Cyril and Methodius​—Transleitim Bible and Wakem Wanfala Alphabet

“Nation bilong mifala baptaes finis bat no garem eni teacher yet. Mifala no minim Greek or Latin. . . . Mifala no luksavve long alphabet and wanem hem minim; so sendem long mifala olketa teacher wea savve teachim mifala olketa word bilong Bible and mining bilong hem.”—Rostislav, prince bilong Moravia, 862 C.E.

DISTAEM, winim 435 million pipol wea iusim olketa languis bilong Slavic grup, savve kasem transleison bilong Bible long languis bilong olketa seleva.a From olketa hia, 360 million iusim Cyrillic alphabet. Bat, 1200 year bifor, no eni wei stap for raetem or eni alphabet for olketa difren languis bilong olketa laen dadi bilong olketa. Olketa nem bilong tufala really brata wea help for stretem disfala problem, hem Cyril and Methodius. Pipol wea lovem Word bilong God bae faendem hao wei wea tufala hia no fraet and willing for traem samfala niu idea, hem wanfala interesting story bilong history bilong wei for protectim and apim Bible. Hu nao tufala man hia, and wanem nao olketa hardfala samting wea tufala feisim?

“Datfala Savveman” and Datfala Governor

Cyril (827-869 C.E., wea firstaem nem bilong hem Constantine) and Methodius (825-885 C.E.) tufala born kam from famili wea garem bignem long Thessalonica, Greece. Long datfala taem taon bilong Thessalonica garem tufala languis; pipol wea stap long there iusim Greek and wanfala kaen Slavic languis. From staka Slav pipol stap and kaban witim olketa Greek, and from olketa klosap tu long olketa Slav community wea stap raonem olketa, maet diswan nao givim Cyril and Methodius chance for kasem barava gudfala savve long languis bilong olketa Slav long south. And wanfala man wea raetem history bilong Methodius talem tu hao laen bilong mami bilong olketa followim olketa Slav.

Bihaen dadi bilong hem dae, Cyril hem muv go long Constantinople, datfala kapitol bilong Byzantine Empire. Long there hem study long imperial university and hem kaban witim olketa nambawan teacher. Hem kamap librarian bilong Hagia Sophia, datfala main important church building long East, and bihaen hem kamap wanfala professor bilong philosophy. Tru nao, from hem kasem bigfala education, pipol kolem Cyril Datfala Savveman.

Long semtaem, Methodius, followim laef waka wea semsem olsem dadi bilong hem—saed long politik. Hem kasem position olsem archon (governor) long wanfala Byzantine distrik wea planti Slav stap. Nomata olsem, hem go for stap long wanfala monastery long Bithynia, Asia Minor. Long 855 C.E, Cyril go stap witim hem long there.

Long 860 C.E., bigman bilong Constantinople sendem tufala brata hia long wanfala assignment long farawe ples. Hem sendem tufala go long Khazar pipol wea stap long north east saed long Black Sea, and wea hol bak yet for disaed midolwan long Muslim, Jew, or Christian religion. Long gogo bilong hem, Cyril stap for samfala taem long Chersonese, long Crimea. Samfala savveman biliv long there nao hem lanem olketa Hebrew and Samaritan languis and hem transleitim wanfala Hebrew raeting go long languis bilong Khazar pipol.

Wanfala Singaot From Moravia

Long 862 C.E., Rostislav, prince bilong Moravia (wea distaem east Czechia, west Slovakia, and west Hungary), sendem long Byzantine Emperor, Michael III, datfala leta wea askem samting long firstfala paragraph—for hem sendem olketa teacher bilong Bible. Pipol bilong Moravia wea iusim olketa Slavic languis, savve finis long olketa teaching bilong church from olketa missionary from datfala East Frankish kingdom (wea distaem hem Germany and Austria). Bat, Rostislav wari abaotem paoa bilong olketa tribe bilong Germany saed long politik and church. Hem hope hao wei wea olketa join witim Constantinople saed long religion, bae help for keepim wei wea nation bilong hem rulim hemseleva, saed long politik and religion.

Datfala emperor disaed for sendem Methodius and Cyril long Moravia. Saed long skul, savve, and languis, tufala brata hia barava fit for lead long assignment olsem. Wanfala man for raet long mek-naen century talem hao, taem datfala emperor encouragem tufala for go long Moravia, hem sei: “Iutufala evriwan bilong Thessalonica, and evri man bilong Thessalonica savve tumas for toktok long Slav languis.”

