Today, in the only Saturday match-up of Lent Madness, it's the Slavic Smackdown® as Cyril takes on Methodius. While much of the world is preparing for Valentine's Day (named for a confusing muddle of murky, martyred saints in ancient Rome), the church actually celebrates Cyril and Methodius on February 14, not Saint(s) Valentinus. So go ahead and cast your vote and then show your devotion to your "Valentine" by writing a love poem in Cyrillic or serving up a big bowl of borscht.
Yesterday, Absalom Jones defeated Matthias 82% to 18% (in other words, by A LOT--get it?) in the first genuine blowout of Lent Madness 2016. He'll go on to face the winner of Christina Rossetti vs. Joseph in the next round. Really, it's bad luck for Matthias. He certainly drew the short straw in the match-up calendar.
Tomorrow, enjoy Sunday (we highly encourage church attendance) and then be ready to go bright and early on Monday morning as Lent Madness returns with what should prove to be a hotly contested battle between Julian of Norwich and William Wilberforce.
Cyril
Cyril was born in Thessalonica (located in today’s Macedonia) around 827. Educated in Constantinople, he studied theology, Hebrew, and Arabic and became a priest. He was sent on two missions to the Middle East. Cyril’s most influential mission took him and his brother Methodius to the Slavs of Great Moravia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia). Although missionaries from Rome had already evangelized Moravia, Prince Rastislav wanted to place his state firmly under the influence of the church in Constantinople.
To translate the Bible and the liturgy into the local language, Cyril and Methodius used a number of mostly Greek characters to create the Glagolitic alphabet. This was the first Slavic alphabet and is closely related to the more recent Cyrillic alphabet—named after Cyril. Using their new alphabet, Cyril and Methodius translated the Bible, the Slavic Civil Code, and possibly a Slavic liturgy. Cyril and Methodius were successful in converting many Slavs to Christianity and establishing the use of their alphabet; because of jurisdictional issues, they could not establish the Slavic liturgy without the pope’s approval.
Cyril and his brother traveled to Rome, where they were well received, in part because they brought with them some of Saint Clement’s relics. Pope Adrian II authorized the new Slavic liturgy, and Slavic priests were ordained and allowed to celebrate the liturgy in their native language. Cyril became a monk and died shortly afterward, in 869.
Along with his brother Methodius, Cyril is known as one of the two apostles to the Slavs. Celebrations in memory of these brothers are held across Eastern Europe every year.
Methodius
Quietly, and without any fanfare, Methodius helped shape Europe and Asia in ways that have often gone largely unnoticed by Western Christianity.
Methodius (Michael) was born to a Christian family in the city of Thessalonica in the early ninth century. Methodius was the eldest of seven brothers, and he either learned the Slavic language from Slav migrants in Macedonia, or possibly from his mother (who may have been a Slav).
After a brief career in the public sphere, Methodius entered a monastery at Mount Olympus (present day Uludağ). Eventually his youngest brother Constantine (later taking the name Cyril) joined Methodius at the monastery. From the monastery, the brothers set out on a series of missionary journeys.
They shared a passion to share the good news in the native language of the people to whom they were ministering, not relying solely on Hebrew, Greek, and Latin translations of the Bible. And so they set about translating portions of scripture into Slavic and to create a Slavic liturgy. To do this, they invented an alphabet unique to the Slavic tongue. The later evolution of this script is known as the Cyrillic Alphabet and is still widely used across Eastern Europe.
While traveling and sharing the gospel, Methodius and Cyril created a code of law that is still in use to this day. The brothers also discovered the remains of Pope Clement I. They returned the earthly remains of Clement to Rome, where Methodius was ordained a priest by Pope Adrian II. Following the death of Cyril in Rome, Methodius continued the work of carrying the gospel to the Slavs.
Collect for Cyril and Methodius
Almighty and everlasting God, by the power of the Holy Spirit you moved your servant Cyril and his brother Methodius to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people: Overcome all bitterness and strife among us by the love of Christ, and make us one united family under the banner of the Prince of Peace; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
[poll id="143"]
405 comments on “Cyril vs. Methodius”
I voted for Methodius because his ministry seems to have been longer, though reading the comments I am particularly swayed on the argument of younger siblings and regretting somewhat my hasty decision. Ah well.
Like Cricket, our household celebrates the two brothers' feast as our engagement anniversary, but I voted for Methodius because i'm an eldest, and because Cyril already has an alphabet.
Can't help feeling that as the older brother who outlived Cyril, Methodius would implore us to vote for Cyril, so I did.
Cruel, cruel SEC! Pitting one brother against another, carrying sibling rivalry across the centuries! Woe is us!
As an older sibling myself, I was compelled to vote for Cyril, who appears to be taking a drubbing - as we older siblings often do in order that the younger ones might have some advantage later in life. So there!
The SEC is messing with us. Extra info in Holy Women, Holy Men helped me choose Methodius. The fact that I am an older sister had absolutely nothing I do with it.
I've been thinking about this all night... How did Jesus have time to pick a replacement for Judas? Things moved pretty fast there at the end. Can you shed some light?
This Cyrius and Methodial matchup forced me to Google. Funny that the alphabet was called Cyrillic "after Cyril" when his name was Constantine all his life -- he only took the name Cyril after he entered the monstery -- and then he died 50 days later. So the alphabet should have been called Constantinic? Anyway I voted for Cyril because he only had his name for 50 days.
