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Who in 863 invented the Slavic alphabet. Cyril and Methodius

At the end of 862, the prince of Great Moravia (the state of the Western Slavs) Rostislav turned to the Byzantine emperor Michael with a request to send preachers to Moravia who could spread Christianity in the Slavic language (sermons in those parts were read in Latin, unfamiliar and incomprehensible to the people).

863 is considered the year of birth of the Slavic alphabet.

The creators of the Slavic alphabet were the brothers Cyril and Methodius.

Emperor Michael sent the Greeks to Moravia - the scientist Constantine the Philosopher (the name Cyril Constantine received when he became a monk in 869, and with this name he went down in history) and his older brother Methodius.

The choice was not random. The brothers Constantine and Methodius were born in Thessalonica (in Greek, Thessaloniki) in the family of a military commander, received a good education. Cyril studied in Constantinople at the court of the Byzantine emperor Michael III, knew Greek, Slavic, Latin, Hebrew well, Arabic, taught philosophy, for which he received the nickname Philosopher. Methodius was in military service, then for several years he ruled one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs; subsequently retired to a monastery.

In 860, the brothers had already made a trip to the Khazars for missionary and diplomatic purposes.

In order to be able to preach Christianity in the Slavic language, it was necessary to make a translation of the Holy Scripture into the Slavic language; however, the alphabet capable of conveying Slavic speech did not exist at that moment.

Constantine set about creating the Slavic alphabet. Methodius, who also knew the Slavic language well, helped him in his work, since a lot of Slavs lived in Thessalonica (the city was considered half-Greek, half-Slavic). In 863, the Slavic alphabet was created (the Slavic alphabet existed in two versions: the Glagolitic alphabet - from the verb - “speech” and the Cyrillic alphabet; scientists still do not have a consensus which of these two options was created by Cyril). With the help of Methodius, a number of liturgical books were translated from Greek into Slavonic. The Slavs got the opportunity to read and write in their own language. The Slavs had not only their own, Slavic, alphabet, but also the first Slavic literary language, many words of which still live in Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavic languages.

After the death of the brothers, their activities were continued by their students, who were expelled from Moravia in 886,

in the South Slavic countries. (In the West, the Slavic alphabet and Slavic literacy did not survive; Western Slavs - Poles, Czechs ... - still use the Latin alphabet). The Slavic literacy was firmly established in Bulgaria, from where it spread to the countries of the southern and Eastern Slavs(IX century). Writing came to Russia in the 10th century (988 - the baptism of Russia).

The creation of the Slavic alphabet was and still is of great importance for the development of Slavic writing, Slavic peoples, Slavic culture.

The Bulgarian Church established the day of memory of Cyril and Methodius - May 11, according to the old style (May 24, according to the new style). Bulgaria also established the Order of Cyril and Methodius.

May 24 in many Slavic countries, including Russia, is a holiday of Slavic writing and culture.

On May 24, Russia and other Slavic countries celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. On this day, the Orthodox Church remembers the creators of the Slavic alphabet - the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius. And although the brothers were never in Ancient Russia, without the Cyrillic alphabet, the formation of Russian culture and literature would be impossible.

Who were Cyril and Methodius?

Cyril (c. 827-869) received this name when he was tonsured into the schema 50 days before his death in Rome, he lived all his life with the name Constantine, and for his love of philosophy he was called Constantine the Philosopher. Methodius (820-885) - the monastic name of the monk, the worldly name is unknown, presumably his name was Michael.

Monument to Cyril and Methodius on Slavyanskaya Square. Moscow. Sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. Opened in 1992 Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Polyakov

Cyril and Methodius were born in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in Greece, which at that time was part of Byzantium. Their father was a high-ranking military leader.

Cyril from childhood showed interest in the sciences and foreign languages. He received an excellent education at the royal court, where his teacher was the famous Photius, subsequently Patriarch of Constantinople.

At the end of his teaching, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of Saint Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly retired to a monastery. However, he was tracked down and returned to Constantinople to become a teacher of philosophy in higher education. educational institution Constantinople - court school.

