Cyril and Method

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Cyril and Method, wall painting in the Trojan Monastery in Bulgaria

The brothers Cyril and Method , who came from Thessaloniki in the then Eastern Roman Empire , were Byzantine scholars and priests. Together they operated the Christian missionary work of Slavic peoples in the 9th century, which is why they are referred to as Slav apostles . They created the first script for the Old Slavonic language - the Glagolitic alphabet . Their work had a great influence on the cultural development of the Slavs . After her death, her students continued missionary work among other Slavic peoples. In the Orthodox Church they are venerated as saints with the attribute apostle-like . Pope John Paul II proclaimed them the Patrons of Europe in 1980 .

Early work

Early years of life

Kyrill und Method, picture by the Polish painter Jan Matejko from 1885

The two brothers come from Thessaloniki in what was then Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire), today's Greece . Her father Leontios, probably of Greek origin from Thessaloniki, was a military officer (Drungarios) in the Eastern Roman Empire, her mother was probably of Slavic origin. Both brothers mastered the Slavic language, not only because of the origin of their mother, but also because Slavs lived in the area around Thessaloniki.

Method ( Middle Greek Μεθόδιος , Methodios ) (around 815 in Thessaloniki - 6 April 885 in Moravia) was born Michael. After his legal training, he was appointed as a military administrator (archont) in the Byzantine province on the Strymont River (north of Thessaloniki), where Slavs lived. Around 845 he left this office, entered a monastery on Mysian Olympus ( Uludağ in today's Turkey), became a monk , deacon and took the religious name Method. After the mission to the Khazars that he had undertaken with his brother, he became abbot of the Polychron Monastery on the Marmara Sea .

Cyril ( Middle Greek Κύριλλος , Kyrillos ) (around 827 in Thessaloniki - 14 February 869 in Rome ), was originally called Constantine ( Middle Greek Κωνσταντίνος , Konstantinos ). He only took the religious name Cyril when he entered a monastery in Rome, shortly before his death. Constantine was one of the most important scholars of his time, a theologian , philosopher and polyglot . He was a student of the later Patriarch of Constantinople , Photios I , and enjoyed a high reputation at the imperial court. After his training he was ordained a priest. He was initially librarian and secretary (Chartofylax) of the Patriarch, later he accepted the professorship of philosophy at the University of Constantinople .

Missions in the Middle East

Constantine's first government mission took him (at the age of 24) to Samarra in the Baghdad Caliphate. He was supposed to discuss controversial theological issues with Islamic scholars and to help improve relations between the Caliphate and the Eastern Roman Empire.

In 860, Emperor Michael III sent Constantine and Method as missionaries to the Khazars (northeast of the Black Sea) to prevent the expansion of Judaism in this region and to strengthen relations with the Eastern Roman Empire. According to legend, Constantine and Methodius found Pope Clement's grave on the Black Sea , took the bones with them and gave them as a relic to Pope Hadrian II on their later trip to Rome .

Mission among the Slavs

Great Moravia

Cyril and Methodius Basilica in Velehrad, Moravia

In the year 862, Constantine and Methodius began the work to which they devoted their entire lives and which gave them their historical significance as Slav apostles . That year, Rastislav , Prince of Great Moravia , turned to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III. with a request to send him a bishop and teacher. He should instruct the people in the Christian faith and help to found a diocese in Moravia that was independent of the Franconian bishops. Christianity was already known in Greater Moravia through the East Franconian missionaries, but Prince Rastislav had driven the Franconian priests out of the country out of concern about the growing political and ecclesiastical influence of the East Franconian Empire . Rastislav had previously turned to the Roman Pope with the same request, but he did not answer his request out of consideration for the Frankish bishops.

“ Our people have already rejected paganism and abide by Christian laws; but we have no teachers who can instruct us in the correct Christian faith in our language, so that other peoples, when they see it, emulate us; so send us, Lord, a bishop and teacher. For a good law is spreading from you to all countries. "

- From Rastistav's letter to the Byzantine emperor
Arrival of the Slav apostles in Velehrad, Moravia

Emperor Michael III. and Patriarch Photius I selected Constantine and Method for this mission. In preparation for the trip, Constantine created a new script for the Slavic language - the Glagolitza - and together with his brother translated the Gospels and the most important liturgical texts into what is now called Old Church Slavonic . The basis was probably the Slavic dialect from the area around Thessaloniki, with which Constantine was familiar.

