Elpis (Dec 2014)
Faith, Cult and Culture as Essential Elements in the Missionary Activity of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Abstract
Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles of the Slavs, for many centuries have been in the interest of the whole Christian world. This article is an attempt of presenting the vital connection between Christian faith, liturgical cult, and culture on the basis of the Byzantine mission addressed to the Slavs, which was led in the second half of 9th century. Starting from the comparison of the missionary methods used by the Christian East and West in the Middle Ages, then we will turn our attention to Sts. Cyril’s and Methodius’ unique contribution to the proclamation of Christ among the Slavs. In this missionary work, of the great importance was the creation of a new alphabet, and the use of the Slavic language in the proclamation of the Good News, as well as translations of the Bible and liturgical books into Slavonic. The rootedness in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, and drawing from the treasury of the Eastern Roman Empire contributed in a creative and very original way to the formation of the native Slavic culture. In the final part of article there is posed the problem of the effective proclamation of the Good News in the contemporary world in relation to the Cyrillo-Methodian model of mission.
