veliko Tŭrnovo, Bulgaria in their book, Kratka istoriya na bŭlgarskiya narod (Short History of the Bulgarian Nation, pp 36-38), state very explicitly that the two brothers were Hellenes (Greeks) from Thessaloniki.

The late Oscar Halecki, Professor of Eastern European History, in his book Borderlands of Western Civilization, A History of East Central Europe (chapter Moravian State and the Apostles of the Slavs) agrees with the authors of Kratka istoriya na bŭlgarskiya narod.

As you see the real scholars and not the fake admit the historical truth.

Also according Pope John Paul the B' in an official apostolic homily to the entire Catholic Church proclaimed that Methodius and Cyril "Greek brethren born in Thessaloniki" are consecrated as "heavenly protectors of Europe". John Paul B' repeated this statement in a speech delivered in the church of Saint Clements, in Rome.

http://zeus.hri.org/Martis/images/doc19b.gif

[Ptolemy]

All neutral sources mention that the two brothers had Greek names (we are keeping in mind Cyril was baptised as konstantinos), they were members of a noble family, their father Leon was a Greek military man and their mother of slavic background. Furthermore both brothers were born in Thessaloniki, were educated in Konstantinople where they took a highly Byzantine education and lived all their lives into Byzantine Empire apart from the fact they were send out on missions to bring christianity to various regions.

We can find the following evidence from records of their Greek conscience on the Honorary Volume to Cyrillos and Methodios for the 1100 years, Thessaloniki-1968 by Henriette Ozanne. For example, the below for Cyrillos:

In his dialog with the Muslims, he points out that "...every science stem from us..." implying the Greeks and the Greek culture .

During the Hazars' mission, the hagan of the Hazars asked him what present he wished to have offered to him and he said "...Give me all the Greek prisoners of war you have here. They are more valuable to me than any other present..." - Scientif Annals of the Theology Faculty of the Thessaloniki University (1968)

Also many non-Greeks accept that the 2 brothers were Greeks:

The Slav Pope John Paul II who in 31/12/1980 (in an official encyclical-Egregiae Virtutis-to the Catholic Church) and 14/2/1981(in the S.Clement church in Rome) said that Cyrillos and Methodios were "Greek brothers, born in Thessaloniki"

the Serb historian V.Bogdanovich, says that "Kyrillos and Methodios were born in Thessaloniki and were Greeks in origin, not Slavs" (History of the ancient Serbian literature, Belgrade 1980, pg.119).

To anyone that has no ties with blind nationalism, it seems to be no doubt that Cyrill and Methodius were Greek, not only by birth but most importantly culturally as it was analyzed above.

As it is known both Cyrill and Methodius played probably one of the most important roles in spreading Orthodoxy among the Slavic population. Hence they were named "Apostles of the Slavs", having the meaning simply that they brought the Christian faith to the Slavs.

I have to underline here of the false notion some have about the title "Apostle". Fact is that having spread Christian faith among a certain population doesnt mean that they belong ethnically to any of the people they converted. If we followed this flawed logic Khazars would also claim them as Khazars since they went to covert them to Christianity even before they went to the Slavs or even Arabs since Konstantinos undertook a mission to the Arabs.

One of the many examples is the story of Saint Boniface. Saint Boniface - original name Winfrid or Wynfrith - was born at Crediton in Devon, England and was sent to propagate Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. Rightfully Saint Boniface was named as "Apostle of the Germans" and another example is St.Thomas who is called “the Indian Apostle,” but we all know that he was not an Indian. Instead he simply brought Christianity to the Indians. Neither Germans nor Indians are upon the tiresome and flawed notion of claiming St Boniface and St Thomas ethnicities as the well-known propagandists do.

[Tsontos]

great stuff mate. Its funny, if you ask any slavs and orthodox people in the world (serbs, russians, romanians, czechs etc) they will all tell you that Kyrillos and Methodius were Greek saints who spread christianity north amongst the slavs.

then of course you have the token skopjian claim and a Bulgarian claim too which are severely lacking in logic (I mean the bulgarian claim is lacking in logic; the skopjian claim is just a farce like everything else to do with that 'country'

[Ptolemy]

Then in the ninth century Cyril and Methodius, two Greek monks from Thessaloniki , developed the Cyrillic alphabet and spread both literacy and Christianity to the Slavs.

