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.
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405 comments on “Cyril vs. Methodius”
I can't believe anyone who has been here before is surprised. Didn't we have two brothers named Welesly just a couple of years ago and one of those brothers went on for the Golden Halo? You may recall that they were even Methodists! Enough said.
After thought: All you lovers: Happy Saint Valentine's Day tomorrow!
Really? Two brothers who worked together and did the same thing. How is anyone supposed to make any kind of discriminating choice? In the end the only thing the voter can do is to flip a coin (mentally or physically) and pick one, the final vote tally ends up being essentially meaningless as there is no reasonable way to make a distinction!
I actually thought (when I saw the bracket) that this would be an easy decision because I thought Cyril would be either Cyril of Jerusalem or Cyril of Alexandria, imagine my shock to find that it's Cyril the philosopher. That being said I decided there are too many Cyril's and went with Methodius
Why, oh WHY, would you put two brothers up against each other, when their accomplishments are tied so closely together?
I'm voting for Cyril, mostly because this name is the same origin as the Russian Orthodox Patriarch who met with Pope Francis yesterday.
I thought the same thing, Cindy!
Very hard to take this day's contest cyriously.
Hahahaha!
Not a difficult choice at all! And I commend the SEC for their wisdom in this exciting match-up. (insert evil laugh here).
I have detected many "strange" pairings in the years I have been playing Lent Madness. But as has been already said, it is madness and not logic. I voted for Methodius because I had never heard of him!
Good one, Alliee!!!!
Sort of like choosing between Peyton and Eli Manning. In both cases, I must go with the older brother, in this case, Methodius.
Hard decision to make as they certain both were outstanding missionaries. However, being the youngest sibling of the family, I know that no matter what I accomplish in life, I'll still be the 'baby' in the family! And we babies must stick together!! Therefore, Cyril gets my vote.
This match up is not really fair as many have pointed out.
I voted for Methodius since Cyril got to name the alphabet. So there!
It would have been harder to vote had the alphabet been name the Cyrilic Method 🙂
As Cyril has already overturned 'the first shall be last and the last first' I cast my vote to redress the balance in the older brother's favour. I do like the idea of a joint entry though, very difficult to separate two who chose not to be separated in life.
I'm disappointed in the write up about Methodius, in that it makes no mention of the great difficulties he encountered after Cyril's death. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, he was put in charge of an a ecclesiastical province that included all of Moravia. But ... "When Rostislav’s nephew and successor, Svatopluk, failed to support Methodius, he was tried in 870 by the German clergy, brutally treated, and jailed until liberated by the intervention of Pope John VIII. In 880 Methodius was again summoned to Rome about the Slavic liturgy, obtaining once more papal approval of his use of the vernacular.
"When Methodius’s suffragan bishop, Wiching, continued to make trouble by advocating for use of the Latin liturgy, Methodius tried to strengthen his position in the Eastern church by visiting Constantinople in 882. After Methodius’s death, Pope Stephen V (or VI) forbade the use of the Slavonic liturgy. Wiching, as Methodius’s successor, forced the disciples of Cyril and Methodius into exile."
Betrayed by your own suffragan! For grace under extreme pressure, I vote for Methodius.
As the oldest, I feel for Methodius. And think if Methodius had gone on to a different profession his little brother may not have gone on to the monastery...
In another commentary on the brothers, it says Methodius was so grief stricken by Cyril's death that he also wanted to retire to a monastery. However, Cyril's dying wish was that he carry on their work - which he apparently did admirably. So, my vote for Methods is a vote for the two of them together
Dear SEC,
I want to register my complaint about not only today's smackdown of brother vs. brother (I am abstaining), but pitting Mathias vs. Absalom Jones. I do not like the matching of two people that leads to a landslide victory of one over the other. I vastly prefer match-ups of two saintly individuals that lead to nail biting and considerable thought before the selection of a saint. I think you have done a poor job with today's and yesterday's smackdowns.
I agree with you.
I much prefer the more equal match ups, especially in the early rounds. I remember a few match-ups in previous lent madness sessions that made me question whether or not I really wanted to participate. The whole thing seemed skewed towards one result from the beginning. It IS madness, after all, method (Methodius) or not...
I'm new to this and loving it. It is good to be reminded of 'saints' and not so 'saints'. I tend to be for the under-dog so far on each of the days.
I remember reading in an earlier LentMadness post that the Supreme Exectutives were hoping to generate more comments during the voting this season. I think this bracket succeeded and maybe this was their intent. I am thoroughly enjoying reading the comments this bracket generated.
