Editing Cyril and Methodius (section)

==Mission to the Slavs==
=== Great Moravia ===
[[File:Cyril and Methodius.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cyril and Methodius, painting by [[Jan Matejko]], 1885]]
In 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. That year Prince [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav]] of [[Great Moravia]] requested that Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the [[Franks|Frankish]] ruler [[Louis the German]], though he subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. That Cyril and Methodius might have been the first to bring Christianity to [[Moravia]] is a common misconception; Rastislav's letter to Michael III states clearly that his people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."<ref name=Ivanov>Vizantiiskoe missionerstvo, Ivanov S. A., Iazyki slavianskoi kul'tury, Moskva 2003, p. 147</ref> Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Church]] and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.<ref name=Brit>Encyclopædia Britannica, Cyril and Methodius, Saints, O.Ed., 2008</ref> The Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.<ref name=IUN>{{cite web |url=http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h113_2001/byzantium.htm |title=From Eastern Roman to Byzantine: transformation of Roman culture (500-800) |publisher=Indiana University Northwest |access-date=31 August 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916164425/http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h113_2001/byzantium.htm |archive-date=16 September 2017}}</ref> The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. In 863, they began the task of translating the [[Gospel]]s and essential [[Eastern Orthodox worship#Liturgical books|liturgical books]] into what is now known as [[Old Church Slavonic]],<ref name=Catholic_Encyclopedia/> and travelled to Great Moravia to promote it.<ref name=Pravmir>{{cite web |url=http://www.pravmir.com/article_39.html |title=Sts. Cyril and Methodius |publisher=Pravmir |access-date=31 August 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307085339/http://www.pravmir.com/article_39.html |archive-date=7 March 2012}}</ref> This endeavour was amply rewarded. However, they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics, who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy.

For the purpose of this mission, they devised the [[Glagolitic alphabet]], the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavic language. Its descendant script, the Cyrillic, is still used by many languages today.<ref name=Brit/>

The brothers wrote the first Slavic [[Civil Code]], which was used in Great Moravia. The language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as [[Church Slavonic]], is still used in the [[liturgy]] by several Orthodox Churches, and also in some [[Eastern Catholic]] churches.

Exactly how much the brothers translated is impossible to say for certain. The [[New Testament]] and the [[Psalms]] seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the [[Old Testament]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} The ''"Translatio"'' speaks only of a version of the [[Gospel]]s by Cyril, and the ''"Vita Methodii"'' only of the ''"evangelium Slovenicum"'', though other liturgical selections may also have been translated.

Nor is it known for sure which liturgy, whether of Rome or of Constantinople, they took as a source. They may well have used the [[Latin alphabet|Roman alphabet]], as hinted by liturgical fragments adhering closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old [[Glagolitic]] liturgical fragments brought from [[Jerusalem]] to [[Kyiv]] and discovered there by [[Izmail Sreznevsky]]—probably the oldest document in the Slavonic tongue; examples of where they resemble the Latin type include the words ''"Mass,"'' ''"Preface,"'' and the name of one Felicitas. Regardless, the circumstances were such that the brothers could have hoped for no lasting success without having had authorization from Rome.

===Journey to Rome===
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2019}}
[[File:San clemente fresco.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente]]
The mission of Constantine and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than [[Latin]] or Greek. In Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius also encountered missionaries from [[East Francia]]. They would have represented the western, or Latin, branch of the Church, more particularly epitomizing the [[Carolingian Empire]] as founded by [[Charlemagne]], and intent on linguistic and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as part of their rightful mission field.

When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, decided to travel to Rome to see the Pope, and seek a solution that would avoid quarrelling between missionaries in the field. In 867, [[Pope Nicholas I]] (858-867) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop [[Adalwin of Salzburg]] (859–873) and Bishop [[Ermanrich, Bishop of Passau|Ermanrich]] of [[bishop of Passau|Passau]] (866-874). They claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively.