With the help of wisdom and faith, young Constantine defeated the leader in the debate heretic iconoclasts Annius. After this victory, the emperor sent Constantine to dispute about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims), where the Philosopher also won.

Meanwhile, the elder brother Methodius, having served ten years as the ruler of one of the provinces, went to the Olympus Monastery in Asia Minor. In the 860s, having renounced the rank of archbishop, he became abbot of the monastery Polychron on the Asian coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara, near the city of Cyzicus. Upon his return from the Saracens, Saint Cyril joined his brother, since he always desired the monastic life.

In 858, the Khazars, who roamed in the southeast of present-day Russia, asked Emperor Michael faith preachers. The emperor sent them the brothers Cyril and Methodius. Their path lay through Korsun (Tauric Chersonese), where the missionaries stopped for a while to study Hebrew. Here they discovered the relics Saint Clement — Pope. They took most of the holy relics with them. But the brothers failed to convert the Khazar Kagan, who professed Judaism, to the Christian faith. Having baptized about 200 Khazars and taking with them the captive Greeks released to freedom, they returned. The elder brother became abbess at the Polychronius Monastery, and the younger brother returned to Constantinople.

How was Slavic writing created?

In 863, the embassy of the ruler Prince Rostislav arrived in Constantinople. The ambassadors asked to send teachers who could preach in the Slavic language. The Byzantine emperor decided to send Cyril and Methodius there.

Christianity was brought to Moravia by Latin missionaries from southern Germany. They performed divine services in Latin, which did not contribute to enlightenment and the spread of Christianity.

Sending the brothers to Moravia, the Byzantine emperor said to Cyril: “I know that you are weak and sick, but there is no one except you to fulfill what they ask. You, and all the Thessalonians speak purely Slavic. “I am weak and sick, but glad to go, on foot and barefoot, ready to die for the Christian faith,” Cyril answered. “Do the Slavs have an alphabet? - he asked. “Learning without the alphabet and without books is like writing a conversation on the water.”

Then St. Cyril began work on the Slavic alphabet, which was based on the Greek alphabet.

There is no consensus among scientists about what kind of alphabet Cyril created - Cyrillic or Glagolitic. In the X-XI centuries, the Cyrillic alphabet consisted of 43 letters: 25 were borrowed from the Greek alphabet, and 18 were built relatively independently to convey the sounds of Old Slavonic speech that were absent in the Greek language.

The Glagolitic alphabet largely coincides with the Cyrillic alphabet. The difference lies in the shape of the letters, which are more difficult to write. Moreover, the origin of such inscriptions remains controversial. The Glagolitic alphabet was common in the 10th-11th centuries in Moravia, Dalmatia and Bulgaria, and existed in Croatia until the 18th century.

Saints Cyril and Methodius. Photo: Public Domain

According to one version, Cyril invented the Glagolitic alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet was created by his student Clement of Ohrid at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century in Ancient Bulgaria after this country was baptized.

According to another version, the Glagolitic alphabet was introduced into Moravia at the end of the 10th century by the disciples of Cyril, because the Cyrillic alphabet, which was too similar to the Byzantine script, began to be persecuted by the Western Latin clergy, who competed with the Byzantine missionaries in this region.

Until the 11th-12th centuries, both Cyrillic and Glagolitic were used in parallel. Later, the graphically more advanced Cyrillic replaced the Glagolitic everywhere.

Over time, Slavonic writing and books translated into Slavonic spread from Constantinople throughout the eastern half of the Balkan Peninsula, in the vast Bulgarian state, along the Danube, in modern Hungary, to the outskirts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Serbia, and finally to Kyiv and Novgorod. This enlightenment became the source and symbol of Slavic unity.

In those years, the conflict between the Eastern and Western Churches and the struggle for influence were already flaring up. Acting on the territory independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but adjacent to the Roman throne, the Slavic enlighteners had to be extremely careful not to arm the power of Rome against themselves.

The bishops of Germany, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could be celebrated only in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin.

Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages ​​worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries out: Sing to the Lord, all the earth; praise the Lord, all nations; let every breath praise the Lord! And in the Holy Gospel it is said: Go and teach all languages...”

The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint with Pope Nicholas I. To resolve the dispute, the saints went to Rome. They carried with them part of the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Clement, Pope of Rome, and the sacred books translated by them.

Pope Nicholas I without waiting for them, he died. His successor, Pope Adrian, who wished to reconcile the Western and Eastern Churches, went out to meet the saints outside the city, accompanied by the clergy and people. The patriarch received the holy relics from Cyril and Methodius and placed them in the church of St. Clement, and consecrated the books translated into Slavonic on the throne of the most ancient Roman basilica, called Mary the Great.
Shortly after arriving in Rome, Cyril fell ill. He bequeathed the continuation of the great work to his brother and died on February 14, 869. Before his death, he said to Methodius: “We are with you, like two oxen; from a heavy burden, one fell, the other must continue on his way.

Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: returning to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he preached for 15 years. Saint Methodius died on April 19, 885.

How is the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture celebrated?

In Russia, the celebration was established on May 24, 1863 (May 11, according to the old style). With the advent of Soviet power, the holiday was abolished, but in 1986 it was revived, and since 1991 the Day of Slavic Literature has become a public holiday.

On this day, festivals, concerts and other events are held in Moscow and other Russian cities.

Moravia is a historical region of the Czech Republic to the east of the historical region of the Czech Republic.

Thessalonica is the Slavic name for the city of Thessaloniki (Thessalonica).

By the 9th century East Slavic tribes occupied vast territories on the great waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks", i.e. territories from Lake Ilmen and the Zapadnaya Dvina basin to the Dnieper, as well as to the east (in the upper reaches of the Oka, Volga and Don) and to the west (in Volyn, Podolia and Galicia). All these tribes spoke closely related East Slavic dialects and were at different levels of economic and cultural development. cultural development; on the basis of the linguistic community of the Eastern Slavs, the language of the Old Russian people was formed, which received its statehood in Kievan Rus.

The Old Russian language was unwritten. The emergence of Slavic writing is inextricably linked with the adoption of Christianity by the Slavs: liturgical texts that were understandable to the Slavs were necessary.

Consider the history of the creation of the first Slavic alphabet.

In 862 or 863, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav arrived at the Byzantine emperor Michael. They conveyed to the emperor a request to send missionaries to Moravia who could preach and carry out divine services in their native language understandable to the Moravians instead of the Latin language of the German clergy. “Our people have abandoned paganism and adhere to the Christian law, but we do not have such a teacher who could instruct us in the Christian faith in our native language,” the ambassadors said. Emperor Michael and the Greek Patriarch Photius gladly received the ambassadors of Rostislav and sent the scientist Constantine the Philosopher and his elder brother Methodius to Moravia. The brothers Constantine and Methodius were not chosen by chance: Methodius for a number of years was the ruler of the Slavic region in Byzantium, probably in the southeast, in Macedonia. The younger brother, Konstantin, was a man of great learning, he received an excellent education. In written sources, he is usually called "Philosopher". In addition, Constantine and Methodius were born in the city of Solun (now Thessaloniki, Greece), in the vicinity of which many Slavs lived. Many Greeks, including Constantine and Methodius, knew their language well.

Constantine was the compiler of the first Slavic alphabet - Glagolitic. None of the alphabets known to science was used as the basis for the graphics of the Glagolitic alphabet: Konstantin created it based on the sound composition Slavic language. In the Glagolitic one can partially find elements or letters similar to the letters of other alphabets of developed languages ​​(Greek, Syriac, Coptic writing and other graphic systems), but it cannot be said that one of these alphabets is the basis of the Glagolitic script. The alphabet, compiled by Cyril - Konstantin, is original, author's and does not repeat any of the alphabets that existed at that time. The graphics of the Glagolitic were based on three figures: a cross, a circle and a triangle. The verb letter is uniform in style, it is rounded in shape. The main difference between the Glagolitic script and the previous writing systems attributed to the Slavs is that it perfectly accurately reflected the phonemic composition of the Slavic language and did not require the introduction or establishment of combinations of other letters to designate some specific Slavic phonemes.