“ God, who wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth, has seen your faith and has revealed a script for your language, so that you too may be added to the great peoples who praise God in their own language. So we send you the one to whom God revealed it (i.e. the Slavic script), an honorable, orthodox and learned man, a philosopher. Accept this gift that is greater and more honorable than gold, silver and precious stones. "

- From the letter of Emperor Michael III. to Rastislav

The brothers reached Greater Moravia in 863. Their mission was very successful, mainly because of Rastislav's support and because of the introduction of the Slavic language, which was understandable to the people, in worship and teaching. They trained young men for priestly ministry and continued to translate the Bible.

Manuscript written in Old Slavonic in Glagolitic script. Kiev leaves from the 10th century.

With the creation of the Glagolitic script, Constantine went far beyond Rastislav's wish for an independent church province. Old Church Slavonic, into which he and his brother translated the Bible, liturgical texts and other books, became the norm of the written Slavonic language. It elevated the Slavs, previously considered “barbaric”, to the circle of late ancient literary cultures. Your translation of the Bible is the oldest (or at least one of the oldest) translations into a national language. It can no longer be determined whether the Bible has been completely translated. The legend of the life of St. In any case, Method reports that Method completed the translation of the Bible after Constantine's death.

“ The peoples stand there naked (defenseless) when they have no books in their own language, without these weapons they cannot fight the adversary of human souls and are at the mercy of eternal ruin. "

- From Constantine's preface ( Proglas ) to his translation of the four Gospels. It is probably the oldest document in Old Church Slavonic.

Constantine and Method soon came into conflict with the Frankish clergy, who only accepted Latin, Hebrew and Greek as liturgical languages ​​and excluded all “barbaric” languages. Have only in these three languages - their justification Pontius Pilate on the Cross of Jesus written the words "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" ( John chapter 19, verses 19 + 20.) - Konstantin pointed back sharply. He contemptuously called his Latin opponents Pilatists and trilingualists.

The Frankish bishops regarded the two Slav apostles as intruders. The creation of a Slavic national consciousness by promoting the vernacular undermined their intellectual monopoly. The conflict with the Slav apostles intensified when Ludwig the German and his troops attacked Rastislav in 864 , forcing him to submit as a vassal and allow the Latin priests to return.

Trip to Rome

Cyril and Methodius bring the bones of St. Clement to Rome, fresco in St. Clement's Basilica in Rome.

In 867 Constantine and Method set off on a trip to Constantinople or Rome. They took young men with them whom they had trained for priestly service in Moravia in order to have them ordained as priests. On the way they spent about half a year in Pannonia with Prince Kocel , who warmly welcomed the two Slavic missionaries, entrusted them with 50 young men for training as priests and supported them in introducing the Slavic liturgy in Pannonia.

In Rome they were received very generously by Pope Hadrian II. The Pope recognized the importance of the Slav mission and wanted to improve his relationship with Byzantium. The relics of Pope Clement I, which the brothers brought with them, also contributed to the friendly reception. Constantine was able to defend himself before the Pope against accusations of heresy by Latin priests and justify the use of the Slavic liturgy. The Pope confirmed the Slavic liturgical books and consecrated Method bishop.

In Rome, Constantine fell seriously ill, entered a monastery and took the religious name Cyril . 50 days later, on February 14, 869, he died. His tomb is now in the Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano in Rome. It was developed as a pilgrimage destination by the Orthodox Church.

Method alone

Pope Hadrian II appointed Method in 869 archbishop of the newly founded diocese of Pannonia and Great Moravia, based in Sremska Mitrovica, and sent him back to Pannonia as a papal legate. This happened at the request of Kozel, who greatly promoted the work of the Slav missionaries. With the establishment of the Pannonian-Moravian diocese, the papal curia pursued its own goals: to limit the Byzantine influence in the region and also to weaken the influence of the Frankish bishops of Salzburg and Passau. In the papal bull Gloria in excelsis Deo , Hadrian II agreed to the Slavic liturgy.

Translation and typing under the direction of Method, Radziwiłł Chronicle from the 13th century.

