Abstract
Despite a continuing interest in Moravian and Methodian studies little progress, if any, has been made with regard to some basic issues of Moravia’s ecclesiatical history. There is still a diversity of scholarly opinion as to the very nature of Methodius’s episcopal dignity, as well as to the location — or even the existence — of his episcopal see. Methodius has been considered by various scholars in turn to have been a bishop “at large” without a permanent residence, a missionary bishop, a land-bishop (chorepiscopus), or, finally, a titular bishop of Sirmium on the river Sava who was active mainly in Prince Sventopolk’s domain (believed to be north of the Danube) with a see either in Nitra, Velehrad, or elsewhere. Thus, on the one hand, we have differences of opinion on the nature of Methodius’s episcopal dignity and, on the other, a general scholarly agreement that he had the function of archbishop of Moravia. The persistence of conflicting interpretations of the episcopal dignity of Methodius and the acceptance of the notion that he was archbishop of Moravia, a title for which there is no evidence in the sources, warrant a re-examinitaon of the Methodian problem in an attempt to eliminate some of the contradictions.
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Notes
The letters of Pope John VIII are available in several collections, e.g. Monumenta Germiniae historica, Epp., vol. VII. Excerpts relevant for the study of Moravian and Methodian problems are included in Constantinus et Methodius Thessalonicenses: Fontes (Zagreb, 1960); Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, vol. I and Magnae Moraviae fontes historici, vol. III, ed. Lubomír Havlík.
“Ne mireris, quia diximus te agente sedem a fratre nostro Methodio recipiendam, quia profecto dignum est, ut tu, qui fuisti eius auctor deiectionis, sis officii conmissi causa receptionis”; MGH, Epp. VII, No. 20. “Methodius vester archiepiscopus ab antecessore nostro, Adriano scilicet papa, ordinatus vobisque directus”; ibid, No. 200.
The canonical decisions are quoted from Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils, ed., trans., and with commentary, by H.K. Schroeder (St. Louis and London, 1937).
“Multis ac varus manifestisque prudentia tua poterit indiciis comprehendere Pannonicam diocesin ab olim apostolicae sedis fuisse privilegiis deputatam, si apud excellentiam tuam iustsitia Dei locum, sicut decet, invenerit. Hoc enim synodalia gesta indicant, hoc ystoriae concriptae demonstrant,“ MGH. Epp, VII, No. 15.
“Itaque reddito ac restituto nobis Pannoniensium episcopatu liceat predicto fratri nostro Methodio, qui illic a sede apostolica ordinatus est, secundum priscam consuetudinam libere, que sunt episcopi, gerere;” ibid, No. 16.
See “Donauprovinzen” in Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, IV (1959), especially cols. 175–76.
“Ipse nosti o gloriosissime rex, quod Pannonica diocesis apostolice sedis sit subiecta, licet bellica clades earn ad tempus ab ilia subtraxerit et gladius ad horam hostilis subduxerit. Verum reddita aeclesiis pace, reddi debuerunt et iura… id ipsum sancto papa leone in decretis canonicis cum de reintegrando nuptiarum ferde scriberet;“ MGH. Epp. VII, No. 21.
“… Ammonemus te, ut progenitorum tuorum sectuus morem quantam potes ad Pannonensium reverti studeas diocesin. Et quia illic iam Deo gratias a sede beati Parti apostoli episcopus ordinatus est;” ibid, No. 18.
Vita Methodii, 9.
MGH. Epp., No. 255.
The editions of various Church-Slavonic sources citied hereafter are listed in the Bibliography.
“Et certe secundum decretalia instituta prius eum reinvestiri convenit episcopi et postmodum ad racionem adduci… et ipse tanto tempore credito sibi episcopatu inconcusso ac sine questione fruatur, quanto constat illum bovis facientibus eo fuisse privatum;” MGH. Epp., No. 21.
Ibid, No. 201.
Vita dementis (e.g. in Fontes Return Bohemicarum I (Prague, 1873), 77, 79, 85 and 90).
