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The answer to this question is of great importance
for a correct assessment of: a) the two brothers' relations with Photius; b)
their relations with Rome; and c) the aims of the mission.
According to the primary sources -that is, the Old
Slavonic Lives of Cyril and Methodius- the mission originated as
follows. The Prince of Moravia, Rastislav, sent a special delegation to Emperor
Michael ΙΙΙ to ask him: 'Send us, Lord, ... a bishop and
teacher; for in truth the good law is always disseminated by you to all
countries.'<1>
The Emperor then called a meeting of the Senate,
invited the two brothers to attend, and commissioned them to carry out the
task. It was the Emperor, therefore, who took the initiative for the mission.
But it would be quite incorrect to cοnclude from this that its purpose, in
Byzantine terms, was purely political. In the first place, it was fοr the
Emperor to act because it was to him that Rastislav had addressed his request.
But in any case, such a matter lay within his province, because it was his
duty, as 'the apostle among kings',<2> to send missionaries
abroad to spread the Christian faith. Furthermore, a mission of this nature
would require both bilateral agreements at a State level and considerable
financial outlay.
Αll the same, it is certainly strange that no
mention is made of the Church's participation in the undertaking; and this is
even more extraordinary if one considers the fact that the mission was
dispatched during Photius's term as Patriarch. If the Church was not involved,
then Photius the Great had no hand in this unique initiative aimed at bringing
the Slavs into the community of civilized Christian peoples.
Various attempts have been made to explain the
absence of any reference to the Church's involvement. The first explanation,
offered by Western historians, is that the Eastern Church in general, and the
Patriarchate of Constantinople in particular, was not greatly interested in
missionary work - at least after A.D.400. This is quite clearly not so, since
between the years 400 and 640 the Eastern Church's missionary activity brought
the Christian faith to a great many countries and peoples, from Nubia in Africa
to Southern Arabia and as far afield as India, China, and Georgia. Ιn
Europe tοo the majority of the Germanic tribes received Christianity from
Constantinople. At οne point, in Venice, Cyril's opponents refused to
countenance the use in the Liturgy of any but the three holy languages of the
Cross. He refuted their arguments by declaring that in the East all peoples had
the Gospel and praised God in their own language: Armenians, Persians,
Avasgians, Georgians, Sogdians, Goths, Avars, Turks, Khazars, Arabs, Egyptians,
Syrians, and other besides.<3> Most of them had become Christian
after Α.D.400. Ιn comparison with this activity, the Western Church
had nothing to show but the conversion of Germany and Britain.
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