The Glagolitic alphabet became widespread in Moravia and Pannonia, where the brothers carried out their missionary activities, but in Bulgaria, where the disciples of Constantine and Methodius went after their death, the Glagolitic alphabet did not take root. In Bulgaria, before the advent of the Slavic alphabet, the letters of the Greek alphabet were used to record Slavic speech. Therefore, “taking into account the specifics of the situation, the students of Constantine and Methodius adapted the Greek alphabet for recording Slavic speech. At the same time, to designate Slavic sounds ( W, SCH et al.), which were absent in Greek, the Glagolitic letters were taken with some changes in their style according to the type of angular and rectangular Greek uncial letters. This alphabet received its name - Cyrillic - by the name of the real creator of Slavic writing, Cyril (Konstantin): with whom, if not with him, the name of the most common alphabet among the Slavs should be associated.

Manuscripts of Slavic translations of Constantine and Methodius, as well as their students, have not survived to our time. The oldest Slavic manuscripts date back to the 10th-11th centuries. Most of them (12 out of 18) are written in Glagolitic. These manuscripts are closest in origin to the translations of Constantine and Methodius and their students. The most famous of them are the Glagolitic gospels of Zografskoe, Mariinskoe, Assemanievo, the Cyrillic Savvin's book, the Supralskaya manuscript, the Hilandar leaflets. The language of these texts is called Old Church Slavonic.

Old Church Slavonic has never been a spoken, living language. It is impossible to identify it with the language of the ancient Slavs - the vocabulary, morphology and syntax of Old Slavonic translations largely reflect the features of the vocabulary, morphology and syntax of texts written in Greek, i.e. Slavic words follow the patterns on which Greek words were built. Being the first (known to us) written language Slavs, Old Slavonic for the Slavs became a model, model, ideal of the written language. And in the future, its structure was largely preserved already in the texts of the Church Slavonic language of various versions.

Equal-to-the-Apostles CYRIL (†869) and METHODIUS (†885), Slovenian teachers

Kirill(in the world Constantine, nicknamed the Philosopher, 827-869, Rome) and Methodius(in the world Michael; 815-885, Velegrad, Moravia) - brothers from the Greek city of Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in Macedonia, the creators of the Slavic alphabet, the creators of the Church Slavonic language and preachers of Christianity.

Origin

Cyril and Methodius came from the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki, slavyansk. "Thesalt"). Their father, named Leo, held a high military position under the governor of Thessalonica. The family had seven sons, with Michael (Methodius) being the eldest, and Konstantin (Cyril) being the youngest of them.

Thessalonica, where the brothers were born, was a bilingual city. Except Greek, they sounded the Slavic Thessalonica dialect, which was spoken by the tribes surrounding Thessaloniki: Draguvites, Sagudites, Vayunits, Smolensk and which, according to the research of modern linguists, formed the basis of the language of translations of Cyril and Methodius, and with them the entire Church Slavonic language.

Prior to being tonsured a monk, Methodius made a good military and administrative career, culminating in the post of strategist (commander-in-chief of the army) Slavinia, a Byzantine province located in Macedonia.

Konstantin was a very educated person for his time. Even before the trip to Moravia (historical region of the Czech Republic) he compiled the Slavonic alphabet and began translating the Gospel into Slavonic.

Monasticism

Konstantin studied with the best teachers Constantinople philosophy, dialectics, geometry, arithmetic, rhetoric, astronomy, as well as many languages. At the end of the teaching, refusing to enter into a very profitable marriage with the goddaughter of the logothete (head of the gospodar office and custodian state seal) , Konstantin took the rank of priest and entered the service of hartophylax (literally "keeper of the library"; in reality it was equal to the modern title of an academician) at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. But, neglecting the benefits of his position, he retired to one of the monasteries on the Black Sea coast. For some time he lived in seclusion. Then he was almost forcibly returned to Constantinople and determined to teach philosophy at the same University of Manavra, where he had recently studied himself (since then, the nickname Konstantin the Philosopher). At one of the theological debates, Cyril won a brilliant victory over the highly experienced leader of the iconoclasts, the former Patriarch Annius, which brought him wide fame in Constantinople.

