Brief history of the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius. ABC: from Cyril and Methodius. Books written in Glagolitic alphabet, which was created by Konstantin-Kirill, looked like this

Saints Equal to the Apostles
Cyril and Methodius

The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles first teachers and Slavic educators, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Saint Methodius was the eldest of seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril in monasticism) was the youngest. Saint Methodius was at first in a military rank and ruled one of the Slavic principalities subordinate to the Byzantine Empire, apparently Bulgarian, which gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language. Having stayed there for about 10 years, Saint Methodius then became a monk.

From an early age, Saint Constantine was distinguished by his mental abilities and studied together with the young Emperor Michael from the best teachers of Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Constantine perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages; he especially diligently studied the works of Saint Gregory the Theologian. For his intelligence and outstanding knowledge, Saint Constantine was nicknamed the Philosopher (Wise). At the end of his studies, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed keeper of the patriarchal library at the Church of Hagia Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly went to the monastery. Found there and returned to Constantinople, he was appointed teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople.

The wisdom and strength of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the iconoclast heretics, Annius, in a debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to debate about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Soon Saint Constantine retired to his brother Saint Methodius in the monastery, where he spent time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.

One day, the emperor summoned the holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars to preach the gospel. On the way, they stopped for some time in the city of Korsun, where they prepared for the gospel. There the holy brothers miraculously found the relics of the holy martyr Clement, Pope of Rome. There, in Korsun, Saint Constantine found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in “Russian letters,” and a man speaking Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak his language. Then the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won victories in debates with Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking the relics of Saint Clement there, returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, and Saint Methodius received the abbess in the small monastery of Polychron, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had previously labored.

Soon, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav, oppressed by the German bishops, came to the emperor with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in the native language of the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and told him: “You need to go there, because no one will do this better than you.” Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, began a new feat.

With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavic the books without which the Divine service could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. This was in 863. After completing the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor, and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who performed divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could only be performed 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: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, praise the Lord, all nations, let every breath praise the Lord! And the Holy Gospel says: “Go and learn all languages...”. The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint to Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue.

Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius went to Rome. Having learned that the holy brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian and the clergy went out to meet them. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, the Pope approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and the liturgy to be performed in the Slavic language.

While in Rome, Saint Constantine fell ill and, informed by the Lord in a miraculous vision of his approaching death, he took the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after accepting the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Going to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common cause - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of the true faith. Saint Methodius asked the Pope to allow his brother’s body to be taken away for burial in his native land, but the Pope ordered the relics of Saint Cyril to be placed in the church of Saint Clement, where miracles began to be performed from them.

After the death of Saint Cyril, the pope, following the request of the Slavic prince Kocel, sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. to the ancient throne of the holy Apostle Andronicus. In Pannonia, Saint Methodius, together with his disciples, continued to spread divine services, writing and books in the Slavic language. This again angered the German bishops. They achieved the arrest and trial of Saint Methodius, who was exiled to prison in Swabia, where he endured much suffering for two and a half years. Released by order of Pope John VIII and restored to his rights as an archbishop, Methodius continued preaching the gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila (September 16), as well as one of the Polish princes. For the third time, German bishops launched a persecution against the saint for not accepting the Roman teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome and proved to the pope that he preserved the purity of Orthodox teaching, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia - Velehrad.

There, in the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated the entire Old Testament into Slavic, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).

Sensing the approach of his death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as his worthy successor. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 19, 885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages ​​- Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad. The solemn celebration of the memory of the holy high priests Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius was established in the Russian Church in 1863.

Day of Slavic Literature and Culture
(Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius)

