The significance of St. Methodios and St. Cyril to the Orthodox Church Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The Byzantine mission led by Constantine (Cyril) the Philosopher and his brother Methodius was the turning point in the historical and cultural development of the Slavs. Since that time, the Slavs have has their own language. The Macedonian dialect spoken by the Slavs in Thessalonica remained the literary language of the Slavs for several centuries. This dialect is often referred to as the â€Å"Church Slavonic. Cyril was the well versed scholar in Byzantine civilization and literature. Cyril and Methodius mission has resulted in unexpected success among the Eastern Slavs, Serbians and Croat and became the basis of the oldest Christian Slavic culture. Unfortunately, very little is known about the history of two brothers and it is still unclear whether Cyril was the priest or simply the deacon. From religious point of view, the liturgical innovation of Cyril was accepted only by the Eastern Church, but it was also offered to the Roman Church. Despite of the numerous controversies ab out the important of brother’s mission to Orthodox Church, their contribution to the Slavic culture and church history cannot be underestimated. We will write a custom essay sample on The significance of St. Methodios and St. Cyril to the Orthodox Church or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Cyril and Methodius both rendered important services to Byzantine Empire and were sent by the Emperor and the Patriarch on the responsible mission to Moravia. It is apparent that the beginnings of the Russian Christianity coincide in time with the Moravian mission of Cyril and Methodius and with the conversion of Bulgaria to Christian Church. The Byzantine culture was the most highly developed of its time and was spreading fast. The Moravian mission of Cyril and Methodius has further extended Byzantine religious and cultural influences to remote Slavic regions in the central Europe. â€Å"The real and unique greatness of the Moravian mission lies not so much in its achievements in Moravia as in the outstanding and far-reaching results beyond the Moravian border† (Ostrogorsky 3). Two brothers have created the Slavonic alphabet which made possible the development of Slavic writing and opened the new era in the cultural life of Slavic people. In addition to cultural contribution of Cyril-Methodius mission to Slavic nations, the Moravian mission should be viewed as the missionary enterprise. Byzantium was consolidating the existing relations and establishing new relations with the Slavs. Some of the historical events of that time include: the Russian attack on Constantinople (860), the request of Moravian prince Rastislav to send Byzantine missionaries to his country (863), the official acceptance of Christianity by Bulgaria (864).