1. The Byzantine Empire 300 AD - 1500 AD

12. Icon of Mary and Jesus

14. Icon of the Crucifixion of Jesus.

17. The Byzantine emperors were active in sending missionaries throughout the world. Oddly, this was the work of the emperors, not the Church.

18. Sometimes, a foreign ruler would ask the Byzantines for a missionary! Ratislav of Moravia asked Michael III of Constantinople to send one, but the Moravians had no alphabet, so how could they use the Bible?

19. Cyril was sent to solve this problem and came up with the Cyrillic alphabet , which most Slavic countries still use today.

20. Why the Emperor, not the Church? 1. Control contact with foreigners. 2. Control the content of the message. 3. Pick the missionaries. 4. Expression of power over the Church.