Annually May 24 In all Slavic countries they celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture and solemnly glorify the creators of Slavic writing, Saints Cyril and Methodius. Cyril (827-869) and Methodius (815-885) made up Slavic alphabet, translated several liturgical books from Greek into Slavic, which contributed to the introduction and spread of Slavic worship. Relying on deep knowledge of Greek and Eastern cultures and summarizing the existing experience of Slavic writing, they offered the Slavs their own alphabet. In Russia, the celebration of the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Brothers is rooted in the distant past and it was celebrated mainly by the church. There was a period when, under the influence of political circumstances, the historical merits of Cyril and Methodius were forgotten, but already in the 19th century this tradition was revived. Officially at the state level, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture was solemnly celebrated for the first time in 1863 year, in connection with the 1000th anniversary of the creation of the Slavic alphabet by Saints Cyril and Methodius, in the same year a decree was adopted to celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 ( May 24 according to the new style). On January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, by its resolution, declared May 24 a holiday of Slavic literature and culture, thereby giving it state status. In terms of its content, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture has long been the only state-church holiday in Russia, which state and public organizations hold together with the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 2010, Moscow has been designated as the capital of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture holiday. The most magnificent celebrations take place annually in the city of Vlegrad in Moravia, where grave of St. Methodius, which has become a shrine for all pilgrims and believers.

Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Moscow,
located on Lubyansky Proezd, Kitay-Gorod metro station,
(opened 1992)

The inscription on the monument in Old Church Slavonic:
"To the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles
the first Slavic teachers Methodius and Cyril.
Grateful Russia"

1150 years of mission
Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius to Slavic countries.
Russian Postal Block, May 24, 2013

The first words written by the brothers in the Slavic language were from the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There was an alphabet prayer based on the Slavic alphabet. “Az buki lead” in translation: I know (know) the letters. “The verb, good, is, live” in translation: it’s good to live kindly. “What are you thinking, people?” there is no need to translate this. Just like “rtsy, word, firmly,” that is: speak the word confidently, firmly. The Day of the Holy Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius is celebrated on the day when the last bell rings in our schools, May 24. This day is a holiday of Slavic writing and culture.

In the 9th century AD, the Greek brothers Methodius and Cyril invented two alphabets, Glagolitic and Cyrillic, as a writing system for the Old Church Slavonic language. The Cyrillic alphabet, which was derived from the Glagolitic alphabet and the Greek alphabet, eventually became the preferred system for writing Slavic languages. Cyrillic is used today in the writing of many Slavic languages ​​(Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian and Serbian), as well as a number of non-Slavic languages ​​that came under the influence of the Soviet Union. Throughout history, the Cyrillic alphabet has been adapted to write more than 50 languages.

Names of letters of the Russian alphabet

	Cyrillic early 19th century	modern alphabet
A a	az	A
B b	beeches	bae
In in	lead	ve
G g	verb	ge
D d	good	de
Her	There is	e
Her	-	e
F	live	or
Z z	Earth	ze
And and	others like it	And
І і	і	-
Thy	-	and short
K k	kako	ka
L l	People	ale
Mm	think	Em
N n	our	en
Oh oh	he	O
P p	peace	pe
R r	rtsy	er
With with	word	es
T t	firmly	te
U y	at	at
F f	fert	ef
X x	dick	Ha
Ts ts	tsy	this
H h	worm	what
Sh sh	sha	sha
sch sch	now	now
Kommersant	erj	solid sign
s s	eras	s
b b	er	soft sign
Ѣ ѣ	yat	-
Uh uh	uh	uh
Yu Yu	Yu	Yu
I I	I	I
Ѳ ѳ	fita	-
Ѵ ѵ	Izhitsa	-

Cyril (826 - 869) and Methodius (815 - 885) - educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, saints equal to the apostles, translated Scripture into the Slavic language.

Cyril (Constantine - in the world) and Methodius were born in Greece, in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in the family of the Drungarian (military leader) Leo. From 833, Methodius was a military man and served at the imperial court of Theophilus, and in 835-45. was an archon (ruler) of one of the Slavic principalities.

Later, Methodius went to Olympus, to the Bithynia monastery. Kirill was highly gifted since childhood, in the 40s. studied at the Magnaur Imperial School in Constantinople, where his mentors were Leo the Mathematician, the head of the capital's university, and Photius, the future patriarch.

At this time, Cyril's scientific interests turned to philology, apparently under the influence of the Photius circle. The famous Slavic historian B.N. Florya wrote that “it was under the leadership of Photius that Constantine took the first steps towards becoming the greatest philologist of his time.”

After graduating from the Magnaur school, Kirill accepted the priesthood and was appointed librarian at the Cathedral of St. Sophia. But soon he leaves Constantinople due to disagreements with Patriarch Ignatius and retires to the shores of the Bosphorus in a monastery. Six months later he returns and begins teaching philosophy at the school where he studied. Apparently, from then on they began to call him Cyril the Philosopher.

