February 14
Constantine (later Cyril),
deacon, scholar, philologist, linguist, and (with his brother Methodius)
missionary to the southern Slavs, died 14 February 869.
Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki to a Greek drungarios
(a military officer) named Leon and to Maria. Born in 827-828, Cyril was
reputedly the youngest of seven brothers, according to the Vita Cyrilli
(The Life of Cyril). He is said to have given himself to the pursuit of
heavenly wisdom at the age of seven, but at fourteen was made an orphan by the
death of his parents.
An influential official, possibly the eunuch Theoktistos (Θεόκτιστος),
brought him to Constantinople where he studied theology and philosophy.
Theoktistos was a logothetes tou dromou,
a powerful Byzantine official, responsible for the postal services and the
diplomatic relations of the empire. He was also responsible, along with the
regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the empire,
which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where
Constantine/Cyril was to teach. Photius is said to have been among his
teachers; Anastasius Bibliothecarius mentions their later friendship, as well
as a conflict between them on a point of doctrine. Cyril learned an eclectic
variety of knowledge including astronomy, geometry, rhetoric, and music. It was
in the field of linguistics, however, that Cyril particularly excelled. Besides
his native old Macedonian (Slavonic), he was fluent in Latin, Arabic, Hebrew,
and Greek; according to the Vita, the Byzantine Emperor Michael III
claimed that “all Thessalonians speak perfect Slavonic” (ch. 86).
After the completion of his education Cyril was ordained deacon and
became a monk. He seems to have held the important position of chartophylax,
or secretary to the patriarch and keeper of the archives, with some judicial
functions also. This influential position required that he be in holy orders.
After six months’ quiet retirement in a monastery he began to teach philosophy
and theology. Cyril also took an active role in relations with the other great
monotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism. He penned fiercely anti-Jewish
polemics, perhaps connected with his mission to the Khazars, a tribe who lived
near the Sea of Azov under a Jewish king who allowed Jews, Muslims, and
Christians to live peaceably side by side. He also undertook a mission to the
Arabs with whom, according to the Vita, he held discussions. He is said
to have learned the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Arabic languages during this period.
The account of his life presented in the Latin Legenda claims that he
also learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (today
Crimea). (It has been claimed that Methodius also accompanied him on the
mission to the Khazars, but this is probably a later invention.)
In 862 Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that the 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 Frankish ruler
Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the
Franks. He is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church and
instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably,
a degree of political support. The request provided a convenient opportunity to
expand Byzantine influence, and the task was entrusted to Cyril and Methodius. Their
first work seems to have been the training of assistants.
In 863 they began the task of translating the Bible into the language
now known as Old Church Slavonic and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.
They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavor. However, they came into
conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a
specifically Slavic liturgy. It is impossible to determine with certainty what
portions of the Bible the brothers translated. The New Testament and the psalms
seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.
The Translatio speaks only of a version of the gospels by Cyril, and the
Vita Methodii only of the evangelium Slovenicum, though other
liturgical selections may also have been translated.
No one knows for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of
Constantinople, they took as a source. They may well have used the Roman, as
suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. The
Glagolitic alphabet, which was based on the Greek uncial writing of the 9th
century, has been traditionally attributed to Cyril’s work. That fact has been
confirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriae
tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the
alphabet was “invented by Constantine the Philosopher.” It is unclear, however,
whether Cyril himself was the originator of the eponymous Cyrillic alphabet.
More probably, it was invented by later followers of Cyril and Methodius. In 867 Pope Nicholas I invited the brothers to Rome.
Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus
of a dispute with Theotmar, the archbishop of Salzburg and bishop of Passau,
who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it
use the Latin liturgy exclusively. Traveling with the relics of St. Clement and
a retinue of disciples, they were warmly received in Rome on their arrival in
868. The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their
influence in Constantinople. Their project in Moravia found support from Pope
Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy.
Cyril fell ill late in 868, retired to a monastery, and after fifty
days of illness died on 14 February 869. The Translatio asserts that he
was made a bishop before his death, but there is little credible evidence for
this. Over time, Cyrillic eventually spread through much of the Slavic world to
become the standard alphabet in the Orthodox Slavic countries. Their evangelizing
efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout eastern
Europe.
Cyril was canonized as a saint by the eastern church, and the Roman
Catholic Church canonized him in 1880 along with Methodius. The two brothers
are known as the “Apostles of the Slavs” and are highly regarded by Catholic
and Orthodox Christians. Cyril’s feast day is celebrated on 14 February
(Catholic and Anglican) or 11 May (Orthodox). The two brothers were declared “Patrons
of Europe” in 1980.
