Biography of Methodius

Cyril and Methodius as the Apostle of the Unified and Slovenian countries, the teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God -Mother of God, the lord of all pray, all the Slovenian languages ​​affirm in Orthodoxy and unanimity, peace our souls and save our souls. All of us, Orthodox, read and read the psalter, the Gospel and other books in the Slavic language, we hear the worship in the same language every day and evening, but not everyone knows who took care and whose hands it was a business to come up and depict Slavic letters and letters on paper and teach Christ, the Orthodox faith, at that time the dark and rude Slavic people.

In the 9th century, almost all the Slavs were pagans, there was no science between them. The Promotion of God was pleased to enlighten this people with Christian faith and the first chosen ones of this case were saints Cyril and Methodius. These two husbands were from the city of Soluni or Thessalonik, in Macedonia, in the possessions of the Greek emperor. Their father, by the name of Leo, was a rich, virtuous man and held the position of military head of Macedonia Drungaria-in Greek.

Their mother was called Maria and is remarkable for a pious life. Although Macedonia was a Greek country, there were many Slavs in it, especially near the city of Solun, who spoke their Slavic language. Konstantin, before the adoption of a schema and mifodia, being among the Slavs, easily learned their language and the knowledge of this language revealed a new, before that unknown path indicated by them.

Methodius received education in Soluni. At the end of the school, he entered military service and was the ruler of the Struman Slavic region, but soon he was tired of worldly life and he went to Mount Olympus, in Thessaly, cut his hair to the monks and led a strict ascetic life. In the morning and evening he went to church for worship, and during the day he performed the most difficult works in the monastery.

His ascetic life was noticed by the brotherhood of the Patriarch himself; He wanted to see him with a Metropolitan of the famous place, maybe Soluni, but Blessed Methodius refused, in his humility, he was later only hegumen in the polyhroni monastery, near Constantinople, on one of the islands of the Sea. His brother prepared his brother Constantine for apostolic service.

At the age of 7, Constantine was distinguished by love to science and fast memory. At this age, he saw a dream that the governor of the city, having gathered many girls, commanded him to choose a beautiful bride for himself. Konstantin made a choice and the name of the bride was Sofia, that is, divine wisdom. Thirteen years old Konstantin lost his parents. A relative of his logofet Feoktist, being the guardian of the minor Greek emperor Michael, knowing the brilliant abilities of Constantine, took him to the court in order to educate him with a young king.

Konstantin studied with the famous lion: the head of the Vardin school, and then from the Photius, later the patriarch, literature, philosophy, astronomy, thoroughly studied the Greek, Latin and Syrian languages. The successes in the sciences were amazing, but not less than that was amazing in the meekness, piety and humble wisdom. As if with success in the sciences in it, these rare qualities of the soul developed to the same extent.

Once a logofet asked Konstantin what philosophy is? Konstantin answered: the understanding of the things of the divine and human by how much can approach God; An active science, which teaches a person to live with dignity of the image and likeness of his creator. I liked such an answer to the logofet and since he generally loved Konstantin, he wanted to keep him with him. He conceived to marry him with his rich goddaughter, but Konstantin refused.

He was now looking for only solitude for himself to indulge in fiery prayer to God and teaching. The logofet appointed him as a librarian at the temple of St. Sofia, but Konstantin secretly retired from here to the monastery, near Bosphorus. The logofet found him and begged to return to Constantinople. Konstantin agreed. Living in Constantinople, he taught philosophy in the school there, for which he received the name of the philosopher.

Konstantin was then a year. In the city for state affairs and together to maintain the dignity of the Christian faith, the emperor sent the ambassador of Constantine as the husband of the scientist. It was dangerous to go there, as the Saracens hated Christians, but hoping for God, Konstantin accepted the king’s proposal and went. With the honor of the emir meets Konstantin as the messenger of the Great Tsar, but the Saracensian sages, seeing that Constantine could not defeat him and attempted even on his life, but the Lord saved him.

Upon returning to Constantinople, Konstantin began to live with his brother on Mount Olympus. Being in solitude, he completely indulged in the study of Christ and prayers. Again, the new activity expected them; The new feat was to be accomplished by Konstantin. Between the Azov and Caspian seas, the crooks lived - pagans. Jews and Muslims who lived with them often bowed some Khozar to accept their faith.The princes of the Khozar - khans, being in frequent relations with the Greek emperor, sent ambassadors to him in a year to send mentors of faith.

The king and Patriarch again entrusted Konstantin to this holy cause. Having persuaded his brother Methodius, Konstantin went to the Khozars. They lay the path through the island of Crimea and the city of Chersonesos, which was there in the proximity of Sevastopol. Having arrived in this city, the holy brothers stop in it and live for a long time, studying the language of Khozar and Jews.