It's cruel to have to choose between two brothers who were both adventurous, brave, intelligent, and holy. I voted for Methodius simply because I'm the oldest sibling, but my hope is he and Cyril can achieve a tie in the contest. They were a team for so long, not fair to separate them now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Clemente_al_Laterano
This is the link to information about the Basilica in Rome where St. Cyril and St. Methodius are buried. There is a shrine to them there.
The brothers are enshrined together.
If you get to Rome, the Basilica of San Clemente is worth a visit.
I went to my trusty "Holy Women, Holy Men" book and read the additional information there about both saint brothers. Reading that Methodius was continually harassed by the Germanic bishops who were opposed to the brothers' teaching, preaching and writing in the common language of the people (Slavonic) reminded me of the opposition of other Christian leaders in more recent history. That Methodius was imprisoned, eventually released, and continued and completed a Slavonic translation of the Bible in the face of great harassment won my vote for the elder brother.
I wish the Maddness write up had that information in it as well.
I am casting a protest vote for Methodius since I think the two should have been included together, and since I always root for the underdog! Methodius in my madness as well!
Being an oldest child, I always vote for the oldest child. We are so unfairly treated. Always doing the hard work, subjected to unbearable scrutiny while the younger just whizzes through getting all the glory.
Well, do Lord, deliver me. It's Saturday and we don't vote on Saturday...as a rule. The SEC has run amok as far as I can see by pitting brothers one against the other. Some amongst us are refusing to vote but I NEVER abstain from voting as too many paid too dear a price for my right to vote. However, it is Saturday and the SEC is invoking some form of MADNESS and I am just going to take an early nap-i-poo and muddle through the rest of the day and not worry about it. On Cyril and Vixen and Dasher et al.
Good to see you back here, aleathia (dolores?). 😉
(Seriously, we missed you last year....)
I'm glad to have read about Methodius. Everyone seems to know about Cyril and the alphabet. I'm thoroughly enjoying the morning emails, thanks so much for the thoughtful fun.
Like everyone else, I found this a difficult decision. Voting on the basis of older/younger did not seem like a good way to choose since their birth order was beyond their control. About half-way through reading the comments, I decided that I would go with Oliver. Sure enough, Oliver presented an acceptable reason for his choice. Therefore I voted for Cyril.
If there is any justice, this will end in a tie, and both brothers will advance in the Heavenly Brackets. I'm assuming Cyril as the better-known of the two will get plenty of votes. I therefore am voting for Methodius. He is the older brother, after all.
I chose Methodius since he had joined the Monastery before Cyril and likely led him. The way they went. Very diabolical for the SEC to make us choose between two brothers with the same notable accomplishments
What Davis said is exactly correct.
But - since we must choose, it's Cyril, because long long ago, Eric Berne, the psychoanalyst who founded Transactional Analysis, often used the nom de plume of Cyprian St Cyr.
How's that for a stretch?
I felt like Solomon with this vote today! He couldn't cut a baby in half and I had trouble dividing these two. My vote went to Cyril - God seems to favor the younger sibling. (And I, the eldest...sigh!)
Hi Noel, good to see you!
I like the idea of a tie -- stranger things have happened!
I understand that it's not allowed, but today would have been a good day for every single voter to have voted twice -- once for each brother. That way there would have been a tie and both could have gone on together to the next round. Oh well.
I confess that I was leaning toward Methodius anyway because I am the older sibling. Then I noticed that Cyril's Celebrity Blogger is Hugo Olais, who already has Absalom Jones. That convinced me -- a vote for Methodius.
Sorry - Hugo Olaiz.
Don't like that you are making us take sides on these two saints who are brothers and worked together in life. It doesn't feel right to divide them,like asking a parent to vote on which son is her favorite. 😉
I tossed a coin as I felt they both deserved the vote. How can we pick one brother over the other. They both deserved myvote as they were both instrumental in bringing the faith to people.
How can I pick between two guys who are so inseparable they share a Wikipedia page?
Also, I believe their Slavic liturgy was the first authorized liturgy in the vernacular?
Well, no. Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac. Aramaic, and probably more were all vernaculars when liturgies appeared in those languages. Oh, I forgot Geez.
I agree that there is no good reason to vote for one or the other of these two brothers who worked together so long and faithfully. From this point - a thousand years after later - we just don't know enough about them to make good a choice. So for no good reason, but a logical one, I voted for the older brother. Why? Because I'm the oldest sibling in our family.
Ridiculous matchup with nearly identical biographies! I just voted for the one who came first in alphabetical order.
I thought putting Charles and John Wesley was bad, but at least they didn't start out that way.
What were you thinking???
Today, indeed, there is a "hostile and divided people." It is us, the LM voters! So, it's okay for the collect (beautifully written, by the way) to cover both Cyril and Methodius, but it isn't okay for the brothers to be combined as a single entrant?!? SEC, what are you thinking? Don't answer that...
Madness abounds, so I am voting for a little Methodius in the madness.
Nothing like a bowl of cold borscht after voting.
So am I supposed to choose the name(s) I like better (Cyril/Constantine) or whose picture (Methodius/Michael)? Which is less superficial? #TheyAre(Almost)TheSame #NotFair #ThisIsMadness
After doing additional reading, even though Cyril had an alphabet named after him and became a priest while Methodius remained "only" a deacon until 867/8, I'm voting for Methodius who continued the work alone and was imprisoned for 2 1/2 years.
Worry not! And welcome to our mad, mad world!
Methodius has a longer beard. BOOM! Tie broken.
(That comment was supposed to be about six laughing emojis.)