Around 855, Cyril was part of a diplomatic mission to the Arabs, and both brothers in 860-61. were part of the Khazar mission. Traveling, they ended up in Chersonesos, where they found the Psalter and Gospel “written in Russian letters” (Life of St. Cyril, VIII). This information is interpreted in different ways.

Some scientists believe that we are talking about pre-Cyril ancient Russian writing, others think that the hagiographer had in mind a version of the Gothic translation of Ulfilas, and the majority believes that we should read not “Russians”, but “Surskie”, that is, Syriac ones. In Khazaria, Cyril conducts theological debates with Gentiles, including Jews.

These disputes were recorded and information about them is reflected in the life of the saint. From them we can understand Cyril's biblical hermeneutics. For example, he points not only to the continuity between the 2 Testaments, but also to the order of the stages of the Testament and Revelation within the Old Testament. He said that Abraham observed such a rite as circumcision, although it was not commanded to Noah, and at the same time, he could not fulfill the laws of Moses, since they did not yet exist. Likewise, Christians accepted God’s new Testament, and for them the old things passed away (Life of St. Cyril, 10).
In the fall of 861, having returned from Khazaria, Methodius became abbot at the Polychron monastery, and Cyril continued his scientific and theological lessons at the Church of the 12 Apostles (Constantinople). 2 years later, Prince of Moravia Rostislav asked to send the brothers to Great Moravia to teach the people its “right Christian faith.” The Gospel had already been preached there, but it had not taken deep root.

In preparation for this mission, the brothers created the alphabet for the Slavs. For a long time, historians and philologists debated whether it was Cyrillic or Glagolitic. As a result, priority was given to the Glagolitic alphabet, based on the Greek minuscule letter (the letter Ш was created on the basis of the Hebrew letter shin). Only later, towards the end of the 9th century, was the Glagolitic alphabet replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet in many South Slavic lands (for example, Minuscules; Church Slavonic editions of the Bible).
Using their new alphabet, Cyril and Methodius began to translate the Gospel of Aprakos, it was chosen based on the needs of the service. L.P. Zhukovskaya in her textual study proved that Kirill first translated the short, Sunday Aprakos.

Its most ancient lists have survived to this day in the Slavic edition of the 11th century. (for example, the Assemanian Gospel), together with the chosen Apostle (the earliest, the Eninsky list, also dates back to the 11th century). In the preface written for the translation of the Gospel into Slavic, Cyril refers to the translation experience of a number of Syrian authors who were considered unfaithful, which speaks not only of his knowledge of Semitic languages, but also of his broad views. Methodius and their students, after the death of Cyril, brought short translations to complete ones.

The translation work begun by the brothers in Constantinople was continued in Moravia by them in 864-67. The Slavic translation of the Bible is based on Lucian’s (also called Syriac, or Constantinople) review of Scripture, this was also noted by Evseev.

This is also evidenced by the contents of the Slavic collection of Proverbs. The brothers did not compile new books, but only made translations of similar Greek collections of Profitologies, which originate from the Lucian version. The Cyrillomethodian Paremiynik not only recreates the Constantinople type of Profitology, but, as Evseev says, “is a copy of the text of the very center of Byzantineism - the reading of the Great Church of Constantinople.”

As a result, in more than 3 years, the brothers not only completed a collection of Slavic texts of Scripture, including the Psalter, but, at the same time, founded a fairly developed form of the language of the medieval Slavs. They worked in difficult political conditions. Moreover, the German bishops, who were afraid of curtailing their rights in Moravia, put forward the so-called “trilingual doctrine”, according to which “only three languages, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, were chosen from above, in which it is proper to give praise to God.” Therefore, they tried in every possible way to discredit the work of Cyril and Methodius.

A synod of bishops was even convened in Venice, which defended the “trilinguals.” But Kirill successfully repelled all attacks. Pope Adrian II was on his side, he received the brothers in Rome with honor. They brought here the relics of the Pope of Rome, the Hieromartyr Clement, from Chersonesos.

