Summary:
Cyril and Methoudioius had a profound influence on the world by creating their alphabet. These Thesalonian brothers renounced thier family wealth, choosing a spitiritual and intellectual existance. The invention of the alphabet was to better enable them to work in several languages, as they performed their missionary work.
Throughout history there have been many people that have changed the course of history. These people are remembered for the rest of eternity. Some are remembered as great scholars and some as genius mathematicians. There are also those who are never forgotten because they were baddest of the bad. But the greatest achievement is to be remembered as a saint because of a wonderful thing you did that helped humanity. That's exactly what these two brothers, Cyril and Methodius, did.
These brothers were born in Thessalonica, in 827 and 826. They were born into a family of great power and wealth but they renounce these worldly processions and decided to follow a religious path, becoming priest. The Khazars sent to Constantinople were looking for a missionary to take control and luckily at the moment they were at a monastery in the Bosphorous. So Cyril was selected to be the missionary and was accompanied and helped by his brother. As soon as they got to there destination they learned the Khazar language and started there mission of converting people. Together they converted many people there and soon that mission was over. After the Khazar mission the Moravians request from the church for a preacher of the Gospel, some that could guide them and do a good job. Some German missionaries had already tried to convert them but so far had had no success. The Moravians wanted a missionary who could conduct the services in Slavonic; they also wanted someone who could instruct them on the right paths. Because Cyril and Methodius had experience with the language they were appointed to the job. Cyril, with the help of Methodius, prepared for this task by inventing an alphabet. Together Cyril and Methodius translated the Gospels and necessary writings into Slavonic. In 863 they went to Moravia, there they stayed for almost five years doing their job of preaching. They were really successful but the Germans didn't trust them because they were from Constantinople. Because of this the brothers were summoned to Rome by Nicholas I, but he died before they arrived. So instead they were received nicely by his successor, Adrian II. He viewed their ways with trust, therefore ordained Cyril and Methodius bishops, and returned them their job as missionaries. Unfortunately for Cyril, he would not return to Moravia or do anything else as important, for he died in Rome, February 4, 869.
A new independent Archdiocese, separate from the German Church was formed from Moravia and Pannonia, and Methodius was appointed the archbishop. In 870 King Louis and the German bishops summoned Methodius. They condemned him to prison. After three years he was freed because Pope John VIII ordered it. As soon as he was free he was reinstated as Archbishop of Moravia. Joyfully he returned to being the archbishop. Methodius was summoned back to Rome in allegation that the use of Slavic scriptures was wrong. The Pope however ignored the arguments and certified the Slavic liturgy to be used at mass as an aid to help understand the Latin scriptures. Wiching, the German priest that opposed Methodius teachings, continued to fight against him and against the Pope to unauthorize the use of Slavic liturgy. The Pope paid no attention to this. Methodius meanwhile completed the translation of the scriptures. After all this, Methodius adversaries still were after him and h is health started to wane. He soon was taken down. Methodius died April 6, 885 leaving Gorazd as his successor.
So these are the reasons why Cyril and Methodius are considered saints and this is also why they are considered so important. They started an alphabet to teach people of the Germanic places. They helped the religion spread faster. And therefore are considered as important figures in religious and world history.
The encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
by Bunson, Matthew.
New York : Facts on File, c1995. c1995.
The Middle Ages
New York : Charles Scribner's Sons ; London : Simon & Schuster and Prentice Hall International, c1996. c1996.
This is the complete article, containing 669 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