Around the year 850, Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius send Constantine to Bulgaria, where on the river Bregalnitsa he converts many Bulgarians to Christianity.


On the next year Cyril, together with George, Metropolitan of Nicomedia, goes to the court of the Emir of Militia to acquaint him with the basics of Christianity.

In 856, the logothete Theoktist, who was Constantine's patron, was assassinated. Constantine, together with his disciples Clement, Naum and Angelarius, came to the monastery, where his brother Methodius was the abbot. In this monastery, around Constantine and Methodius, a group of like-minded people formed and the idea of ​​creating a Slavic alphabet was born.

Khazar mission

In 860, Constantine was sent for missionary purposes to the court of the Khazar Khagan. According to the life, the embassy was sent in response to the request of the kagan, who promised, if he was persuaded, to convert to Christianity.

Khazar Khaganate (Khazaria) - a medieval state created by the nomadic Turkic people - the Khazars. He controlled the territory of Ciscaucasia, the Lower and Middle Volga regions, modern northwestern Kazakhstan, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, the eastern part of the Crimea, as well as the steppes and forest-steppes of Eastern Europe up to the Dnieper. The center of the state was originally located in the coastal part of modern Dagestan, later moved to the lower reaches of the Volga. Part of the ruling elite converted to Judaism. Political dependence on the Khazars was part of the East Slavic tribal unions. The fall of the kaganate is connected with the military campaigns of the Old Russian state.


Khazar Khaganate

During his stay in Korsun, Konstantin, in preparation for the controversy, studied the Hebrew language, the Samaritan script, and along with them some kind of "Russian" script and language (it is believed that there is a misprint in the life and instead of “Russian” letters one should read “Sur”, that is, Syrian - Aramaic; in any case, this is not Old Russian language, which in those days was not distinguished from the common Slavic). Constantine's dispute with a Muslim imam and a Jewish rabbi, which took place in the presence of the kagan, ended in Constantine's victory, but the kagan did not change his faith.

Bulgarian mission

In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian Khan Boris was held as a hostage. She was baptized with the name Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of the Holy Faith. Around 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael, in honor of the son of the Byzantine Empress Theodora, Emperor Michael III, during whose reign the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity took place. Constantine and Methodius were in this country, and with their preaching, they greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.

In 863, with the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples of Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelyar, Constantine compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books from Greek into Slavonic: the Gospel, the Psalter and selected services. Some chroniclers report that the first words written in the Slavic language were the words of the Apostle Evangelist John: “In the beginning was (was) the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word”.

Moravian mission

In 862, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav came to Constantinople with the following request: “Our people profess the Christian faith, but we do not have teachers who could explain the faith to us in our native language. Send us such teachers.” The Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the patriarch rejoiced and, calling on the Thessalonica brothers, invited them to go to the Moravians.

Great Moravia - is considered the first Slavic state that existed in the years 822-907 on the Middle Danube. The capital of the state was the city of Velegrad. Here the first Slavic writing and the Church Slavonic language arose. During the period of greatest power, it included the territories of modern Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, as well as Lesser Poland, part of Ukraine and the historical region of Silesia. Now part of the Czech Republic.


Constantine and Methodius stayed in Moravia for more than 3 years and continued to translate church books from Greek into Slavonic. The brothers taught the Slavs how to read, write and conduct worship in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers and filed a complaint with Rome. Among some theologians of the Western Church, a point of view has developed that praise to God can only be given in three languages, in which the inscription on the Cross of the Lord was made: Jewish, Greek and Latin. Therefore, Constantine and Methodius, who preached Christianity in Moravia, were perceived as heretics and summoned to court to resolve this issue in Rome to Pope Nicholas I.