Start Bilong Wanfala Alphabet and Wanfala Bible Transleison

Long olketa month bifor tufala go, Cyril mekredy for datfala assignment taem hem wakem wanfala alphabet for olketa Slav. Luk olsem hem garem gudfala ear for herem olketa difren saond insaed olketa word. So, taem hem iusim Greek and Hebrew alphabet, hem trae for provaedem wanfala leta for evri saond long toktok bilong Slavonic languis.b Samfala man for research biliv hao hem wakem faondeson for kaen alphabet olsem planti year bifor. And, olketa no sure yet abaotem barava lukluk bilong disfala alphabet wea Cyril wakem.—Lukim box “Cyrillic or Glagolitic?”

Long semtaem, Cyril startim wanfala schedule for transleitim Bible kwiktaem. History sei hao, hem start long wei for iusim disfala niu alphabet for transleitim firstfala toktok bilong Gospel bilong John, from Greek go long Slavonic languis: “Long start Word hem stap . . . ” Gogo, Cyril transleitim fofala Gospel, olketa leta bilong Paul, and buk bilong Psalms.

Waswe, hem waka seleva? Luk olsem Methodius help witim disfala waka. And tu, datfala buk The Cambridge Medieval History talem: “Hem luk olsem [Cyril] garem olketa nara pipol for helpem hem, wea firstaem mas olketa native Slav pipol wea garem Greek education. Sapos iumi lukluk gud long olketa old transleison, . . . iumi lukim strongfala pruv bilong wanfala barava gudfala languis, wea mas minim olketa Slav pipol help long diswan.” Methodius nao finisim sekson bilong Bible wea stap yet, olsem bae iumi storyim.

“Olsem Olketa Rook wea Attakim Wanfala Falcon”

Long 863 C.E., Cyril and Methodius startim assignment bilong tufala long Moravia, and pipol hapi for welkamim tufala. Insaed waka bilong tufala hem for teachim wanfala grup bilong pipol long there disfala niu Slavonic alphabet, and for transleitim olketa Bible scripture and raeting bilong church.

Bat, hem no isi. Olketa Frankish bigman bilong church long Moravia barava strong for againstim wei for iusim Slavonic languis. Olketa hol strong long idea hao saed long worship, olketa Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languis nomoa fitim. Long 867 C.E., Cyril and Methodius gogo long Rome from tufala hope for kasem saport bilong pope for disfala wei for raetem languis wea tufala wakem.

Taem Cyril and Methodius kasem Venice, tufala feisim moa nara grup bilong olketa Latin bigman wea againstim waka bilong tufala. Wanfala man wea raetem history abaotem laef bilong Cyril, storyim hao olketa bishop, priest, and monk attakim Cyril witim strongfala toktok “olsem olketa rook wea attakim wanfala falcon.” Datfala story talem hao Cyril talem toktok bilong 1 Corinthians 14:8, 9, for ansarem olketa: “Tru nao, sapos krae bilong trumpet hem no klia tumas, hu nao bae redy for faet? Long sem wei tu, sapos iufala thru long tongue talem toktok wea no isi for minim, hao nao pipol bae savve long wanem iufala talem? Tru nao, bae iufala toktok long air nomoa.”

Taem tufala brata kasem Rome, Pope Adrian II appruvim evribit for tufala iusim Slavonic languis. Bihaen samfala month, taem tufala stap yet long Rome, Cyril kasem bigfala sik. Insaed tufala month, hem dae taem hem 42 year.

Pope Adrian II encouragem Methodius for go bak waka long Moravia and raonem taon bilong Nitra, wea distaem insaed long Slovakia. From hem want for strongim paoa bilong hem long datfala area, datfala pope givim Methodius olketa leta wea sei hao hem appruvim wei for iusim Slavonic languis and appointim hem olsem archbishop. Bat, long 870 C.E., datfala Frankish bishop Hermanrich, witim help bilong Prince Svatopluk bilong Nitra, kasholem Methodius. Hem stap long prison for tu and haf year long wanfala monastery long south east bilong Germany. Gogo, Pope John VIII wea changem Adrian II, givim order for mekem Methodius free, givim hem bak waka olsem bishop, and talem moa saport bilong pope for olketa iusim Slavonic languis long worship.