After a three-month stay in Pannonia, Method traveled on to Moravia. In the meantime, however, Svatopluk , Prince of Nitra and Rastislav's nephew, had allied themselves with the Franks, had captured Rastislav and handed him over to the Frankish King Ludwig the German. Rastislav died shortly afterwards. Method was arrested on his return in 870 and, at the instigation of Ludwig the German, deposed and sentenced as bishop. He spent two and a half years in prison in a German monastery - possibly on the island of Reichenau or in Ellwangen , until he was freed on the orders of Pope John VIII and reinstated as archbishop in 873.

Method's last years of life

Under Svatopluk, Method was initially able to continue his work in Moravia, even against the resistance of the Latin clergy. Eventually he was accused of heresy and summoned to Rome, but was again able to defend the Slavic liturgy. With the Bull Industriae tuae , Pope John VIII approved the Old Slavic liturgy in 880 with the restriction that the Gospel must be read first in Latin and then in Old Slavonic. Method was confirmed as archbishop and the German priest Wiching was installed as bishop of Nitra.

In 884 Method followed an invitation from the Emperor Basil I to visit Constantinople, who received him there with great honor. Method gave the emperor copies of the Slavic books for church services; they were probably later used for missionary work in Bulgaria and Russia. Back in Moravia, he completed the translation of the Holy Scriptures into Old Slavonic.

Method died on April 6th, 885. According to legend, he was buried in a “large Moravian church, on the left behind the altar of the Blessed Virgin”. This church is believed to be near Staré Město . Despite an intensive search, it was not possible to find the grave.

Method had chosen Gorazd as his successor. But after Method's death, the Latin clergy, led by Wiching, obtained the ban on the Slavic liturgy with Pope Stephen V. Gorazd and the other followers of Methods were captured and expelled from the country. Moravia came under the influence of the Roman-dominated Latin Church and the influence of the Byzantine Church was suppressed.

Influence on other Slavic peoples

Monument of Cyril and Method in front of the National Library of Saints Cyril and Method in Sofia.

Croatia, Bulgaria and Serbia

Many students of Cyril and Methodius fled to Bulgaria , where they were warmly received by Tsar Boris I. They founded schools that played an important role in the spread of Christianity and the Old Church Slavonic liturgy in Bulgaria. The two most important schools were the Ohrid School , directed by Methods student Kliment , and the Preslaw School , directed by Naum . In Bulgaria, the Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the 10th century and Old Church Slavonic was introduced as the official language of the Bulgarian Church and the Bulgarian Empire.

From Bulgaria, Christianity and the Old Church Slavonic liturgy spread to Serbia and Croatia . Cyrill's and Method's students probably made it to Croatia as early as the end of the 9th century. The Old Church Slavonic liturgy was approved in Croatia in the 13th century by Pope Innocent IV . In Serbia, the Byzantine influence and the Old Church Slavonic liturgy also prevailed in the 13th century.

Poland and Bohemia

A smaller group of Konstantins and Methods students fled to Bohemia . According to Christian legend , the Bohemian prince Bořivoj I was baptized by Method himself at the court of Svatopluk. In the 11th century, a center of Old Church Slavonic writing was established in the Sázava monastery . But at the end of the 11th century the monastery was taken over by the Latin monks. Pope Gregory VII banned the Old Church Slavonic liturgy in Bohemia, Slavic monks were expelled and the Old Church Slavonic books destroyed. The Old Church Slavonic legacy disappeared almost completely and the Roman-Latin rite prevailed. But in the 14th century Emperor Charles IV built the Benedictine Abbey Emmauskloster in Prague and obtained the privilege of the Pope to celebrate the Old Church Slavonic liturgy there.

There is evidence that some students of Cyril and Methodius fled to the Vistula area in southern Poland. Some historians suspect that Gorazd also found refuge there and became bishop in Krakow. The Old Church Slavonic liturgy disappeared in Poland in the 11th century with the reorganization of the church under Casimir I Karl .

Kievan Rus

Under Byzantine influence, Orthodox Christianity became the state religion in Kievan Rus as early as the end of the 10th century , when Prince Vladimir the Great was baptized in 988. Bulgarian priests then brought the Old Church Slavonic liturgy and Old Church Slavonic books. A center of Old Church Slavonic literature arose in Kiev . The Russian Orthodox Church took over the Old Church Slavonic or Old Bulgarian written language, it also became the written language of the Russian educated middle class.

