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Chapter 30: Cyril and Methodius
The evangelization of the Slavs was a deed which greatly changed the cultural landscape of eastern Europe. At the time, Slavs were a collection of tribes, stretching from the banks of the Aegean up north to the Taigas .A small number were living under the rule of the Rhomaic Empire, but the Slavs have at this point dominated Bulgaria and Serbia, as well as Croatia and Moravia... an emerging realm on the middle Danube, seeking to become an independent country and exit the Frankish sphere of influence.
Christianity had already taken root among the Slovaks, who had been at first taught by Irish missionaries, yet the clergy were by niw mostly German.
The kung, Rastislav, wished to put an end to German domination in church, and sought to establish a church organization not subordinate to that of Bavaria. However, the Pope was under strong German influence, and thus the Slovak king looked eastwards. Orthodoxy by this time was rather familiar with the phenomenon of national churches, despite them bieng frowned upon.
Rastislav asked the Emperor for a bishop, who would bring the word of God to the Slovak nation in their own tongue. This task was given to two brothers : Constantine and Methodius, who had previously been sent to Khazaria. Stemming from Thessalonike, a bilingual Greek and Slavic city, these two lads were proficient in vernacular Slavic. By this time, the Slavic tongues have not diverged very far, and thus Slavic spoken in Macedonia was intelligible to Slovaks on the middle Danube.
The two brothers at first created an alphabet for the Slavs, and then translated the whole New Testament into Slavic. With this, they would travel northwards, to the Slovak realm of Moravia, and the Slavic principality in Pannonia.
Before their departure, Methodius is consacrated as Metropolitan for the the realm of "Morabes". This would enable him to consecrate new priests from local Slavic aristocracy.
Moravia thus allies itself to the Rhomaic Empire. In a similar manner, Bulgaria, extending as far west as the Tisa river, seeks alliance with East Francia.
After a coup d'etat in Moravia, Rastislav is deposed and Svätopluk becomes king. He turns his foreign policy towards Francia, and prefers Latin to Slavonic liturgy.
Methodius sought to proclaim Gorazd as his successor, yet he lacked the organization talents of his teacher. The Latinate clergy had gained the higher ground rapidly, and expelled Slavonic clergy, who flee to other countries, such as Bulgaria, Poland and Croatia.
It was Bulgaria, in its capital, Pliska, where most of the Slavonic clergy found shelter. There, they redisigned the Slavonic alphabet, which they named Cyrillic, in honour of Saint Cyrillius.
Meanwhile, Bulgarians had adopted Latin Rite Christianity. This was challenged by Michael III., who beat Bulgaria in war, and imposed the Greek Rite upon them as part of the peace settlement. Khagan Boris adopts in honour of the Emperor, the name Michael.
Thus, Rhomaic cultural influence spreads among the Slavic peoples...
Christianity had already taken root among the Slovaks, who had been at first taught by Irish missionaries, yet the clergy were by niw mostly German.
The kung, Rastislav, wished to put an end to German domination in church, and sought to establish a church organization not subordinate to that of Bavaria. However, the Pope was under strong German influence, and thus the Slovak king looked eastwards. Orthodoxy by this time was rather familiar with the phenomenon of national churches, despite them bieng frowned upon.
Rastislav asked the Emperor for a bishop, who would bring the word of God to the Slovak nation in their own tongue. This task was given to two brothers : Constantine and Methodius, who had previously been sent to Khazaria. Stemming from Thessalonike, a bilingual Greek and Slavic city, these two lads were proficient in vernacular Slavic. By this time, the Slavic tongues have not diverged very far, and thus Slavic spoken in Macedonia was intelligible to Slovaks on the middle Danube.
The two brothers at first created an alphabet for the Slavs, and then translated the whole New Testament into Slavic. With this, they would travel northwards, to the Slovak realm of Moravia, and the Slavic principality in Pannonia.
Before their departure, Methodius is consacrated as Metropolitan for the the realm of "Morabes". This would enable him to consecrate new priests from local Slavic aristocracy.
Moravia thus allies itself to the Rhomaic Empire. In a similar manner, Bulgaria, extending as far west as the Tisa river, seeks alliance with East Francia.
After a coup d'etat in Moravia, Rastislav is deposed and Svätopluk becomes king. He turns his foreign policy towards Francia, and prefers Latin to Slavonic liturgy.
Methodius sought to proclaim Gorazd as his successor, yet he lacked the organization talents of his teacher. The Latinate clergy had gained the higher ground rapidly, and expelled Slavonic clergy, who flee to other countries, such as Bulgaria, Poland and Croatia.
It was Bulgaria, in its capital, Pliska, where most of the Slavonic clergy found shelter. There, they redisigned the Slavonic alphabet, which they named Cyrillic, in honour of Saint Cyrillius.
Meanwhile, Bulgarians had adopted Latin Rite Christianity. This was challenged by Michael III., who beat Bulgaria in war, and imposed the Greek Rite upon them as part of the peace settlement. Khagan Boris adopts in honour of the Emperor, the name Michael.
Thus, Rhomaic cultural influence spreads among the Slavic peoples...
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 490