"The macedonian conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a transnational world" by Loring Danforth

[Ptolemy]

Two Greek brothers from Salonika, Constantine, who later later became a monk and took
the name Cyril, and Methodius came to Great Moravia in 863 at the invitation of the Moravian Prince Rostislav

"Comparative history of Slavic Literatures" by Dmitrij Cizevskij, page vi

[Ptolemy]

the Byzantine court entrusted it to two brothers with wide experience o missionary work: Constantine the Philosopher, better known by his monastic name, Cyril and Methodius. Cyril and Methodius were Greeks.

"Czechoslovakian Miniatures from Romanesque and Gothic Manuscripts" by Jan Kvet, p. 6

[Ptolemy]

In answer to this appeal the emperor sent the two brothers Cyril and Methodius, who were Greeks of Salonika and had considerable knowledge of Slavonic languages.

The Balkans: A history of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Rumania, Turkey (1916)" by Forbes, Nevil, p. 21

[Ptolemy]

In order to convert the Slavs to Christianity, Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius learned the language.

"Lonely Planet Croatia" by Jeanne Oliver, P.35

[Ptolemy]

two brothers, the Apostles of the Sclavonians or Slavs, born in Greece and educated in Constantinople.

"Book of the Saints 1921" by Monks Benedictine, P. 74

[Ptolemy]

Cyril, St 827-69 and Methodius, St 826-85, known as the Apostles of the Slavs - Greek Christian missionaries- They were born in Thessalonica.

"The Riverside Dictionary of Biography" by the American Heritage Dictionaries, p. 208

[Ptolemy]

two greek brothers, Cyril and Methodius, were sent in response to this request. This development was of particular importance to the formation of eastern european culture.

"historical Theology" by McGrath, p.125

[Ptolemy]

the byzantine emperor sent two greek monks, Cyril and Methodius, to spread Christianity to the slavic people.

"Global History & Geography" by Phillip Lefton, p. 130

[Ptolemy]

As the Slav tribes feel under the influence of Byzantium a considerable number of them were baptised but they were first converted to Christianity in Mass by the Greek brothers, Cyril and Methodius

Black lamb and Grey Falcon: A journey through Yugoslave" by Rebecca West, P. 710

[Amyntas]

"Cyrillus autem et Methodius fratres, Graeci, Thessalonicae nati..."
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/j...irtutis_lt.html

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html

Pope John Paul II.

[admin]

:worshippy:read::clap2: Beautiful! Please write in the wiki! :worshippy

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html

"Cyrillus autem et Methodius fratres, Graeci, Thessalonicae nati..."

Translation

Graeci is a synonym for Greek meaning that Cyrillus and (et) Methodius were Greeks (Thessalonicae is present day Thessaloniki)

[Amyntas]

When I posted that quote in a german forum (dont worry our brothers here in germany also do their work ;)) the skops started complaining that this is greek propaganda....lol....the Pope (a catholic!) who is a slav himselve (Polish) is spreading anti-slavic propaganda from greece? :wacko: :D:rolleyes:

[HellenicPride]

The conversion of the Slavs to the christian faith through the Greek Orthodox Church was done during the 9th century by two Greek Thessalonian monks named Cyril and Methodius. They taught the Greek based Cyrillic script to the Slavs and enlightened them regarding religion. The cultural history of the Slavs, founded on Byzantine Christiano/Hellenic culture, begins from this period. Even this event which affected almost half of the inhabitants of Europe, including the eastern and southern Slavs, owes its existence to Macedonia, to the Greek Macedonian monks and to the Byzantine Greek culture.

Certain Slavs maintain that Cyril and Methodius were Slavs. The Skopians maintain an even stranger more untruthful theory, that is, that Cyril and Methodius as Thessalonians were Macedonian Slavs and consequently, the Skopians as descendants of the Macedonians enjoy the privelege of having enlightened their compatriots.

