Orthodox Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Orthodox Church - Essay Example Unfortunately, very little is known about the history of two brothers and it is still unclear whether Cyril was the priest or simply the deacon. From religious point of view, the liturgical innovation of Cyril was accepted only by the Eastern Church, but it was also offered to the Roman Church. Despite of the numerous controversies about the important of brother's mission to Orthodox Church, their contribution to the Slavic culture and church history cannot be underestimated. Cyril and Methodius both rendered important services to Byzantine Empire and were sent by the Emperor and the Patriarch on the responsible mission to Moravia. It is apparent that the beginnings of the Russian Christianity coincide in time with the Moravian mission of Cyril and Methodius and with the conversion of Bulgaria to Christian Church. The Byzantine culture was the most highly developed of its time and was spreading fast. The Moravian mission of Cyril and Methodius has further extended Byzantine religious and cultural influences to remote Slavic regions in the central Europe. "The real and unique greatness of the Moravian mission lies not so much in its achievements in Moravia as in the outstanding and far-reaching results beyond the Moravian border" (Ostrogorsky 3). Two brothers have created the Slavonic alphabet which made possible the development of Slavic writing and opened the new era in the cultural life of Slavic people. In addition to cultural contribution of Cyril-Methodius mission to Slavic nations, the Moravian mission should be viewed as the missionary enterprise. Byzantium was consolidating the existing relations and establishing new relations with the Slavs. Some of the historical events of that time include: the Russian attack on Constantinople (860), the request of Moravian prince Rastislav to send Byzantine missionaries to his country (863), the official acceptance of Christianity by Bulgaria (864). These events took place within the four years, however, their importance to Byzantine Empire and to the Slavs was great. Byzantine state in the sixties of the ninth century was strengthened, the military power increased, the regions of the Balkan Peninsula were reoccupied, the influence and authority of Constantinople in the Christian Church increased (Ostrogorsky 15). These developments have laid the foundation for powerful expansion of Byzantine religious and cultural influences that took plac e during the activity of Cyril and Methodius. Cyril, being one of the most remarkable personalities in Byzantine Empire, endowed with secular and theological knowledge, was the exponent of the highest aspiration of the Byzantine Church (Ostrogorsky 15). Cyril and Methodius did preach and celebrated the liturgy in Slavic language; they created the alphabet and translated the Bible into Slavic. Because they did these things, they laid the foundation for the Slavic literacy, literature, and culture. In the result of their mission, Byzantine Church became the powerful factor in the Hellenization of the Slavic world. For example, in Moravia the Byzantines preached Christianity and celebrated Mass in Slavic language, the Slavic self-consciousness was deliberately supported. Cyril and Methodius opposed the trilingual heresy - the theory that Christian Church was being expressed only in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Notably, the intensive research of the

Marco Polo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marco Polo - Essay Example "Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and other explorers couldn't resist the urge to trade in goods that they could not find at home, such as precious metals, spices and silks." (Jones, 100) Marco Polo has always been regarded as making a more important contribution to the Western world as he found the significant silk root to China to pioneer the explorations of the East. Apart from the contributions he made through his various explorations, Marco Polo also made a commendable input to the world of explorers through his book Il Milione, also known as Oriente Poliano. In other words, he is considered the most famous Western explorer who excelled the other voyagers with his determination, his writing, and influence over the following generations. Thus, this great explorer of the Europe travelled on the Silk Road to reach further than his predecessors, and explore the new land of China, and returned to his land to narrate the tales of his explorations that later became the greatest travelo gue to humanity. Bartolomeu Diaz (c. 1450 - 1500), the Portuguese navigator, has been remembered as the first explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope, which was considered an unattainable task. Diaz's name is written in golden letters in the history of European explorations as he was one of the great Portuguese sailors who helped find the south-eastern sea route between Western Europe and Asia. "The first European to see the stormy Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was Bartholomew Diaz (or Dias), a courageous Portuguese sea captain and explorer. Diaz was one of the great Portuguese seamen who helped find the south-eastern water route between Western Europe and Asia." (Bartolomeu Dias (or Diaz): Portuguese Adventurer & Explorer) He was master to Vasco da Gama as well as he pioneered the later expeditions of the East through the African coast. Vasco da Gama (1460-1524), the Portuguese explorer, discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East and his explorations were proved significant for the later European exploration and colonization of the East. His voyage from Portugal to India eventually helped the European Imperial and colonial interests to make him a famous explorer of Europe. Starting his sail from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded African Cape of Good Hope to reach Calicut, India, in 1498. Though he was well-received in India in the beginning, da Gama left the land in 1498, when he was asked to pay a large tax and leave all of his trading goods. "When he left, da Gama took his goods with him, together with some Indian hostages. Upon his return, da Gama was treated as a hero and was rewarded by the king." (Vasco da Gama: Explorer) Christopher Columbus (1451 -1506) was another Italian explorer who made significant voyages across the Atlantic which resulted in the European discovery of the American continents. There is a distinct and unrivalled place for Columbus in the history of exploration and voyages. It is mainly the characteristics of his explorations and the great spirit of exploration to give a shining model to the following explorers that Columbus is mainly known. Examining the mostly southward voyages of the Portuguese into the Atlantic and Africa, Columbus realized that the sail westward would ultimately get to India and he took the different root. "The fundamental difference between