After Cyril died in Rome (his grave is there), Methodius continued the work. He became Archbishop of Pannonia and Moravia. He translated most of the biblical canon in 870 with 3 disciples in 8 months. True, this translation has not reached us in full, but one can judge its composition from the list of sacred books that Methodius cites in the Slavic Nomocanon.

Traces of translations by Methodius and his assistants remained in later Glagolitic Croatian manuscripts (the Book of Ruth, according to A.V. Mikhailov, is the best translation of the Methodius group, or, for example, the translation of the Song of Songs). In the translation of Methodius, according to Evseev, the proverbial texts were reproduced completely and unchanged; other parts were translated with the same lexical and grammatical properties as the proverb.

Rome had to defend the apostolic activity of Methodius from the opposition of the Latin clergy. Pope John VIII wrote: “Our brother Methodius is holy and faithful, and does apostolic work, and in his hands from God and the apostolic throne are all the Slavic lands.”

But there was a gradual intensification of the struggle between Byzantium and Rome for influence on the Slavic lands. Methodius was in prison for 3 years. Being near death, he bequeaths his department to the native of Moravia Gorazd. In his last years he had more hopes for help from Constantinople than from Rome. And in fact, after the death of Methodius, the German Viching, his opponent, gained an advantage. Methodius was accused of breaking his promise to maintain worship in Latin, and his disciples were expelled from Moravia.

But, nevertheless, the works of the Thessaloniki brothers were not forgotten. The Slavic Bible was read by many peoples, and it soon reached Rus'.

The Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Cyril on February 14, and on April 6 - St. Methodius, two brothers - on May 11.

Is it possible to imagine life without electricity? Of course it's difficult! But it is known that people used to read and write by candles and torches. Imagine life without writing. Some of you will now think to yourself, well, it would be great: you don’t have to write dictations and essays. But then there will be no libraries, books, posters, letters, or even e-mail or text messages. Language, like a mirror, reflects the whole world, our whole life. And reading written or printed texts, it’s as if we are getting into a time machine and can be transported to both recent times and the distant past.

But people did not always master the art of writing. This art has been developing for a long time, over many millennia. Do you know who we should be grateful to for our written word, in which our favorite books are written? For our literacy, which we learn at school? For our great Russian literature, which you are becoming familiar with and will continue to study in high school.

Cyril and Methodius lived in the world,

Two Byzantine monks and suddenly

(No, not a legend, not a myth, not a parody),

Some of them thought: “Friend!

How many Slavs are speechless without Christ!

We need to create an alphabet for the Slavs...

It was thanks to the works of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius that the Slavic alphabet was created.

The brothers were born in the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki in the family of a military leader. Methodius was the eldest son, and, having chosen the military path, he went to serve in one of the Slavic regions. His brother, Cyril, was born 7-10 years later than Methodius, and already in childhood he passionately fell in love with science and amazed his teachers with his brilliant abilities. At the age of 14, his parents sent him to Constantinople, where he quickly studied grammar and geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and medicine, ancient art, and became proficient in Slavic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Arabic. Refusing the high administrative position offered to him, Kirill took a modest position as a librarian in the Patriarchal Library and at the same time taught philosophy at the university, for which he received the nickname “philosopher”. His older brother Methodius entered military service early. For 10 years he was the manager of one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs. Being an honest and straightforward man, intolerant of injustice, he left military service and retired to a monastery.

In 863, ambassadors from Moravia arrived in Constantinople to ask for preachers to be sent to their country and tell the population about Christianity. The emperor decided to send Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. Cyril, before setting off, asked if the Moravians had an alphabet for their language - “for enlightening a people without writing their language is like trying to write on water,” Cyril explained. To which I received a negative answer. The Moravians did not have an alphabet, so the brothers began work. They had months, not years, at their disposal. They worked from early morning, just before dawn, until late in the evening, when their eyes were already dim with fatigue. In a short time, an alphabet for the Moravians was created. It was named after one of its creators - Kirill - Cyrillic.

Using the Slavic alphabet, Cyril and Methodius very quickly translated the main liturgical books from Greek into Slavic. The first book written in Cyrillic was the “Ostromir Gospel,” the first words written using the Slavic alphabet were the phrase “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And now, for more than a thousand years, the Church Slavonic language has been used in the Russian Orthodox Church during services.