These theories received a powerful slap from the Slav Pope John Paul II, who on the 31 of December 1980, and through an official apostolic cirgular ( Egregiae Virtuis ) addressed to the entire catholic church, as well as with a letter to the President of the Greek Republic, Constatine Karamnlis, proclaims that Cyril and Methodius , ' brother Greeks, born in Thessaloniki' are consecrated 'divine protectors of Europe'. The Pope repeated his proclamation on the 14th of February 1981 in the church of Saint Celemens in Rome.

The Pope apart, other Slavs, politicians and historians accept the Greekness of Methodius and Cryil. For example, the Czech Byzantinist Fr. Dvornik, the Serb historians of ancient Serbian literature, P. Popovitch, Dj. Sh. Radovich and Dj. Trijunovich. Also the Slovenian historian and professor of the University of Ljubljana, B. Grajenauer, and the Serb Professor V. Bogdanovich who in his opus The History of Ancient Serbian Literature writes: " Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki and in their lineage they are not Slavs but Greeks."

The falsification of Macedonian history until World War II was mainly the work of Bulgarian historians of the pre-war regime. This line was followed even after World War II by the Bulgaro-Macedonians of America, with the result of creating sharp conflicts between themselves and our compatriot immigrants of Macedonia.

Source The Falsification of Macedonian History, by Nicolaos K. Martis pages 18-19

[akritas]

One from the major sourses that describe the life of the Saints are of course the Slavonic insriptions. There are 7 biographies and none of them mentioned that the Saints were Slavs.The choronology of those estimated from 7th to 9th cen A.D.
Actually they mention that were Greeks.:)

Now below there are some quotes that mention clear that Methodios learned the Slavonic language and not that was something that knew it and Cyrill did knew it

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7231/akritasmethodiosslavinscriptio.jpg

[Tsontos]

We all know about skopjeans but theres also the Bulgarians who claim the brothers. they say that they were called the "slav apostles" and therefore they are slavic. yet they forget that if you are a saint and you go to mongolia to convert the mongols you will be known as the mongolian apostle lol


Keep posting. All this will go into the medival revisionism section as well as the medival history section of the wiki

[akritas]

The term “Slav Apostles” or the “Apostles of the Slavs” does not mean that the two brothers were Slavs. St. Thomas is called “the Indian Apostle,” but we all know that he was not an Indian. He simply taught Christianity to the Indians. The Greek brothers from Thessaloniki taught Christianity to the Slavs, they gave them the alphabet (presently called Cyrillic), and they translated the sacred and liturgical books of Christianity into the Old Church Slavonic, otherwise known as Old Bulgarian.



Marcus Templar also add that the Bulgarians Professors Ivan Lazaroff, Plamen Pavloff, Ivan Tyutyundzijeff and Milko Palangurski of the Faculty of History of Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Veliko Tŭrnovo, Bulgaria in their book, Kratka istoriya na bŭlgarskiya narod (Short History of the Bulgarian Nation, pp 36-38), state very explicitly that the two brothers were Greeks from Thessaloniki. The late Oscar Halecki, Professor of Eastern European History, in his book Borderlands of Western Civilization, A History of East Central Europe (chapter Moravian State and the Apostles of the Slavs) agrees with the authors of Kratka istoriya na bŭlgarskiya narod.

[Tsontos]

What about primary sources? are their any inscriptions to do with the brothers or medival writing about them we can refer to? with samuil there is the Bitola inscription

[Ptolemy]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/technotut/macedonia/genealogikodentromiteraskurilloumet.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/technotut/macedonia/genealogikodentromethodioukurrilou.jpg

How sad for Slavs!!! Both their parents were Greeks.