Franc Miklosič, Vita Sancti Clementis (Vienna, 1847), and several re-editions, e.g. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. CXXVI, cols. 1194–1222.
See Ignaz Zibermayr, Noricum, Baiern und Österreich (Horn, 1956), 52–53.
MGH. Epp., No. 201. The ending -ensis presupposes a Civitas Pannonia.
See Ignaz Zibermayr, op. cit., p. 268.
Conversio Bagoariorum, cap. 2 and 9.
Vita Naumi II, e.g. in A. Teodorov-Balan, ed., Kiril i Metodi, vol. 2 (Sofia, 1934), 136.
Povest vremennykh let, ed V. P. Adrianova-Peretts (Moscow and Leningrad, 1950), 1, 22–23.
To test our conclusion, we may compare the episcopal titles of St. Methodius and St. Bonifacius, both of whom were episcopi primae sedis, first bishops of newly created (or recreated) church provinces, and therefore, archbishops. Bonifacius was called archiepiscopus Germaniae, but he was resident bishop of Mainz (cf, Annales Xantenses, s.a. 752), the prima sedes of Germania. Of course, Bonifacius could not have held a title such as archipiscopus sanctae ecclesiae Germanensis, for the simple reason that an episcopal see (sancta ecclesia) is defined by the name of a city while a church province is given an ethno-political name (Germania, Bavaria, Polonia). Germania was not a city and Morava was not a province. Hence we have no references to Methodius as bishop of Moravia. Just as Bonifacius was dispatched by the pope “ad illuminationem totius Germaniae,” and was made archbishop of Mainz, so Methodius was dispatched initially “to all the Slavonian parts,” the realms of Rastislav, Sventopolk and Kocel, and was made archbishop of Sirmium.
For a brief summary of the problems and a bibliography, cf. Alphons Lhotsky, Quellenkunde zur mittelalterlichen Geschichte Österreichs (Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Supplements, vol. 19) (Graz-Cologne, 1963), 167–170. On medieval ‘forgeries’, cf. Karl Bosl, “Zu einer Soziologie der mittelalterlichen Fälschung,” in Historische Zeitschrift 197/2 (1963).
Text of the letters are available in various collections, i.a. Urkundenbuch des Landes ob der Enns, vol. 2 (Vienna, 1856), 699ff.; Waldemar Lehr, Pilgrim, Bischof von Passau und die Lorcher Fälschungen (Berlin, 1909), a dissertation. Most recent edition in Magnae Miraviae Fontes Historici III ed. L. Havlík (Brno, 1969).
Agapitus episcopus, servus servorum dei, fratri dilectissimo et reverentissimo Gerhardo, sancte Laureacensis ecclesie archiepiscopo, in Christo salutem… Lauriacensem enim urbem antiquitus metropolitanam fore et archiepiscopi sedem, cui sanctitas tua preesse dinoscitur, sicut in privilegiis autenticus ad nos usque a te directic legimus, ita quoque inventis quibusdan exemplaribus carte, vetustate admodum attritis, in archivo sancti Petri repperimus. Hanc etiam in exordio nascentis ecclesie et inmanissima christianorum persecutione a doctoribus istius sedis catholice fidei novimus rudimenta percepisse et exinde a succedentibus predicatoribus in superioris atque inferioris Pannonie provintias eiusdem fidei gratiam emanasse, Quibus vero duabus provintiis illarumque pontificibus usque ad tempora Hunnorum non alius quam sancte Lauriacensis ecclesie prefuit archiepiscopus; … Constat quidem, quod cononice singulis provinciis singuli ordinatur metropolitani; proinde distribuere atque determinare ita vobis barrochias bonum et pacificum estimamus, ut divisis duabus Norice regionis provinciis, Heraldo archiepiscopo Salisburgensis occidentalis Pannonie cura comittatur et custodia; tibi autem successoribusque tuis propter emeritam antiquitatem sancte Lauriacensis ecclesie, cui iure iuniorum revertia assurgit, in benedictionis