A bishop called Basil (BAY•zuhl) drew
up a list of rules for monks and nuns to
follow. This list, called the Basilian (buh•ZIH•
lee•uhn) Rule, became the model for Eastern
Orthodox religious life.
In the West, another set of rules
was followed. It was written by an
Italian monk named Benedict (BEH•
nuh •DIHKT). Monks who followed the
Benedictine Rule gave up their
belongings, lived simply, and spent
their time in work and prayer. Like
Basil’s rule in the East, Benedict’s
rule became the model for monas-
teries and convents in the West.
Basilian and Benedictine communi-
ties still exist today.
Monks and nuns began to play impor-
tant roles in Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox life. They ran hospitals and
schools and aided the poor. They also helped
preserve Greek and Roman writings. One
important duty was to serve as missionaries
(MIH•shuh•NEHR •eez). Missionaries teach their
religion to those who are not followers.
Christianity Spreads North Among the
most successful Byzantine missionaries
were two brothers, Cyril (SIHR • uhl) and
Methodius. They carried the Christian mes-
sage to the Slavs, a people of Eastern Europe.
About A.D. 863, Cyril invented a new
alphabet. He wanted to present the Christian
message in the Slavic languages. He believed
that people would be more interested in
Christianity if they could worship and read
the Bible in their own languages. The
Cyrillic (suh• RIH •lihk) alphabet was based
on Greek letters. It is still used today by
Russians, Ukrainians, Serbs, and Bulgarians.
Eastern Orthodox missionaries traveled
in northern lands that bordered the
Byzantine Empire. At the same time, other
missionaries from Rome were also busy.
CHAPTER 10 The Rise of Christianity 363
Christianity Spreads West In the West,
Christian missionaries looked to the islands
of Britain (BRIH• tuhn) and Ireland (EYER •
luhnd). In the A.D. 300s, Roman soldiers in
Britain were called home to defend the
empire against Germanic invaders. When
the Romans left, Britain was opened to
attack by others.
Starting in the A.D. 400s, tribes from
what are today Germany and Denmark
invaded Britain. These people were the
Angles and the Saxons. These groups
united to become the Anglo-Saxons. They
built settlements and set up several small
kingdoms. The southern part of Britain
soon became known as Angleland, or
England.
While invading Britain, the Angles and
Saxons pushed aside the people already
living there. These people were called
the Celts (KEHLTS). Some Celts fled to the
mountainous regions of Britain. Others went
to Ireland.
In the A.D. 400s, a priest named Patrick
brought Christianity to Ireland. He set up a
number of monasteries and churches. Over
Written
Name
English
Sound
Cyrillic
Letter
beh
gey
em
zheh
pey
ess
cheh
ef
B
G
M
ZH
P
S
CH
F
The Cyrillic Alphabet
The Cyrillic Alphabet
Cyril, a Byzantine missionary, developed
the Cyrillic alphabet, part of which is
shown above. What peoples still use the
Cyrillic alphabet today?
C.M. Dixon/Photo Resources
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