Adoration of saints

Cyril and Methodius procession in Novosibirsk

In the Orthodox Churches , Cyril and Methodius have been venerated as saints and Slav apostles since the Middle Ages . Her Orthodox feast days are May 11th and July 17th for both saints, February 14th for Cyril and April 6th for Method.

In 1880 Pope Leo XIII. February 14th as their Roman Catholic Memorial Day in the Roman general calendar .

Since the introduction of the Protestant name calendar in 1969, the Evangelical Church in Germany has also commemorated Cyril and Method on this day. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Anglican Community also celebrate February 14th as the memorial day of the Slav apostles, while their memorial day has been set for May 11th by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod .

On July 5th, the day of their arrival in the Great Moravian Empire ( 863 ) is celebrated as a national holiday in the Czech Republic and Slovakia ; in Bulgaria and North Macedonia , May 24th is a national holiday ("Day of the Slavic Pedagogues"), which is dedicated to the two brothers .

In honor of the Slav apostles, many public institutions, places and churches in Eastern and Southeastern Europe bear the names of the two brothers. The International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius brings together Catholic bishops from Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences awards the Kyrill and Method Prize every year . In Lusatia, the association of the Catholic Sorbs, the Cyrill Methodius Association , founded in 1862, bears the name of the two “Slav apostles”. In 2000 this association erected the so-called Millennium Monument , which shows the two brothers, not far from Bautzen .

In 1980, John Paul II made Cyril and Methodius, together with Benedict of Nursia , the patrons of Europe . In June 2013 Bulgaria , Slovakia , the Czech Republic and the Vatican jointly issued a commemorative stamp on the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of evangelization in Greater Moravia by Cyril and Method. On the same occasion, on July 5, 2013, Slovakia placed a 2 euro commemorative coin with the image of Cyril and Method on the market.

The asteroid (2609) Kiril-Metodi is named after them .

See also

literature

  • Dvorník, Francis : Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 (English, 484 pages).
  • Vavřínek, Vladimír: Církevní misie v dějinách Velké Moravy . Nakladatelství Lidová demokracie, Praha 1963 (Czech, 202 pages).

Web links

Commons : Kyrill und Method  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Letter Slavorum Apostoli from Pope Johannes II, 1985 (German). Retrieved January 8, 2017
  • Život sv. Konstantina (Life of St. Constantine) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Constantine (Pannonian legend) . Praha 1873 ( online [accessed May 29, 2020] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  • Život sv. Methoda (Life of St. Method) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Method (Pannonian legend) . Praha 1873 ( online [accessed May 29, 2020] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  • Life of Constantine excerpts from the Pannonian legend. Retrieved January 8, 2017
  • Saints Cyril and Methodios - apostles of the Slavs and patron saints of Europe - a contribution by Dr. Theodoros Vlachos