[Tsontos]

nice. post a bigger version if you can :)

[akritas]

What about primary sources? are their any inscriptions to do with the brothers or medival writing about them we can refer to? with samuil there is the Bitola inscription
The fisrt inscriptions that mention the life of the Saints are the 7 Slavonic. All the others (12 cent) are untrustworthy. Unfortunely non of them are in Greek hands. Bulgaria,Russia and Vatican have those. I will try to find pics but is difficult. I will post the sources that TAHIAOS mention these useful infos but I have to scan because they are in the Cyrillic. Books from 1911 and after :lol:

[Ptolemy]

From R. L. Wilkens book "Judaism and the Early Christian Mind" (1971)

Cyril and Methodius, Saints (muth..us) [key], d. 869 and 884, respectively, Greek missionaries, brothers, called Apostles to the Slavs and fathers of Slavonic literature. Their history and influence are obscured by conflicting legends. After working among the Khazars, they were sent (863) from Constantinople by Patriarch Photius to Moravia. This was at the invitation of Prince Rostislav, who sought missionaries able to preach in the Slavonic vernacular and thereby check German influence in Moravia. Their immediate success aroused the hostility of the German rulers and ecclesiastics. Candidates from among their converts were refused ordination, and their use of the vernacular in the liturgy was severely criticized. According to one source, when Photius was excommunicated by Rome the brothers were called there. Their orthodoxy was established, and the use of Slavonic in the liturgy was approved. Cyril died while in Rome, but Methodius, consecrated by the pope, returned to Moravia and was made archbishop of Sirmium. Despite the papal sanction the Germans contrived to have him imprisoned, and, though released two years later, his effectiveness appears to have been blocked. His last years were spent translating the Bible and ecclesiastical books into Slavonic. His influence in Moravia was wiped out after his death but was carried to Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia, where the southern Slavonic of Cyril and Methodius is still the liturgical language of both Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Cyrillic alphabet. used in those countries today, traditionally ascribed to St. Cyril, was probably the work of his followers. It was based probably by Cyril himself upon the glagolithic alphabet, which is still used by certain Croatian and Montenegrin Catholics. Feast: July 7.

[Orphic_Hymn]

Some quotes



The Significance of the Missions of Cyril and Methodius
Francis Dvornik
Slavic Review > Vol. 23, No. 2 (Jun., 1964) page: 196


Moravian Christianity even had species of ecclesiastical organization before the arrival of the Greek brothers


The Significance of the Missions of Cyril and Methodius
Francis Dvornik
Slavic Review > Vol. 23, No. 2 (Jun., 1964) page: 211


This short sketch of the cultural development of the Slavic nations in the Middle Ages seems necessary to show the real significance of the mission of the two Greek brothers. Its aim in Moravia was, above all, cultural.


Slavic Translations of the Scriptures
Matthew Spinka
The Journal of Religion > Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1933), pp. 415

When those ancient precursors of Bible translators, the Greek brothers Constantine and Methodius, translated certain parts of the Scriptures and the liturgical books into Slavic for the use of their Moravian converts



Slavic Translations of the Scriptures
Matthew Spinka
The Journal of Religion > Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1933), pp. 415

Thus in a sense the two Greek brothers and their disciples fought a fight in behalf of all the later Bible translators and liturgical vernacularists, the English among them.




Slavic Translations of the Scriptures
Matthew Spinka
The Journal of Religion > Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1933), pp. 416-17

In co-operation with Patriarch Photius they selected the renowned teacher of philosophy at the court school of Magnaura, Constantine, and his elder brother, Methodius, Greeks from Thessalonica, who were well acquainted with the language of the Macedonian Slavs, as best-fitted missionaries for the Moravian field.






Slavic Translations of the Scriptures
Matthew Spinka
The Journal of Religion > Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1933), pp. 424

The Slavic liturgy was, beyond any doubt, a radical innovation which the Greek brothers could not have justified except as an essential element in insuring the success of their work.

[Christov]

Ptolemy, I am very much interested in genealogy. Can you provide, please, some more sources as the one you’ve posted? Thanks

[akritas]

Writer mention as about the Cyril funeral in Rome

“Apostolic (Pope) ordered everyone in the Rome Hellenes, as also and the Romans to come with wax candle and chant for Him”
Bios Cyril (9TH Cent), XVIII, page 14

Pope ordered first the Greeks (not Byzantines) to honor theirs Saint and after call the Romans.

“give all the prisoners that you have, Hellenes; will be the best gift of me”
Bios Cyril (9TH Cent), XI, page 19

Hahanos of the Hazar Land proposed to Cyril to give to him many gifts.He asked the Greeks.