This is supposed to be fun and faith formational.
Obviously, God loves all these saints because God is good. Not because we are good.
Because of Christ, they are all winners.
So there is no real competition here.
I thank the SEC for putting this all together
Peace!
You are absolutely right! Despite what I wrote below, I am truly grateful for Lent Madness!
Right (or is it write) on! Davis. Totally unfair instilling yet another sibling rivalry.
So also looking at other sources, before joining his brother, Cyril was the official librarian of the Hagia Sophia and taught philosophy at the imperial university He was also sent to the Arabian caliph's court to discuss theology. Cyril declined governorship in favor of priesthood.
It is still a tough call, but at least we have some differentiation.
Vote as your heart so moves! Hang "fair"
Peace indeed, Tim. There have been some truly tetchy moments in the past, but I think this discussion is all in good humor, including the rants against the SEC and certainly my own. Tim Schenck is my friend and rector, and while I enjoy rattling his cage I would never knowingly offend him.
Wow! Many great minds thinking alike as I too thought it would be better to have the two brothers together (even imagined what their golden halo mug would look like), alas. Gentlemen of the SEC, you seem to have much to answer for -- mom against mom, yesterday's unfair match-up, and now brother against brother (and while I am at it, how did Dietrich Bonhoeffer escape the ineligible list?). That being said, a couple more tidbits about the brothers (and I apologize if repeating, couldn't read all 300 comments). Cyril is reported to have said to the pope: "Do not all breathe the air in the same way? And you are not ashamed to decree only three languages (Hebrew, Greek and Latin); deciding that all other peoples and races should remain blind and deaf? Tell me: do you hold this because you consider God is so weak that he cannot grant it, or so envious that he does not wish it?" And, as he lay dying, he said to his brother: "Behold, my brother, we have shared the same destiny, ploughing the same furrow; I now fall in the field at the end of my day. I know that you greatly love your Mountain; but do not for the sake of the Mountain give up your work of teaching. For where better can you find salvation?" These words are reported in the book "Saints" by Scot Bower and he also described the great opposition Methodius suffered. For carrying on instead of retreating to comfort, I vote for Methodius (and Cyril did have the alphabet named for him, after all).
Nice addition to the information, Diane, especially the quote by Cyril, who evidently was not afraid to speak truth to power. A typical, wonderful "little brother" trick! I voted for Methodius because he influenced his younger brother, but actually the Church is right to celebrate them together.
Oh, Diane, you have brought to my eyes the first Lenten tears of the year. That was lovely.
Occasionally, a poster will bring into the thread some comment on contemporary politics into what is otherwise delightful threads. Could I please request that we put aside our political differences as we unite in our love of the Saintly?
There's little basis on which to choose one over the other here.
My vote went to Methodius because:
- I myself am an oldest sibling #solidarity
- As the elder, his religious vocation surely influenced his younger brother, who followed him to the monastery
- Methodius, we are told, is "Michael", and St Michael the Archangel has been on my mind lately
I am however delighted to learn that the Cyrillic alphabet is named for a vowed religious 🙂
I also very much appreciated reading about this early example of inculturating the gospel and the liturgy by using the local language, even when this required inventing its alphabet from scratch!
Perhaps not the most pious of reasons, but I chose Cyril because I thought it was extremely cool to have an alphabet named after him.
I voted for Methodias bc he didn't get their alphabet named for him.... once again an elder sibling gets shafted by the younger....
It's like Sophie's choice. Since I am a Virgo and tend to go about things methodically, I have made my choice.
I like the idea of advancing both brothers to the next round and keeping them together in the bracket.
As an elder sibling myself I had to go with the older brother in this matchup. Older kids never get their due!
On the principle that God often favors the younger brother over the older, at least in Holy Writ if not in real life, I voted for Cyril. It looks, however, as though Methodius was somewhat the more active of the two, to which I would reply that Cyril precedes Methodius in alphabetical order (which is by and large the same in both the Latin and the Cyrillic alphabets. I did learn something interesting about these brothers from the learned accounts of their almost too parallel lives: the names we know then by are the names they took on entering the monastic life, not the names given them at birth or baptism.
To the SEC - this was not a sincere contest. You had another motive. But becasue of the limitations of a game it is not a motive we can really explore. So - it was a waste of time. I did not vote.
And, the web site is not doing anothing to prevent someone from voting a second, third or more time. In the past, if one had voted earlier and then went back to the site to see how the contest was going there was no possibility of voting a second time. Now, it appears that multiple trips to the voting booth are possible.