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Our fathers among the saints '''Cyril and Methodius''' were brothers who brought Orthodoxy to the Slavic peoples of central Europe in the ninth century. In preparation for their [[missionary|mission]] to the Slavs they devised the Glagolitic alphabet to translate the Holy Scriptures and other Christian writings into what is now called Old Church Slavonic. Glagolitic later developed into the Cyrillic alphabet which is now used in a number of Slavic languages. The two brothers have been recognized as [[saint]]s, [[Equal-to-the-Apostles|equals to the apostles]], for their [[missionary ]] work. Many details of their lives have been obscured by the legends that have arisen about them.
[[Image:Cyril_and_Methodius.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ss Cyril and Methodius]]
Theoctistos also arranged a position as an official in the Slavic administration of the empire for Michael. He soon went to the monastery at Mount Olympus where he was [[tonsure]]d with the name Methodius.
In 860, Emperor Michael III and [[Photios the Great|Photius]], [[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]], sent the brothers to the Khagan of the Khazars on a [[missionary ]] expedition in an attempt to forestall the Khagan from embracing [[Judaism]]. The mission was unsuccessful as the Khagan chose Judaism for his people, but many people embraced Christianity. Upon their return, Constantine was appointed professor of philosophy in the university.
Then in 862 the two brothers were invited by Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia to preach Christianity in his domains. This request was a fallout of the efforts of the Slavic princes in central Europe attempting to maintain their independence from their Germanic neighbors. Rastislav was looking for Christian [[missionaries ]] to replace those from the Germans. In the end this mission would continue for the rest of the brothers' lives, as the brothers were dedicated to the idea that Christianity should be presented to the people in their native languages as was the practice in the East. To accomplish their work they developed the Glagolitic alphabet, the precursor of the Cyrillic alphabet, and began the translation of the [[Scripture]]s and Christian literature into the Slavic language.
The German [[clergy]] had used their liturgical language, Latin, as a measure to maintain their influence in Moravia and therefore were unhappy with the work of Constantine and Methodius, and they used this difference to attack the brothers. After laboring for about four years, the brothers were called by Nicholas I to appear in [[Church of Rome|Rome]] to defend their work. The area in which they worked was within the [[jurisdiction]] of Rome. However, before their arrival, in 869 Nicholas died and was succeeded by [[Adrian II of Rome|Adrian II]]. After Adrian was convinced of the orthodoxy of the brothers, he approved their use of Slavonic in their church services and commended their work. He then [[Consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] Methodius [[bishop]]. Constantine took monastic vows in a Greek monastery in Rome. He was given the name ''Cyril'', the name by which he is now commonly known. Cyril was not to return to Moravia as he died shortly thereafter. The date of Cyril's death is uncertain, but appears to have been shortly after his consecration, both perhaps in February 869, with his death most probably on [[February 14]].
==Works==
The brothers Cyril and Methodius are most renowned for the development of the Glagolitic alphabet that was used to bring literacy and Christian literature to the Slavs in their own language. With further development by their disciples it became the Cyrillic alphabet, which is now used by many of the Slavic peoples. However, the work of the brothers in translating the Holy Scriptures, the services, Nomocanon, and other Christian literature into Slavonic has been the greatest example of Orthodox [[missionaries ]] bringing Christianity to the peoples of the world.
While events only a few decades after the death of Methodius seemed to destroy their work in Moravia, their work became the foundation of Slavic civilization in eastern and south-eastern Europe and provided the language footings for the [[missionary ]] efforts in the coming centuries. It is for this continuation of the practice of the Holy [[Apostles]] of speaking of Christianity in the languages of all the nations that Ss Cyril and Methodius are remembered as ''equal to the apostles''. It is to this heritage that the revived Orthodox Church in the [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia|Czech Lands]] (Moravia) look as their origins.
==Hymns==
==See also==
* [[Missionary]]
* [[Missiology]]
* [[Rastislav of Moravia]]
[[Category:Serbian Saints]]
[[Category:Bulgarian Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:9th-century saints]]
[[es:Cirilo y Metodio]]
[[ro:Chiril și Metodie]]