et sedis ordine prelatis atque propositis, providentiam orientalis Pannonie regionemque Auarorum atque Marahorum sed et Sclavorum, qui modo christiani vel adhuc per baptisma Christo lucrandi sunt… Benedictus VI papa archiepiscopis Germaniae, Ottoni imperatori etc., … s.a. 973: Quapropter dignum estimavimus assensum prebere congruis postulationibus reverentissimi archiepiscopi, quas per probabiles personas nobis intimavit responsalium suorum, duorum videlicet presbyterorum, quatinus sibi pallium et metropolitanum honorem cathedre sue, sancte Lauriacensi ecclesie, restitueremus, confinio Ungrorum adiacenti; quod omnino nos eidem ecclesie debere testantur antiquissima secum apportata privilegiorum testimonia. In quibus enim continebatur, quod aetate pontificatus beati Symmachi, huius alme sedis apostolici presulis, prefata sancta Lauriacensis haberetur ecclesia metropolis; et in quantum tam exinde, quam etiam de passionibus beatorum martyrum, qui illic plures in tempore persecutionis pro fide Christi varus sunt tormentis multati, colligere possumus, ex omnibus ecclesiarum diocesibus Pannonie hec antiquitate et archiepiscopii dignitate esse primitiva creditur; Et sicut modernis temporibus sancte memorie Agapitus papa terminos earundem barrochiarum ab invicem distinxit, sic et ipsi diffinimus ita quoque, ut sancta Salzburgensis cclesia superioris Pannonie episcopos habeat suffraganeos, quibus usque huc sui pontifices preesse videbantur, cum tanta talique diocesi, quali hactenus in inferiori usi sunt Pannonia. Sancta autem Lauriacensis ecclesia in inferioris Pannonie atque Mesiae regiones, quarum provintie sunt Auaria atque Marauia, in quibus septem episcoporum parrochiae antiquis temporibus continebantur, suique antistites archiepiscopalem deinceps habeant potestatem cum tanta talique diocesi, quali hactenus in superiori usi sunt Pannonia. His igitur sedatis venerabilem confratrem nostrum Piligrimum archiepiscopum canonicis Uteris munitum sedi sancte Lauriacensis ecclesie inthronizavimus palliumque ei secundum antiquum eiusdem ecclesie sue usum direximus atque in provinciis Auarie et Marauie, regionum quoque inferioris Pannonie sive Mesie et in contiguis sibi Sclauorum nationibus circumquaque manentium nostram apostolicam auctoritatem et vicem exercere committimus atque delegamus: quatinus illic more antecessorum suorum, sancte Lauriacensis ecclesie archiepiscoporum, habeat potestatem presbyteros et episcopos ordinare atque constituere et ex predictis gentibus sua sancta predicatione parare domino plebem perfectam.
Benedictus Papa VI Fridericum in Archiepiscopatu Salisburgensi confirmat…:s.a. 974; Concedimus itaque vicem apostolicam Friderico Salzburgensis Ecclesiae antistiti, eiusque Successoribus, in tota Norica Provincia, et in tota Pannonia, superiori videlicet et inferiori…
… eidem sancte Lauriacensi ecclesie que in honore sancti Stephani sanctique Laurenti martyrum foris murum constructa est, quam sedis antiquitus presulatum fore novimus, id ipsum regali atque imperiali auctoritate reddimus… Presertim sicut priscis temporibus sancta Lauriacensis ecclesia que foris murum in honore sancti Stephani sanctique Laurentii martyrum constructa et dedicata est, ante discidium et desolationem regni Bauvariorum mater ecclesia et episcopalis cathedra fuit, ita deinceps pristino honore ac dignitate canonica auctoritate perfruatur. Quam etiam presenti precepto nostro renovamus atque roboramus et iam sepe dicte sancte Lauraciensi sedi venerabilem Piligrimum reintronizamus antistitem, quatinus amodo tarn ipse quam omnes sui successores Lauriacenses fiant et nominentur pontifices.