With them they brought the relics of [[Pope Clement I|Saint Clement]] and a retinue of disciples. They passed through [[Pannonia]] (the [[Balaton Principality]]), where they were well received by Prince [[Koceľ]]. This activity in Pannonia made a continuation of conflicts inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of [[Salzburg]], whose prerogative Pannonia had been for seventy-five years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin was found to exercise Episcopal rights there. The administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. He was obliged to retire to Salzburg, though his superior was instinctively disinclined to abandon his claim.

The brothers sought support from Rome, and arrived there in 868, where they were warmly received. This was partly due to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; rivalry with Constantinople over the territory of the Slavs would have inclined Rome to value the brothers and their influence.<ref name=Brit/>

The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. [[Anastasius Bibliothecarius]] would later call Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".<ref>"Vir apostolicae vitae...sapientissimus vir" MGH Epist., 7/2, 1928, p. 436</ref> Their project in Moravia found support from the new [[Pope Adrian II]] (867-872), who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. 

Subsequently, Methodius was ordained as priest by the pope himself, and five Slavic disciples were ordained as priests ([[Saint Gorazd]], [[Clement of Ohrid|Saint Clement of Ohrid]] and [[Saint Naum]]) and as deacons ([[Saint Angelar]] and [[Saint Sava (disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius)|Saint Sava]]) by the prominent bishops [[Pope Formosus|Formosus]] and Gauderic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frantiskani.sk/kazatel/svati/0727.htm|title=Sv. Gorazd a spoločníci|trans-title=St. Gorazd and his colleagues|language=sk|work=Franciscan Friars of Slovakia|access-date=27 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015313/http://www.frantiskani.sk/kazatel/svati/0727.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Since the 10th century Cyril and Methodius along with these five disciples are collectively venerated by the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] as the "[[Seven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Seven Saints]]".<ref>David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Fifth Edition Revised, OUP Oxford, 2011, {{ISBN|0191036730}}, p. 94.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kashtite.com/en/traditions-and-celebrations/bulgarian-traditions-and-celebrations/seven-saints |title=Seven Saints |publisher=Kashtite.com |date=2016-07-27 |access-date=2019-01-29 |archive-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721221816/https://www.kashtite.com/en/traditions-and-celebrations/bulgarian-traditions-and-celebrations/seven-saints |url-status=dead }}</ref> The newly made priests officiated in their own language at the altars of some of the principal churches. 

Feeling his end approaching, Cyril became a [[Basilian monks|Basilian monk]] and was given the name Cyril.<ref>It was and is customary on becoming a monk in the Eastern Orthodox tradition to receive a new name.</ref> He died in Rome fifty days later (14 February 869). There is some question whether he had been made a bishop, as is asserted in the ''Translatio'' (ix.). Upon Cyril´s death Methodius was given the title of Archbishop of [[Sirmium]] (now [[Sremska Mitrovica]] in [[Serbia]]) with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authority to use the Slavonic Liturgy.<ref name="Jugoslovenski književni leksikon">{{cite book |author= Đorđe Radojičić|editor = Živan Milisavac |date=1971 |title=Jugoslovenski književni leksikon |trans-title=Yugoslav Literary Lexicon |publisher=[[Matica srpska]] |language=sh |location= [[Novi Sad]] ([[Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina|SAP Vojvodina]], [[Socialist Republic of Serbia|SR Serbia]]) |pages=73–75 }}</ref> The statement of the ''"Vita"'' that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of [[Pope John VIII]], written in June 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Serbia as well.