The Slavic alphabet existed unchanged in Rus' for more than seven centuries. Its creators tried to make each letter of the first Russian alphabet simple and clear, easy to write. They remembered that the letters should also be beautiful, so that a person, as soon as he saw them, immediately wanted to master writing.

Each letter had its own name - “az” - A; “beeches” - B; “lead” - B; “verb” - G; "good" -D.

This is where the catchphrases come from: “Az and beeches - that’s all science”, “Whoever knows “Az” and “Beeches” has books in his hands.” In addition, letters could also represent numbers. There were 43 letters in the Cyrillic alphabet.

The Cyrillic alphabet existed in the Russian language without changes until Peter I, who removed outdated letters that could have been completely dispensed with - “yus big”, “yus small”, “omega”, “uk”. In 1918, 5 more letters left the Russian alphabet - “yat”, “fita”, “izhitsa”, “er”, “er”. Over the course of a thousand years, many letters have disappeared from our alphabet, and only two have appeared - “y” and “e”. They were invented in the 17th century by the Russian writer and historian Karamzin. And now, finally, there are 33 letters left in the modern alphabet.

Where do you think the word “AZBUKA” came from - from the names of the first letters of the alphabet, “az” and “buki”; in Rus' there were several more names for the alphabet - “abevega” and “letter letter”.

Why is the alphabet called alphabet? The history of this word is interesting. Alphabet. It was born in ancient Greece and consists of the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: “alpha” and “beta”. Speakers of Western languages ​​call it “alphabete.” And we pronounce it like “alphabet.”

The Slavs were very happy: other peoples of Europe (Germans, Franks, Britons) did not have their own written language. The Slavs now had their own alphabet, and everyone could learn to read a book! “That was a wonderful moment!.. The deaf began to hear, and the dumb began to speak, for until that time the Slavs were both deaf and dumb” - recorded in the chronicles of those times.

Not only children, but also adults began to study. They wrote with sharp sticks on wooden tablets coated with wax. The children fell in love with their teachers Cyril and Methodius. The little Slavs happily went to class, because the journey along the roads of Truth was so interesting!

With the advent of the Slavic alphabet, written culture began to develop rapidly. Books appeared in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Rus'. And how they were designed! The first letter - the initial letter - began each new chapter. The initial letter is unusually beautiful: in the form of a beautiful bird or flower, it was painted with bright, often red, flowers. That is why the term “red line” exists today. A Slavic handwritten book could be created within six to seven years and was very expensive. In a precious frame, with illustrations, today it is a real monument of art.

A long time ago, when the history of the great Russian state was just beginning, “it” was expensive. She alone could be exchanged for a herd of horses or a herd of cows, or for sable fur coats. And it’s not about the jewelry in which the beauty and clever girl were dressed up. And she only wore expensive embossed leather, pearls and precious stones! Gold and silver clasps decorated her outfit! Admiring her, people said: “Light, you are ours!” We worked on its creation for a long time, but its fate could have been very sad. During the invasion of enemies, she was taken prisoner along with the people. She could have died in a fire or flood. They valued her very much: she inspired hope, restored strength of spirit. What kind of curiosity is this? Yes, guys, this is Her Majesty - the Book. She preserved to us the Word of God and the traditions of distant years. The first books were handwritten. It took months and sometimes years to rewrite one book. The centers of book learning in Rus' have always been monasteries. There, through fasting and prayer, hardworking monks copied and decorated books. A collection of books of 500-1000 manuscripts was considered very rare.

Life goes on, and in the middle of the 16th century, printing appeared in Rus'. The printing house in Moscow appeared under Ivan the Terrible. It was led by Ivan Fedorov, who is called the first book printer. Being a deacon and serving in the temple, he tried to realize his dream - to rewrite sacred books without scribes. And so, in 1563, he began to type the first page of the first printed book, “The Apostle.” In total, he published 12 books during his life, among them was the complete Slavic Bible.

The Slavic alphabet is amazing and is still considered one of the most convenient writing systems. And the names of Cyril and Methodius, “the first Slovenian teachers,” became a symbol of spiritual achievement. And every person studying the Russian language should know and keep in his memory the holy names of the first Slavic enlighteners - the brothers Cyril and Methodius.

Across broad Rus' - our mother

The bells ring out.