Bat olketa Frankish bigman no givap for againstim hem. Methodius defendim hemseleva and hem win taem olketa accusim hem for againstim olketa teaching bilong church, and gogo hem kasem wanfala leta from Pope John VIII wea barava givim paoa for pipol iusim Slavonic languis long church. Olsem pope bilong distaem, John Paul II, hem talem, laef bilong Methodius hem “fulap witim olketa gogo, hardfala living, wei for safa, olketa wea againstim and persecutim hem, . . . and hard taem long prison tu.” Bat samting wea hard for minim hem hao, olketa bishop and prince wea saportim Rome nao bihaenem evri samting hia.

Olketa Transleitim Full Bible

Nomata planti samting go ahed againstim hem, Methodius, witim help bilong samfala for raet, finis for transleitim nara haf long Bible long Slavonic languis. History sei hem duim disfala bigfala waka insaed long eitfala month nomoa. Bat, hem no transleitim olketa apocrypha buk bilong olketa Maccabees.

Distaem, hem no isi for judgem hao gud nao disfala transleison wea Cyril and Methodius wakem. Tu-thri copy nomoa bilong olketa manuscript stap yet wea olketa wakem klosap long taem bilong datfala firstfala transleison. Taem olketa savveman long languis studyim olketa firstfala manuscript hia, olketa luksavve hao datfala transleison hem stret, and isi and klia for minim. Datfala buk Our Slavic Bible talem hao tufala brata hia “mas wakem planti niufala word and toktok . . . And tufala duim evriting hia long barava stretfala wei [and] openem wei for Slavic languis garem kliafala mining.”

Wanfala Present for Olowe

Bihaen Methodius dae long 885 C.E., olketa Frankish bigman wea againstim hem aotem olketa disaepol bilong hem from Moravia. Olketa faendem ples for stap sef long Bohemia, south Poland, and Bulgaria. So, waka bilong Cyril and Methodius hem go ahed and kamap moa big tu. Datfala Slavonic languis, wea tufala brata hia startim wei for raetem, hem go ahed for grow gud, and bihaen hem change long samfala difren wei tu. Distaem, datfala Slavic grup bilong olketa languis garem 13-fala separate languis and planti dialect.

Narafala samting moa, olketa difren Slavic transleison bilong Bible wea stap distaem hem frut bilong fasin bilong Cyril and Methodius for no fraet taem olketa duim Bible transleison. Planti million pipol wea iusim olketa languis hia kasem gud samting from olketa garem Word bilong God long languis bilong olketa seleva. Nomata pipol strong for againstim, olketa toktok hia tru: ‘Word bilong God bilong iumi, bae stap go kasem taem olowe’!—Isaiah 40:8.

[Olketa Footnote]

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Cyrillic or Glagolitic?

Lukluk bilong datfala alphabet wea Cyril wakem mekem planti raoa kamap, from olketa savveman long languis no barava sure wanem alphabet nao diswan. Datfala alphabet wea olketa kolem Cyrillic garem faondeson long Greek alphabet, witim maet twelvfala moa leta wea stand for olketa Slavonic saond wea no stap long Greek languis. Bat, samfala long olketa firstfala Slavonic manuscript iusim wanfala barava difren alphabet, wea olketa kolem Glagolitic, and planti savveman biliv hao diswan nao datfala alphabet wea Cyril wakem. Luk olsem tu-thri long olketa Glagolitic leta kam from cursive Greek or Hebrew raeting. Samfala maet kam from spesol raeting long taem bilong Middle Ages, bat planti long olketa, olketa niu samting. Luk olsem Glagolitic hem wanfala barava spesol alphabet. Bat, Cyrillic nao kamap olketa alphabet bilong distaem long Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian languis, and tu, 22-fala nara languis, wea samfala long olketa no Slavonic languis.

[Artwork​—Cyrillic and Glagolitic characters]

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(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

Baltic Sea

(Poland)

Bohemia (Czechia)

Moravia (E. Czechia, W. Slovakia, W. Hungary)

Nitra

EAST FRANKISH KINGDOM (Germany & Austria)

ITALY

Venice

Rome

Mediterranean Sea

BULGARIA

GREECE

Thessalonica

(Crimea)

Black Sea

Bithynia

Constantinople (Istanbul)

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Wanfala Slavonic Bible Long Cyrillic text from 1581

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Bible: Narodna in univerzitetna knjiz̆nica-Slovenija-Ljubljana