Taking with them the relics of St. Clement, Pope of Rome, found by Constantine on the Chersonese journey, the brothers set off for Rome. On the way to Rome, they visited another Slavic country - Pannonia (the territory of modern western Hungary, eastern Austria and partly Slovenia and Serbia) where the Blaten principality was located. Here, in Blatnograd, on behalf of Prince Kotsel, the brothers taught the Slavs book business and worship in the Slavic language.

When they arrived in Rome, Nicholas I was no longer alive; his successor Adrian II, learning that they were carrying the relics of St. Clement, met them solemnly outside the city. After that, Pope Adrian II approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches. At the behest of Adrian II, Formosus (Bishop of Porto) and Gauderic (Bishop of Velletri) consecrated three brothers who traveled with Constantine and Methodius as priests, and the latter was ordained a bishop.

last years of life

In Rome, Constantine fell seriously ill, at the beginning of February 869 he finally fell ill, took the schema and a new monastic name Cyril . 50 days after the adoption of the schema, On February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. . He was buried in Rome in the church of Saint Clement.


The chapel (side altar) of the Basilica of St. Clement is dedicated to the memory of Sts. Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius

Before his death, he said to Methodius: “We are with you, like two oxen; one fell from a heavy burden, the other must continue on his way ". The Pope ordained him Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. Methodius with his disciples, who received the priesthood, returned to Pannonia, and later to Moravia.

By this time the situation in Moravia had changed dramatically. After Rostislav was defeated by Louis the German and died in a Bavarian prison in 870, his nephew Svyatopolk became the Moravian prince, who submitted to the German political influence. The activity of Methodius and his disciples proceeded in very difficult conditions. The Latin-German clergy in every way prevented the spread of the Slavic language as the language of the church. They even managed to imprison Methodius for 3 years in one of the Swabian monasteries - Reichenau. Upon learning of this, Pope John VIII released him in 874 and restored him to the rights of an archbishop. Coming out of prison, Methodius continued to preach the gospel among the Slavs and worship in the Slavic language (despite the prohibition), baptized the Czech prince Borivoi and his wife Lyudmila, as well as one of the Polish princes.

In 879, the German bishops organized a new trial against Methodius. However, Methodius brilliantly justified himself in Rome and even received a papal bull allowing worship in the Slavic language.

In 881, Methodius, at the invitation of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian, arrived in Constantinople. There he spent 3 years, after which he returned to Moravia with his students.

Methodius of Moravia

AT last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated into Slavonic the entire Old Testament(except Maccabees) and patristic books.

In 885, Methodius fell seriously ill. Before his death, he appointed his disciple Gorazd as his successor. 6/19 April 885 , on Palm Sunday, he asked to be carried to the temple, where he read a sermon and on the same day died(at the age of about 60 years). The funeral of Methodius took place in three languages ​​- Slavic, Greek and Latin. He was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad, the capital of Moravia.

After death

After the death of Methodius, his opponents managed to achieve the prohibition of Slavic writing in Moravia. Many students were executed, some moved to Bulgaria and Croatia.

In Bulgaria and subsequently in Croatia, Serbia and Old Russian state the Slavic alphabet created by the brothers became widespread. In some regions of Croatia until the middle of the 20th century, the liturgy of the Latin rite was served in Slavonic. Since liturgical books were written in the Glagolitic alphabet, this rite was called Glagolitic.

Pope Adrian II wrote to Prince Rostislav in Prague that if anyone becomes contemptuous of books written in Slavic, then let him be excommunicated and brought to trial by the Church, for such people are “wolves”. And Pope John VIII in 880 writes to Prince Svyatopolk, ordering that sermons be delivered in Slavonic.

Heritage

Cyril and Methodius developed a special alphabet for writing texts in the Slavic language - Glagolitic .

Glagolitic- one of the first Slavic alphabets. It is assumed that it was the Glagolitic alphabet that was created by the Bulgarian educator St. Konstantin (Kirill) Philosopher for recording church texts in Old Church Slavonic. In Old Church Slavonic it is called "Kѷrїllovitsa". A number of facts indicate that the Glagolitic alphabet was created before the Cyrillic alphabet, and that, in turn, was created on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet and the Greek alphabet. The Roman Catholic Church, in the fight against the service in the Slavic language among the Croats, called the Glagolitic "Gothic scripts".