[Ptolemy]

Here is a list of sources about St' Cyril and Methodius Greek ethnicity (http://historyofmacedonia.wordpress.com/2007/02/12/sources-on-st-cyril-and-methodius-greek-ethnicity/)

[Kritikos]

Ptolemy,can you provide the source for the family tree of St Cyril and Methodius,the one which you have posted in the previous page?(That shows their greek origin)

I have made a quick search on line but it seems i cant find it:unsure:

A bulgarian friend has asked its source,as me and him are arguing with a FYROMIAN guy on another forum.

I would appreciate it,thanks:)

[Ptolemy]

Finally found it.

"Refutation of the allegations about the Slavonic descent of Greek missionaries of Slavs, Kyrillos and Methodios" by prof. Mponis Konstantinos

You can find info about him konstantinos Mponis (http://users.otenet.gr/~tsarkosv/html/personage.html)

[Kritikos]

Thank you a lot!:)

[akritas]

After Byzantium (perhaps before Byzantium) the obviously relevant analogy is with Bulgaria. The Rus received the written Christianity of the Greeks, but not in Greek. The faith arrived in pre-packaged Slavonic translation. Written Slavonic Christianity has its origins in the mid-ninth century, when the earliest translations were made for the mission of the Thessalonican brothers Constantine (also known by his monastic name of Cyril) and Methodios to Great Moravia in 863.

In its immediate aim the Moravian mission was a flop, since in 886 Moravia rejected Slavonic in favour of Latin, Constantinople in favour of Rome, and barred the followers of Cyril and Methodios (Cyril had died in 869 and Methodios in 885) from spreading the words of the Book in the vernacular. There was a warmer welcome in Bulgaria, where Slavonic was installed as the official language of the faith towards the end of the ninth century. The written Christianity received by the Rus was in its essentials a textual package derived from Bulgaria rather than directly from Byzantium.

[ Writing, Society and Culture in Early Rus C. 950-1300, by Simon Franklin; Cambridge University Press, 2002, page 13]

[akritas]

"


There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification." says St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. St. Cyril and St. Methodios took in serious consideration those words of the Apostle of the Nations and managed to become the Apostles of the Slavs. In 863 with their arrival in Moravia they marked the beginning of a difficult effort for the christianization of the Slavs which was achieved through the invention of the Cyrillic alphabet and which greatly influenced the position of Slavs in World History.

After the middle of the 7th century, the Central-European State of Great Moravia started playing an important role in European Politics. By that time Christian influences had already entered the state most probably from the ecclesiastical centers of Bavaria such as Salzburg and Passau. A number of almost twenty Christian temples of Western origin have been found in the area. When Mojmir, the Moravian king who had accepted Western Christianity died, Louis the German grasped the opportunity to interfere. So he decided to appoint as his subject prince of Moravia, Rastislav, Mojmir's nephew with the expectation to fully control him. But Rastislav was not eager to fulfill the expectations of Louis. In 862 he sent an embassy to Constantinople.

According to the life of Methodios Rastislav's message said "Many Christian missionaries have come to us from the Latins, the Greeks and the Germans, teaching us different things." and the life of Cyril adds: "we do not have a teacher who can teach us this same faith in our own language." (Tachiaos 92) Whether these were the words of Rastislav or not, it is certain that Rastislav needed close relations with Byzantium because he felt threatened by the Franco-Bulgarian alliance that had been recently concluded. Indeed Byzantium would be able to press the Bulgarian from the South. Moreover Rastislav was clever to asked Christianity in the Slavic language. In that way he hoped to obtain for his country cultural autonomy against Frankish imperialism and at the same time he was certain that the distant Byzantine empire would not be able to propose any imposition on Moravia.