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Letter Slavorum Apostoli from Pope Johannes II, 1985 (German). Retrieved January 2, 2017
  2. ↑ Emperor Michael III., Who sent both brothers to Moravia, is portrayed in the Pannonian legend Life of St. Method quoted as saying: "You are both from Thessaloniki and all Thessalonians speak pure Slavic" .
    From: Život sv. Methoda (Life of St. Method) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Method (Pannonian legend) . Prague 1873, p. 44 (Chapter V.) ( available online [accessed January 8, 2017] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  3. ^ Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 58 (English, 484 pp.).
  4. ↑ There is also the opinion that he was ordained priest in Rome or that he was only a deacon until his death. In: Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 57, 144-145 (English).
  5. ^ A b Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 62-63, 65-66 (English, 484 pages).
  6. ↑ Translated into German from: Život sv. Konstantina (Life of St. Constantine) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Constantine (Pannonian legend) . Prague 1873, p. 27 (Chapter XIV.) ( Available online [accessed January 8, 2017] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  7. ↑ The language barrier between the Latin clergy and the people will not be the main reason for Rastislav's request. The Frankish missionaries had already translated important articles for Christian teaching into the Slavic language. Rastislav wanted first and foremost to set up a church organization in Greater Moravia that was independent of the Bavarian episcopate and thus also to strengthen its political independence. Hence his express wish for a bishop.
    In: Vavřínek, Vladimír: Církevní misie v dějinách Velké Moravy . Nakladatelství Lidová demokracie, Praha 1963, p. 88 (Czech, 202 pp.).
  8. ↑ One of the reasons was the desire for the Christianization of Bulgaria, which had opposed all Byzantine missionary attempts. With Moravia under Byzantine influence, Bulgaria would have been "surrounded" by Christian countries and Byzantium could have exerted more pressure.
  9. ↑ Translated into German from: Život sv. Konstantina (Life of St. Constantine) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Constantine (Pannonian legend) . Prague 1873, p. 28 (Chapter XIV.) ( Available online [accessed January 8, 2017] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  10. ↑ Byzantium did not send a bishop, as Rastislav originally wanted. The reason will be that Byzantium had too little knowledge of the situation in Moravia.
    In: Vavřínek, Vladimír: Církevní misie v dějinách Velké Moravy . Nakladatelství Lidová demokracie, Praha 1963, p. 90-91 (Czech, 202 pp.).
  11. ↑ Život sv. Methoda (Life of St. Method) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Method (Pannonian legend) . Prague 1873, p. 51 (Chapter XV.) ( Available online [accessed January 8, 2017] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  12. ^ Vašica, Josef: Literární památky epochy velkomoravské 863 - 885 , Praha: Lidová demokracie, 1966, pp. 26-28 (Czech)
  13. ↑ Život sv. Konstantina (Life of St. Constantine) . In: Josef Emler (ed.): Fontes rerum Bohemicarum I: Vitae Sanctorum et aliorum quorundam pietate insignium. Chapter: Life of St. Constantine (Pannonian legend) . Prague 1873, p. 29–30 (Chapter XV.) ( Available online [accessed January 8, 2017] in Cyrillic and Czech).
  14. ↑ It is not clear whether Rome or Byzantium was the original destination. The fact that they were sent from there speaks in favor of Constantinople and that Rome originally did not comply with Rastislav's request for a bishop. What speaks in favor of Rome is that the Slav apostles had to defend themselves there against accusations of heresy by the Frankish bishops.
    Zlesák, Ondřej: Křesťanská misie na Velké Moravě . Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta, Ústav religionistiky, Brno 2008, p. 25 + 26 (Czech, 41 pp., Available online [PDF; 276 kB ; accessed on January 8, 2017]).
  15. ↑ a b Vavřínek, Vladimír: Církevní misie v dějinách Velké Moravy . Nakladatelství Lidová demokracie, Praha 1963, p. 112, 117 (Czech, 202 pp.).
  16. ↑ St. Cyril on the website of the San Clemente Basilica (English). Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 147-149 (English, 484 pages).
  18. ↑ Franz Grivec: St. Methodius in Ellwangen. In: Viktor Burr (Ed.): Ellwangen 764–1964. Contributions and Studies on the Twelve Centennial. Volume 1. Schwabenverlag, Ellwangen 1964, pp. 153-159.
  19. ↑ Život sv. Methoda , commentary by Josef Vašica on the 17th chapter of the Pannonian legend (1966)
  20. ^ Günter Prinzing : Ohrid . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 6, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-7608-8906-9 , Sp. 1376-1380.
  21. ↑ Nicolina Trunte: Словѣньскъи ѩзыкъ. A practical textbook of Church Slavonic in 30 lessons. At the same time an introduction to Slavic philology. Volume 1: Old Church Slavonic (= Slavic articles. 264 = Slavic articles. Study aids. 1). 4th revised edition. Sagner, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-87690-480-3 , chap. 1.9; Pp. 16-19.
  22. ^ A b Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 231, 248-250, 258 (English, 484 pages).
  23. ^ A b Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 197, 200-204, 216, 227-229 (English, 484 pages).
  24. ^ Dvorník, Francis: Byzantine Mission among the Slavs: SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1970, ISBN 0-8135-0613-1 , pp. 270-275 (English, 484 pages).
  25. ↑ Jones: Cyril . In: Directory of the Saints . Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  26. ^ Cyril in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints. Retrieved February 14, 2013
  27. ↑ Jones: Methodius . In: Directory of the Saints . Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  28. ↑ Method in the Ecumenical Saint Lexicon. Retrieved February 14, 2013
  29. ↑ Kahl, Thede; Salamurovic, Aleksandra (ed.): The Legacy of the Slav Apostles in the 21st Century. National and European perspectives. The Legacy of the Apostles of the Slavs in the 21st Century. National and European Perspectives . Symbolae Slavicae, No. 31 . Peter Lang (Academic Research), Frankfurt am Main, ISBN 978-3-631-65911-3 .