Usually they speak of two types of Glagolitic: the older “round”, also known as Bulgarian, and the later “angular”, Croatian (so named because, until the middle of the 20th century, it was used by Croatian Catholics when performing divine services according to the Glagolitic rite). The alphabet of the latter was gradually reduced from 41 to 30 characters.

In ancient Russia, the Glagolitic alphabet was practically not used, there are only individual inclusions of Glagolitic letters in texts written in Cyrillic. The Glagolitic alphabet was the alphabet for transmitting, first of all, church texts; the surviving ancient Russian monuments of everyday writing before the baptism of Russia use the Cyrillic alphabet. There is a use of the Glagolitic script as a cryptography.

Cyrillic- Old Slavonic alphabet (Old Bulgarian alphabet): the same as the Cyrillic (or Cyrillic) alphabet: one of two (along with the Glagolitic) ancient alphabets for the Old Slavonic language.


The Cyrillic alphabet goes back to the Greek statutory script, with the addition of letters to convey sounds that were absent in the Greek language. Since its inception, the Cyrillic alphabet has adapted to linguistic changes, and as a result of numerous reforms in each language, it has acquired its own differences. Different versions of the Cyrillic alphabet are used in Eastern Europe, as well as Central and North Asia. As an official letter, it was first adopted in the First Bulgarian Kingdom.

In Church Slavonic it is called "klimentovitsa", in honor of Clement of Ohrid.

Cyrillic-based alphabets include the alphabets of the following Slavic languages:

  • Belarusian language (Belarusian alphabet)
  • Bulgarian language (Bulgarian alphabet)
  • Macedonian language (Macedonian alphabet)
  • Rusyn language/dialect (Rusyn alphabet)
  • Russian language (Russian alphabet)
  • Serbian (Vukovica)
  • Ukrainian language (Ukrainian alphabet)
  • Montenegrin language (Montenegrin alphabet)

At present, V. A. Istrin’s point of view prevails among historians, but is not generally recognized, according to which the Cyrillic alphabet was created on the basis of the Greek alphabet by the disciple of the holy brothers Clement of Ohrid (which is also mentioned in his Life). Using the created alphabet, the brothers translated from the Greek language Holy Scripture and a number of liturgical books. At the same time, it should be noted that even if the Cyrillic letter styles were developed by Clement, he relied on the work on isolating the sounds of the Slavic language done by Cyril and Methodius, and this work is the main part of any work to create a new script. Modern scholars note high level this work, which gave designations for almost all scientifically distinguished Slavic sounds, which we owe, apparently, to the outstanding linguistic abilities of Konstantin-Cyril, noted in the sources.

Sometimes it is asserted that there was a Slavic script before Cyril and Methodius. However, it was a non-Slavic language. It should be remembered, at the same time, that in the time of Cyril and Methodius and much later, the Slavs easily understood each other and believed that they spoke a single Slavic language, which some modern linguists agree with, who believe that one can speak of the unity of the Proto-Slavic language until XII century. Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) also points out that Konstantin was the creator of Slavic writings and there were no Slavic writings before him.

veneration

Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized as saints in antiquity. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners of the Slavs has been honored since the 11th century. The oldest services to the saints that have come down to our time date back to the 13th century.

In 1863, a solemn celebration of the memory of the holy primates Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius was established in the Russian Church.

The holiday in honor of Cyril and Methodius is a public holiday in Russia (since 1991), Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Republic of Macedonia. In Russia, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, the holiday is celebrated May 24; in Russia and Bulgaria it bears the name of the Day of Slavic Culture and Literature, in Macedonia - the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the holiday is celebrated on July 5th.


