CYRIL and METHODIUS - Bible Translators Who Invented an Alphabet

 "Our nation is baptized and yet we have no teacher.  We understand neither Greek nor Latin. . . .We do not understand written characters nor their meaning;  therefore send us teachers who can make known the words of the Scriptures and their sense." -Rostislav, prince of Moravia, 862 C.E.


Today, the more than 435 million people who speak languages of the Slavic family have access  to a translation of the Bible in their native tongue.  Of them, 360 million use the Cyrillic alphet. Yet, 12 centuries ago there was neither a written language nor an alphabet in the dialects of their ancestors.  The men who helped to correct that situation were named Cyril and Methodius, brothers by birth.  People who love God's Word will find that the bold and innovative efforts of these two brothers make and intriguing chapter in the history of the preservation and promotion of the Bible.  Who were these men, and what obstacles did they face? 

Next time: "The Philosopher" and the Governor

The Watchtower, 2001