Saint Dionysius Exiguus (#94)

Background

Dionysius Exiguus, later known as Dennis the Humble, was born in in the Roman empire around the year A.D. 470. Little is known about his life, but most believe he was born in the section of the Roman Empire known as Scythia Minor. He was amember of the Scythian monks from the city of Tomis. Dionysius was a Catholic and was fluent in both Latin and Greek.

Works

The main work of  Dionysius  was a Scythian monk was to translate religious documents from Greek to Latin. His translated works include The Life of St. Pachomius and Instruction of St. Proclus of Constantinople. He also translated a history of the discovery of the head of St. John the Baptist. In total,  Dionysius  is said to have translated 401 ecclesiastical canons which were collected into the book Collectio Dionysiana. At the request of Pope John I in 525,  Dionysius  also created a table listing out all the future dates of Easter and a set of arguments justifying the calculations.  Dionysius  ignored the Easter Tables used by the Church of Rome that were prepared in 457 by Victorius of Aquitaine. He stated that they did not obey Alexandrian principles. His tables were not, however, used to calculate Easter, using, instead, the tables created by Cyril of Alexandria. By far, though,  Dionysius 's most famous work is as the inventor of the Anno Domini era. Using different references and documents,  Dionysius  calculated the year in which Jesus was born, stating that the year that he made this calculation was 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ." This year system was then applied to both the Julian and the Gregorian calender as a way of referencing the year. Before the birth of Jesus, the years are noted as B.C., or the years Before Christ. The years after the birth of Jesus are noted with A.D., or Anno Domini, or "In the Year of Our Lord. The Anno Domini era became dominant in Western Europe after it was used in 731 by the Venerable Bede to date events in his book, Ecclesiastical History of the English People. The Anno Domini year system is now the most used system of noting the year.

The End

Not much is known about the death of Dionysius Exiguus except that it was around the year A.D. 544. Dionysius is on our list because without him, we would really have a way of telling what year he did die in. Even though some people now use the notation C.E. and B.C.E. (Current Era and Before Current Era), they still are based on Dionysius's calculation of the birth of Jesus, and even though Dionysius's calculation are off by about three years, his system was still accepted and is used to this day. Without him, we wouldn't have any cool doomsday names like "Y2K" or "Twenty-Twelve."

Saint Cyril and Methodius (#109 & #108)

Background

Constantine and Methodius were two Byzantine brothers born in the city of Thessaloniki. Methodius was born between AD 815 and 820, and Constantine was born between AD 827 and 828. Constantine is better known as Cyril, the name he took shortly before his death. After losing their father when Cyril was fourteen, the minister Theoktistos became their guardian. Theoktistos taught the two brothers and even gave Cyril a job at the University of Magnaura.

Cyril

Cyril, in his education, mastered theology and could speak both Arabic and Hebrew. His knowledge helped him to acquire a mission to the Middle East from the Byzantine Empire. cyril was sent to the Abbasid Caliphate under Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. Cyril was sent to discuss the idea of the Holy Trinity with theologians there and improve Abbasid-Byzantine relations. Cyril played a major role in easing tension between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Cyril also worked in the Khazar Khaganate, in which people of all religions could live in peace.

Cyril and Methodius. 

In 862, Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia asked Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius to send missionaries to Great Moravia. Cyril and Methodius were chosen for the mission with the goal of spreading Christianity and Byzantine influence. When Cyril and Methodius arrived, they began to create a written Slavic alphabet, known as the Glagolitic alphabet. This alphabet was the first alphabet used for Slavonic manuscripts, and has become today's Cyrillic alphabet, which is used in Eastern Europe. After developing the alphabt, the brothers were able to quickly translate the New Testament and the Psalms, followed by the Old Testament. In 867, the brothers went to Rome at the request of Pope Nicholas I. There was a dispute over whether the brothers or Theotmar, the Archbishop of Salzburg, had ecclesiastical control of Great Moravia. the dispute was settled when the brothers won the favor of Pope Adrian II. Unfortunately, Cyril died fifty days after this decision on February 14, 869. 

Methodius

Methodius continued to work with Slavs, though now in the Balaton Principality. Methodius was allowed to work in Great Moravia and the Balaton Principality because he had been named as the archbishop of Sirmium by Pope Adrian II. Later, under Pope John VIII, Methodius was given jurisdiction over Serbia as well. Many people, including King Louis the German, were angered by the archiepiscopal claims of Methodius, and Louis had Methodius imprisoned for two and a half years in Germany. Rome, though, sided with Methodius, and sent an ambassador to reinstate Methodius. Methodius remained archbishop until his death on Abril 8, 885.

The End

Saint Cyril and Methodius are in our list for several reasons. the two were able to be on friendly terms with both the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch in Constantinople. The two were also responsible for the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet, which millions of people use today. These two brothers were involved in the political, religious, and intellectual wolds at their time and that deserves some recognition.