The answer of the Byzantine emperor Michael III was positive. For centuries the Slavs had been treated as a situation of common "barbarians." But since Slavic State units were organized, diplomatic movements had to be made. They would have to get under the political and cultural influence of the Byzantine Empire. The emperor and the patriarch hoped that by evangelizing the Slavs they would tie them with loyal bonds to Byzantine State and Church, at a time when Francs with the approval of papacy were contacting Bulgaria. So in the answer to Rastislav, Michael III says according to life of Constantine (Cyril) : "Accept a gift greater and more precious than gold or silver or precious stones or transient riches… so that you also may be numbered among the great nations which render glory to God in their own language." (Obolenski 201) One cannot deny that beyond the diplomatic aspect the mission for the evangelization of Slavs would be religious. At least it had a strong religious importance for the two men who were appointed to accomplish this mission, the brothers Constantine (Cyril) and Methodios.
The selection of Constantine and Methodios for the difficult task of evangelizing the Slavs was not accidental. The two brothers from Thessaloniki belonged to a noble family very well known to the emperor. Their father Leon was a drungarios, a high rank military official. The fact that the two brothers spoke fluently the Slavic language can be explained. The numerous Slavs that lived in the suburbs of Thessaloniki had developed trade and economic relations with the Greeks of Thessaloniki. It is assumed that since they had no education they could not communicate in Greek and for that matter the Greeks had to learn their language. Moreover, Methodios had been charged with the administration of a Slavic district and therefore learnt their language and tried to be informed and understand their traditions and customs. Furthermore, the two brothers had already fulfilled a mission to the Khazars in the Caucasus. Moreover, the two brothers had acquired important education first in Thessaloniki and later on in Constantinople near the best philosophers of the time, like Photius. So with such qualifications they were mostly suitable for the task of creating a Slavic alphabet. Naturally the first task that had to be accomplished by the two brothers before leaving for the expedition was the invention of the alphabet. Many medieval writers state that Constantine invented the alphabet just after the invitation of Rastislav for the purpose of that specific mission. But in reality Constantine must have been working on a Slavic alphabet since he was in the monastery of Mount Olympus in Asia Minor for a purpose of a mission to the Slavs which the Byzantine State and Church had been planning before the request of Rastislav. The new alphabet consisted of the Greek letters plus new letters that Constantine devised so as to fit to the special sounds of the Slavic language. The first text Constantine translated before leaving for Moravia was from the Gospel of St. John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (Obolenski 188) This was meant to symbolize the mission for the evangelization of the Slavs into their language.

In the autumn of 863 Constantine and Methodios arrived in Moravia where Rastislav welcomed them warmly. From then on, they would have to start hard work so as to achieve two main tasks. The first one was religious and cultural. They would have to translate the scriptures and the liturgies and train local priests, forming in that way the basis of a Slav vernacular Church. The second was diplomatic and political and had to do with their effort to come in terms with the Latin clergy and the Roman Church.

In their ecclesiastical and cultural work they faced no problems. On the contrary their success was great. Constantine's translations proved to be of great scholarly status whereas at the same time could be easily assimilated by the Slavic populations. The two brothers managed to mix Byzantine and Slav elements, respecting at the same time the Slavic language and tradition. This is why their work became immediately effective since the Moravians had the previous experience of the latin liturgies, which could not be understood.
But in the diplomatic and political field, the two brothers found obstacles. The Latin clergy that had been there for half a century felt that the Byzantine missionaries entered their field of jurisdiction. So, there was great reaction on two main points. The first was a disagreement on some old fashioned cosmographical and anthropological theories taught by the Latin priests and which were against Constantine and Methodios' beliefs. The second was the "three languages heresy" as Constantine called the persistence of the Western clerics on the opinion that the Christian Mass should only be celebrated in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

There was little that Prince Rastislav could do in order to support the Byzantine missionaries and it was clear that the only power able to help them was the Roman Church, since Constantinople was distant and could not actually claim any rights over Moravia against the Latins. In 867 Pope Nicholas I, who felt threatened by their policy, invited them to Rome. At that time they were in Venice where they had gone for the ordination of some students of theirs. At the same time, in Venice Constantine had to face the Latins who accused him of using for the liturgies the Slavic language. Constantine according to his biographer answered: "How aren't you ashamed to recognize only three languages to decide for all the other nations and tribes to be blind and deaf? Tell me, do you make God incapable as if he cannot give that (the written language) or so mean not to want to?" (Obolenski 190-191)