Troparion, tone 4
As the Apostle of the same morality and the Slovenian countries, the teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God's Wisdom, pray to the Lord of all, affirm all the Slovenian languages ​​\u200b\u200bin Orthodoxy and like-mindedness, pacify the world and save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 3
Let us honor the sacred pair of our educators, who have exuded divine scriptures as a source of knowledge of God for us, from worthless even to this day we indulge you, Cyril and Methodius, who are coming to the Throne of the Most High and praying warmly for our souls.

magnificence
We magnify you, Holy Apostles Cyril and Methodius, who enlightened all the Slovenian countries with your teachings and led you to Christ.

Cyril (had the nickname Philosopher) 827 - 869 and Methodius 815 - 885 - Christian preachers, originally from Byzantium, who created the Old Slavonic alphabet and the Church Slavonic language.

After their death, both were canonized and have since been revered as Saints. The veneration was deserved by the creation of Slavic writing by Cyril and Methodius.

Biography of the enlighteners

The biography of Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Slavic alphabet, begins with their birth in the city of Thessalonica (Byzantium). Their father, named Leo, was a military man, had the rank of an officer, and their mother's name was Maria. In total, there were 7 boys in the family, while Methodius was the eldest, and Cyril (the first famous founder of Slavic writing) was the youngest.

It is assumed that the father was Greek by nationality, and the mother was Slavic. This information is not confirmed, so scientists are still arguing about what nationality Cyril and Methodius belonged to.

Parents take care of good education their children. So, the eldest son initially followed in the footsteps of his father, choosing for himself military career. But later he became a monk. The younger Cyril chose the spiritual and scientific path. It is possible that this decision was influenced by one case: the young man was hunting and lost a hawk.

This made such an impression on him that on his return he painted a cross on the wall in his room, and from then on he took up the study of religions. From early childhood, he had an excellent memory and good mental abilities.

Creation of writing

In Moravia, the educator Cyril, with the support of his brother, compiled the alphabet, and also translated liturgical books from Greek into Bulgarian. In this case, the brothers were helped by their students:

  • Gorazd Ohrid;
  • Clement of Ohrid;
  • Konstantin Preslavsky;
  • Lavrenty and some others.

The creation of the Slavic alphabet by Cyril and Methodius dates back to 863 according to the Alexandrian chronology. Scientists are still arguing about which alphabet (Glagolitic or Cyrillic) the brothers were the authors of.

In Moravia, the brothers continued their activities to promote the Slavic language. This mission continued for over 3 years. And also during this period the project Baptism of Bulgaria (864) was prepared.

Death of brothers

In 867 the brothers left for Rome. There Cyril fell ill and died on February 14, 869. He lived a short life (42 years), but at the same time he did a great job.

In 870, Methodius, surrounded by his disciples, went to Pannonia, from where he then went to Moravia.

There, spiritual activity proceeded quite difficult due to the change of power. After 3 years, Methodius was imprisoned in the Reichenau monastery, since the current government did not share his views on the Slavic language.

In 874 he was released, but already in 879 a new trial was organized against him. But, despite this, Methodius justified himself in Rome and received permission to perform divine services in the Slavic language.

In 881, Methodius was invited to Constantinople. There he continued his activities and after 3 years returned to Moravia, where he also translated church books from Greek. In 885 he fell seriously ill.

Anticipating his imminent death, he asked to be taken to the temple, where he performed divine service on Palm Sunday on April 4. He finished his earthly journey on the same day. It was buried in three languages: Latin, Greek and Slavonic. A few days before his death, he appointed one of his students as his successor - Gorazda Ohrid.

Veneration of saints

In Russian Orthodoxy, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril is venerated on February 27 (February 14, according to the old style), and Methodius on February 19 (April 6). In Catholicism, February 14th is celebrated as Saints Day. Throughout history, many portraits, icons and monuments of these Saints have been created. Feature films were made about the brothers:

  • Constantine the Philosopher (1983);
  • Thessalonica Brothers (1989);
  • Cyril and Methodius - Apostles of the Slavs (2013).

Cyril and Methodius never married, both took monasticism and dedicated their lives to worship, and also created the Slavic alphabet. Their memory has survived to this day. The brothers were awarded a high award by the Church - they were equated with the Saints.