… sanctae Lauriacensi ecclesiae quae in honore sancti Stephani sanctique Laurientii martyrum foris murum aedificata est, ubi antiquis etiam temporibus prima sedes episcopalis habebatur, imperiali auctoritate in proprium tradimus atque concedimus;… In Monumenta Germaniae historica. Diplomata, vol. 2/1, 190.
For the various stages of the conflict see: Erich Zöllner, ‘Die Lorcher Tradition im Wandel der Jahrhunderte,” Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, vol. 71 (1963); 221–236.
Karl Uhlirz, “Die Urkundenfälschung zu Passau im zehnten Jahrhundert,” Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, vol. 3 (1882); 177–228, especially pp. 203, 204; Ignaz Zibermayer, Noricuni, Baiern und Oesterreich (second edition, Horn, N.Ö., 1956); 391–92.
Piligrimus ad Benedictum papam. Ordinis ac nominis carismate prerogato sancte Romane sedis universali Benedicto pontifici Piligrimus, sancte Lauriacensis ecclesie humilis servitor… Unde quoque visum est iam necessarium esse, quatinus sanctitas vestra illic iubeat aliquos ordinari episcopos, quia et quondam Romanorum Gepidarumque tempore proprios Septem antistites eadem orientalis Pannonia habuit et Mesia, mee sancte Lauriacensi, cui ego indignus ministro, ecclesie subiectos; quorum etiam quatuor, usque dum Ungri regnum Bauuariorum invaserunt, sicut presenti cognitum est etati, in Marauia manserunt.
Annales Fuldenses. 867. Rex Hludovicus Vulgarum petionibus annuens Ermenrichum episcopum cum presbyteris ac diaconibus ad propagandam fidem catholicam praefate genti destinavit. Sed cum illuc pervenissent, episcopi a pontifice Romano misse totam illam terram praedicando et baptizando iam tunc repleverunt; quapropter isti accepta a rege licentia redierunt in sua.
Johannes VIII papa Hermerico episcopo; s.a. 873. Ad deflendam pravitatem tuam nonnisi fontem lacrimarum, ut propheta Ieremias, sufficere credimus. Cuius enim, ut non dicamus episcopi, secularis cuiusquam, immo tyranni seviciam temeritas tua non excessit vel bestialem feritatem non transcendit, fratrem et coepiscopum nostrum Methodium carceralibus penis afficiens et sub divo diutius acerrima hiemis et nimborum immanitate castigans atque ab ecclesie sibi commisse regimine subtrahens et adeo in insaniam veniens, ut in episcoporum concilium tractum equino flagello percuteres, nisi prohiberetur ab aliis?… Monumenta Germaniae historica; Epp., vol. 7/1; 285–286.
Vita Methodii 9.
Conversio Bagoariorum c. 6 and c. 8.
Cf. above, p. 73 f.
Annales Fuldenses, s.a. 901.
Ex miraculis sancti Apri. Cap. 22. Cum ex incomprehensibili secreto aeterni consilii occultum iudicium Dei virgam gentilium peccatorum super sortem ecclesiae, culpis filiorum eius exigentibus, ponere decrevisset, seva Danorum pestis, Hungrorum rabiei iuncta, carceribus suae native habitationis remotis, ut fluvius subita tempestate excrescens, extra metas suorum terminorum in perniciem multarum cis sitraque prope et procul si positarum gentium redundavit. Quibus nemine resistante — neque enim quispiam valebat furori Domini, digne omnibus imminente — Misia eversa, Marahensiumque licet gentilium convulsis tabernaculis, suam olim Pannoniam irruperunt… Tempora huius inf elicitatis Karolus iunior, a suis cognominatus Simplex, cum regno Francorum pertransibat. Monumenta Germaniae historica. Scriptores, vol. 4. p. 517.
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© 1971 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Boba, I. (1971). The Episcopacy and Diocese of St. Methodius. In: Moravia’s History Reconsidered. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2992-6_4
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