Here they also found one Slav, who read Greek books to them with translation into Slavic. Having studied the language of Khozar, Konstantin and Methodius went further on the road. Having arrived at the Khozar Khan, Konstantin had several debate and faith with the Jews and Mohammedans, and although the khan himself was not baptized, he gave the command “yes, it could, he could baptize with faith by the will,” and the Greeks who lived there under the death penalty forbade taking Jewishness or Mohammedanism.

The holy men were baptized to a person. Konstantin set out his debate on paper and left the Khozars as a victory over Judaism and the Mohammedan creed of the Khazar Khan, before the departure, wanted to award St. With joy, the brothers went on the return trip. Along the way, they still turned to Christ one pagan tribe living near the Sea of ​​Azov. They returned to Constantinople at the end of the year, brought with them from Kherson part of the relics of holy.

Clement, the pope of the Roman, exiled there and the victim around the hundredth of the year in R. in Constantinople met them with honor. Methodius again retired to the monastery, and Konstantin remained in Constantinople at the Church of St. But soon, it was at the end of the year that the Pannon Moravian princes, feeling the need to hear the service and the doctrine of faith in their native, understandable language, and until then, the Latin priests had been to the Greek tsar and the patriarch, who in the folk language could have taught them and the people of the holy faith.

These were the princes Rostislav, Svyatopolk and the KOWN. In meeting with Patriarch Fotius and with a spiritual cathedral, the king sent St. Conscious of the importance of this assignment and wanting to put a strong foundation for the holy cause of the introduction of Christianity in the Slavic land, Konstantin decided to invent letters and compose the Slavic alphabet in order to leave the Divine Scriptures in their native language.

He deepened into the monastery cell, Konstantin indulged in prayer, asking God's help to commit this difficult work. With God's help, the Slavic alphabet was compiled and through the students given to him into Suprei, he translated into the Slavic language of St. Konstantin and Methodius with the invented letters went to the Pannonsky country. On the way there they visited the newly interlocked Bulgarian Prince Boris and approved him in determination to fight paganism; In the same Moravia with the apostolic jealousy, the case was sent to which they were sent.

Only German priests and biskups, sent by the pope for the spread of the Christian faith in the Latin language. They said that the service should be performed only in three languages: Greek, Roman, and Jewish, bringing the inscription on the cross of Christ in these languages ​​made by Pilate. Are you students of Pilate? German Biskups made a denunciation to Pope Nikolai, reported that Konstantin and Methodius teach the Slavs to disobey the pope and worship was sent not in Latin, but in Slavic.

Dad demanded them to Rome. Until that time, the Greek and Latin Church consisted in unity. The power of the pope, which has long been manifested, the doctrine of the outcome of St. The spirit, not agreeing with the resolution of the Nicaean Cathedral, has already thrown a shadow of discord in the Christ Church. The holy men also recognized Pope by the patriarch of Christ the Church, obeyed his demand and went to Rome, taking with them part of the relics of St.

Clement and translation of the sacred books in the Slavic language. On the way, in Venice, they argued for a long time with the Latin clergy of the rightness of their craft. Dad Nikolai died. His successors, Adrian II, fearing to lose influence on Moravia, by the exploration of the translation made by Konstantin, justified them, which was given a special message to the Biscups located in the Slavic lands.

Wanting to prove his peace -loving location even more and testify to all the equal dignity of the Slavic language with Latin, Adrian ordered to serve the bait in the Slavic language in the church of St. Peter and Paul, with the exception of some prayers, which were read in Latin. A long journey and hard work were reflected in the health of St. He fell ill, being in Rome.

Feeling close death, he accepted the schema and was called Cyril in the scheme. Having done everything necessary for the Slavs in the work of Christ faith, he would still like to work even more for the Holy Delivee, but finding it impossible for his state of health, he begging his brother Methodius to work hard for the sake of Christ in the Slavic land. You and I were like a friendly pair of oxen, cultivating one field, Kirill said, and so I fall on Brazda, ending my day.Do not leave the work begun, since you can be more saved with this feat.

Blessing all those who are near him, Cyril died, having 42 years old, February, February. The body of St. Cyril was buried in Rome, in the temple of St. Clement, and there rests to now. Having buried Cyril, Methodius again went to the Slavic lands, namely to Moravia. Rostislav was delighted, at the sight of a holy teacher, but his joy was not a duty. In the war with the Germans, Rostislav was captured and deprived of vision there.

The throne of Moravia was mastered by his nephew of his Svyatopolk, a man of vicious life. According to the machinations of the same German Biscups, Svyatopolk began to harm Methodius in the cause of Christ's faith and Methodius retired to Pannonia, the region of Prince Cozzel, in the year. Methodius in Masburg accepted Coles with Love. The prince’s love for Methodius was expressed by the fact that dad at the request of the prince, dedicated Methodius to the rank of Bishop of Pannonia.

The activity of Methodius has now intensified even more.