In Rome, nevertheless, Constantine would not have to respond to accusations. On the contrary their visit there could be described as triumphant. The Pope Hadrian II, successor of Nicholas I who had in the mean time died, took the Slavic books Constantine and Methodios carried and had them consecrated on the Holy Table. Moreover, the Holy Mass was celebrated into Slavonic in the Church of St. Peter. One should not think that there was no reaction in Rome. The recognition by the Pope was a calculated movement that was the result of conferences. The Slavic world would feel favored by Rome as compared to Bavaria and that would bring Slavs closer. This recognition, however, raised in the eyes of the Slavs, above all, the two brothers who had worked for them. Constantine did not live long enough to enjoy this recognition. He died in Rome on February 14, 869 after obtaining the name Cyril and after exhorting his brother not to abandon their mission in Moravia.

Methodios returned to Moravia after his brother's wish but things proved to very difficult for him. He had to face not only the Latin clergy but also the Moravian government and the papacy. In 870 the nephew of Rastislav, Svatopluk, took over in Moravia, after imprisoning his uncle and recognizing the supremacy of Louis the German. Consequently the Latin priests gained more power and Methodios found himself among their power and their efforts to undermine his authority. At the same time the papacy was changing its position fearing a conflict with the Latin church. After having faced a lot of problems, after having even been imprisoned for some time and after having experienced the different attitudes of the Pope towards his work he decided to inform emperor Basil I and patriarch Photius and ask for their support. Although he had been for the last years a papal legate and although Moravia was under papal jurisdiction, Methodios recognized that the motherland of the mission was Constantinople and the creation of the Slavic alphabet and Church was a Byzantine accomplishment. Methodios was welcomed warmly in Constantinople. In the meantime the relations between Photius and Pope John VIII had become very good while on the contrary the relations between Rome and Frankish Kingdom had become bad. So, Methodios returned to Moravia and remained undisturbed and able to complete his translations. In 885 Methodios died leaving behind his disciples to continue his work. Both Methodius and Cyril were canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church.
The results of the Cyrillo-Methodian mission have been of great importance for the Slavs. First of all they entered the community of the "civilized" countries of the world since they now had a written language with which they could write literature and history. Moreover they were placed among the nations that could honor God in their own language. This was based on the belief that "a language which serves as a medium for the Christian liturgy becomes thereby a sacred language," that "it is through man's most intimate possession, his mother tongue that He can come into closest contact with the human soul." (Obolenski 131) Consequently the Slavic world, including countries such as Bulgaria and Russia which next received the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition, experienced a rebirth based on the rise of their self-confidence. Their acceptance of the Byzantine influences was not pathetic but was based on their conscious selection of those elements that suited their culture, tradition and way of life.

"Lord, hear my prayer and take care of Your loyal flock which you trusted on me." (Tachiaos 138) These are according to the biographer of Cyril the words of his last prayer. Whether Cyril actually said these words or not is not so important as far as he and his brother proved with their lives and with the results of their mission that they did their best for the people they were appointed to christianize, beyond any political and diplomatic interest.


SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

OBOLENSKI, DIMITRI. The Byzantine Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, 500-1453. New York: SVS Press

TACHIAOS, ANTONIOS-AEMILIOS. Kyrillos kai Methodios. Thessaloniki: Kyriakides Publishing, 1992.

VLASTO A.P. The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom. Cambridge: University Press 1970.


[ Cyril and Methodios among the Slavs, Lydia Kapournioti, Anistoriton, V972 26 November 1997 ]

[Spartan]

Hi,

I have a essay due. I messed up and now I am in a bind. Anyone know where can I find essays for sale or a place with info to write a essay real fast?

TIA


What is your essay on?

[Ptolemy]

During the ninth century, two Greek brothers from Thessaloniki (Salonika), Cyril and Methodius, were instrumental in the conversion of the Slavs

Encyclopedia of World Cultures - Page 239
by David H. Levinson - Social Science - 1991

An appeal to the Roman Emperor Michael at Byzantium in 863 brought two Greek brothers, Constantine and Methodius from Salonika.