===Methodius alone===
[[File:Stanislav Dospavski - Saints Cyril and Methodius.png|thumb|upright|[[Saint]] Cyril and Methodius by [[Stanislav Dospevski]], [[Bulgaria]]n painter]]
Methodius now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the [[Balaton Principality]]). Political circumstances in Greater Moravia were insecure. Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew [[Svatopluk I|Svatopluk]] in 870, then delivered over to [[Carloman of Bavaria]], and condemned in a [[Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)|diet]] held at [[Regensburg]] at the end of 870. Meanwhile, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops decided to try and depose Methodius. The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered so threatening to the rights of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to East Frankish bishops: Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. After heated discussion, they declared the intruder deposed, and ordered him to be sent to Germany. There he was kept prisoner in a monastery for two and a half years.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=165-186}}

Notwithstanding strong representations of the ''[[Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum]]'', written in 871 to influence the pope, though not conceding this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius. He sent a bishop, Paul of [[Bishop of Ancona|Ancona]], to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were ordered to appear in Rome with the legate.
Thus in 873, new [[Pope John VIII]] (872-882) secured the release of Methodius, but instructed him to stop using the Slavonic Liturgy.{{sfn|Goldberg|2006|p=319-320}}

===Methodius' final years===
The papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, albeit without the use of Slavonic for [[Mass in the Catholic Church]]. His authority in Pannonia was restricted after Koceľ's death, when the principality was administered by German nobles. However, [[Svatopluk I|Svatopluk]] now ruled practically independently in Great Moravia, and he expelled the German clergy. It seems this secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius, and the ''Vita'' (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a time of fruitful progress. Methodius seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy. When [[Franks|Frankish]] clerics again ventured into the country, revealing a permissive Svatopluk at odds with his punctilious archbishop, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the ''[[Filioque clause|Filioque]]''.

In 878, Methodius was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. The Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, [[Wiching]], a [[Swabia]]n, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris the Baptizer]] in [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]], under whom they reorganized a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries.

Methodius vindicated his orthodoxy and promised to obey with regard to the liturgy. He could the more easily defend his omission of ''Filioque'' from the creed as this also pertained in Rome at the time. Though ''Filioque'' could, by the 6th century, be heard in some Latin-speaking churches in the west, it was not to be until 1014 that Rome followed suit (see [[Nicene Creed]]). Methodius' critics were mollified by Methodius having to accept the appointment of Wiching as his coadjutor. When relations between the two factions again became strained, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius. After his death (December 882) it was the archbishop himself whose position looked insecure. His need for political support, visiting the Eastern emperor, inclined Goetz to accept the account in the ''Vita'' (xiii.).

Methodius died on 6 April 885<ref>Житїе Меөодїя (Life of Methodius), title & chap. XVIII - [http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=2164 available on-line] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205114/http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=2164 |date=5 March 2016 }}</ref> and his body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. It still remains an open question which city was capital of Great Moravia. As a result the location of Methodius' body remains uncertain.<ref>Short Life of Cyril & Methodius. Translated by Ján STANISLAV: Životy slovanských apoštolov Cyrila a Metoda v legendách a listoch. Turčiansky Sv. Martin: Matica slovenská, 1950, p. 88. (Slovak)</ref>

Upon Methodius' death an animosity erupted into open conflict. Amongst the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, [[Clement of Ohrid]] headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with [[Saint Gorazd|Gorazd]] upon the death of Methodius in 885. Gorazd, whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by [[Pope Stephen V]]. This pope now also forbade the Slavic liturgy<ref>Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes, (HarperCollins, 2000), 144.</ref> and placed as Methodius' successor the infamous {{Not a typo|Wiching}} who promptly sent disciples of Cyril and Methodius into exile from Great Moravia.

After spending some time in jail, Clement was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 886 reached the borders of the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] together with [[Saint Naum|Naum]], [[Saint Angelar|Angelar]], and possibly also Gorazd (other sources suggest Gorazd had already died by that time). Angelar soon died after an arrival, but Clement and Naum were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by [[Boris I]] to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. Eventually they were commissioned to establish two theological schools - the [[Ohrid Literary School]] in [[Ohrid]] and the [[Preslav Literary School]] in [[Veliki Preslav|Preslav]]. The Preslav Literary School had been originally established in [[Pliska]], but was moved to Preslav in 893.