Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12
Who were Cyril and Methodius?
According to Christian History: “When the Moravian Prince Ratislav requested that the Byzantine Emperor Michael III send missionaries to Moravia “to explain to us the Christian truths in our own language,” it was the brothers Cyril and Methodius who were sent. They had already developed a reputation as keen thinkers and administrators. By the end of their lives, they were well on the way to becoming the most celebrated missionary team in Eastern Orthodox history.
They were born “Constantine” and “Michael” to a high ranking officer in the Byzantine Army, and both studied at the Imperial School of Constantinople. They each carved out a successful career: Constantine (later Cyril) as professor of philosophy at the Imperial school; Michael, first as governor in Macedonia and then abbot of a monastery in Asia Minor (where he took the name Methodius).
In 863, when they started their work among the Slavs, they began using Slavonic in the liturgy. They translated the Bible into the language later known as Old Church Slavonic (or Old Bulgarian) and invented a Slavic alphabet based on Greek characters, which in its final Cyrillic form is still in use as the alphabet for a number of Slavic languages.
International politics soon swirled around their little mission. The German archbishop of Salzburg claimed that Cyril and Methodius had invaded his ecclesiastical territory. Jealous for the church in Rome, the archbishop insisted that Latin, not Slavonic, be used in the liturgy.
So in 868, the brothers found themselves in Rome explaining themselves to Pope Adrian II, who took their side and formally authorized the use of the Slavonic liturgy. Though Cyril died in Rome, Methodius was sent back to the Slavs as Adrian’s legate and as archbishop of Sirmium, a province that included all of Moravia.
When power in Moravia fell into new hands, Methodius was abandoned by the government; he was accused of usurping the Catholic archbishops’ authority and of the “scandalous use of the Slavonic language” in the liturgy. He was brutally treated and jailed, and only freed by the intervention of Pope John VIII.
Unfortunately, after Methodius’ death, Pope Stephen V reversed John VIII’s ruling and forbade the use of the Slavonic liturgy. Wiching, Methodius’s successor, drove the disciples of Cyril and Methodius into exile.
The exile only facilitated the spread of their work. “One cannot estimate the significance, for the future of Orthodoxy, of the Slavonic translations,” said Orthodox apologist Timothy Ware. The Slavonic liturgy and Bible made their way all over Eastern Europe and gave birth to the Bulgarian and Serbian Orthodox churches (which still use the Slavonic liturgy). Russia, which converted to Orthodoxy about a century after Methodius died, continues to use his Cyrillic alphabet to this day.”
Cyril (815-885) and Methodius (815-885)
Known widely as the “Apostles to the Slavs”, think of them as the ones who stirred the movement that inspired and birthed the Christian faith of Ludmila, Wenceslas, and Adalbert of Prague. It also would help Christianity reach the Bulgarians, the Serbians, and the Russians. That’s impact!
And it’s a good transition to what I am doing in Prague.
The European Great Commission Collaboration is an informal network of like-minded Christian givers who want to reverse the decline of Christianity in Europe through strategic generosity and to resource God’s Kingdom in Europe.
Imagine a gathering of generous givers and trusted ministry workers. So, why am I here?
The EGCC has set up a due diligence process for vetting ministries in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and neighboring countries to determine if they follow standards and should receive support from the collaboration. This is where GTP comes in.
EGCC wants GTP to help set up peer accountability groups for these countries similar to ECFA in the USA. Prior to Covid we started conversations. We will continue those this week. If you want to see an infographic that shows how we do this in countries, click here.
For now, please pray for fruitful meetings on 28-30 April 2022. Please also consider making a gift to GTP to help cover the costs of this trip, around $3,000 USD. To give, click here. Your gift fuels this collaborative work that aims to stir a gospel movement like Cyril and Methodius did in their day. Thank you.