A Handbook of Slavic Studies - Page 98 by Leonid Ivan Strakhovsky - 1949 -

Two Greek brothers, Cyril and Methodius, were sent. They prepared an alphabet for the hitherto unwritten Slav language; the script was called Glagolitic

The New Oxford Companion to Music - Page 1076 by Denis Arnold -1983

the ninth century of two Greek brothers from Salonika: Constantine — who took the name of Cyril shortly before his death at Rome in 869 — and Methodius

How the Bible Came to Us: Its Texts and Versions - Page 68 by Hugh Gerard Gibson Herklots - 1959

It was the result of the great missionary work in the Ninth Century of two Greek brothers from Salonika, Constantine —who took the name of Cyril shortly

Back to the Bible: A Literary Pilgrimage - Page 70 by Hugh Gerard Gibson Herklots - 1954

Turkey (RNS)—The relics of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Greek brothers venerated as "apostles of the southern Slavs" in the sixth century.

East Europe - Page 17 by Free Europe Committee, Free Europe - 1957

of the most famous Orthodox missions was that of the two Greek brothers from Salonica: St. Methodius and St. Cyril, who were monks of high education

The Two Faces of Greece: A Civilisation of 7.000 Years - Page 91 by Irene Economides - 1989

St. Cyril and his brother, St. Methodius, are called the "Apostles to the Slavs." They were Greek missionaries among the Moravians and other Slavic tribes

Merit Students Encyclopedia by William Darrach Halsey - 1980

The brothers Cyril and Methodius ... It was thus two Greeks, born in Salonica, who evangelized and 'alphabetized' the mass of the Slavs (apart from the Poles, the Czechs,

The European Inheritance - Page 304 by Ernest Barker - 1954

Two other Greeks from Salonika, Cyril and Methodius

Reflections on Our Age - Page 169 by Unesco General Conference - 1949

The Russian alphabet, which is similar to the Greek, was invented by two Greek monks from Salonika, St. Cyril and St. Methodius;

Russian Authors - Page 28 by Elsa Z. Posell - 1970

by the 9th century Greek missionaries St. Cyril and St. Methodius and their disciples

The Encyclopedia Americana - Page 25 by Grolier Incorporated -1998

which the Greek brothers Cyril and Methodius employed

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East - Page 151 by Eric M. Meyers - 1997

Invited in 863 by its prince, Rostislav, Cyril (Constantine) and Methodius, Greek monks from Salonika, came to preach the gospel there

by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated, Warren E. Preece - Reference - 1972 Page 846

As a matter of fact, Constantine and Methodius were not Slavs, but two sons of a Greek official..

by Eastern Canada Centre of Slavists and East European Specialists, Association canadienne des slavistes - 1976 - page 73

Two Greek priests from Salonika, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, who knew Slavonic, were called from Byzantium.

Journal of Central European Affairs - Page 308, 1941

Moravia received Christian instruction from Cyril and Methodius, Greeks from Salonika, who for their translations created

The Encyclopedia Americana, published 1970

Sources about St’ Cyrillos & Methodios - Cyril & Methodius Ethnicity | History Of Macedonia (http://history-of-macedonia.com/wordpress/2007/09/19/sources-about-st-cyrillos-methodios-cyril-methodius-ethnicity/)

[Ptolemy]

For the frustrated skops who claim that there is no contemporary account mentioning Cyrillos and Methodios were Greeks, here is what they have missed.

Both Thessalonian brothers are presented by two quite diverse Latin sources of THEIR EPOCH in nearly identical terms. Quirillus quidam, nacione Grecus is praised in the oldest verion of the Czech latin Christian's legend. Quidam Graecus, Methodius nomine is scorned in the Frankish document Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum. Both brothers were Greek by origin, education , cultural background and inclination; both rendered important services to the Byzantine empire and church, and both were sent by the emperor and apparently also by the Patriarch on a responsible mission to Moravia.

'Concluding Remarks about Crucial problems of Cyrillo-Methodian Studies' by Roman Jakobson

[kostas68]

Some books that mention info about the origin of Cyrillos and Methodios from primary sources:

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrillmethod.gif

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrillmethodcov.gif

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmeth3-395.gif

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmeth3-396.gif

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmeth3-cov.gif

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmethod4-69.png

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmethod4-71.png

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn17/kostas68/cyrilmethod4-cov.png