Now the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius

They are glorified for their efforts.

“Learning is light, and ignorance is darkness,” says the Russian proverb. Cyril and Methodius, brothers from Thessaloniki, are Slovenian educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, preachers of Christianity. They are called holy teachers. Enlighteners are those who bring light and illuminate everyone with it. Without the alphabet there is no writing, and without it there is no book that enlightens people, and therefore moves life forward. Monuments to great educators around the world remind us of the spiritual feat of Cyril and Methodius, who gave the world the Slavic alphabet.

In memory of the great feat of Cyril and Methodius, the Day of Slavic Literature is celebrated all over the world on May 24. In the year of the millennium since the creation of the Slavic script in Russia, the Holy Synod adopted a resolution that established “every year, starting from this 1863, on the 11th (24th) day of May, the church celebration of St. Cyril and Methodius.” Until 1917, Russia celebrated the church holiday Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius. With the advent of Soviet power, this great holiday was forgotten. It was revived in 1986. This holiday began to be called the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.

Quiz

1.Who created the Slavic alphabet? (Cyril and Methodius)

2.Which year is considered the year of the emergence of Slavic writing and bookmaking? (863)

3.Why are Cyril and Methodius called “Thessalonica brothers”? (The birthplace of the enlightenment brothers is the city of Thessaloniki in Macedonia)

4.Who was the older brother: Cyril or Methodius? (Methodius)

5. What was the name of the first book written in Cyrillic? (Ostromir Gospel")

6.Which of the brothers was a librarian, and which was a warrior? (Cyril - librarian, Methodius - military leader,)

7.What was Kirill called for his intelligence and diligence? (Philosopher)

8. During whose reign the Slavic alphabet was changed - simplified. (Peter 1)

9. How many letters were there in the Cyrillic alphabet before Peter the Great? (43 letters)

10. How many letters are there in the modern alphabet? (33 letters)

11.Who was the first printer in Rus'? (Ivan Fedorov)

12.What was the name of the first printed book? ("Apostle")

13.What words were first written in the Slavic language? (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God)

Cyril and Methodius became famous throughout the world as champions of the Christian faith and authors of the Slavic alphabet. The biography of the couple is extensive; there is even a separate biography dedicated to Kirill, created immediately after the man’s death. However, today you can get acquainted with a brief history of the destinies of these preachers and founders of the alphabet in various manuals for children. The brothers have their own icon, where they are depicted together. People turn to her with prayers for good studies, luck for students, and increased intelligence.

Childhood and youth

Cyril and Methodius were born in the Greek city of Thessaloniki (present-day Thessaloniki) in the family of a military leader named Leo, whom the authors of the biography of the couple of saints characterize as “of good birth and rich.” The future monks grew up in the company of five other brothers.

Before tonsure, the men bore the names Mikhail and Konstantin, and the first was older - he was born in 815, and Konstantin in 827. Controversy still rages among historians about the ethnicity of the family. Some attribute him to the Slavs, because these people were fluent in the Slavic language. Others attribute Bulgarian and, of course, Greek roots.

The boys received an excellent education, and when they matured, their paths diverged. Methodius entered military service under the patronage of a faithful family friend and even rose to the rank of governor of a Byzantine province. During the “Slavic reign” he established himself as a wise and fair ruler.

From early childhood, Kirill was fond of reading books, amazed those around him with his excellent memory and abilities in science, and was known as a polyglot - in his linguistic arsenal, in addition to Greek and Slavic, there were Hebrew and Aramaic. At the age of 20, a young man, a graduate of Magnavra University, was already teaching the basics of philosophy at the court school at Constantinople.

Christian service

Kirill flatly refused a secular career, although such an opportunity was provided. Marriage to the goddaughter of an official of the royal chancellery in Byzantium opened up dizzying prospects - leadership of the region in Macedonia, and then the position of commander-in-chief of the army. However, the young theologian (Konstantin was only 15 years old) chose to take the church path.

When he was already teaching at the university, the man even managed to win a theological debate over the leader of the iconoclasts, the former Patriarch John the Grammar, also known as Ammius. However, this story is considered simply a beautiful legend.

The main task for the Byzantine government at that time was considered to be the strengthening and promotion of Orthodoxy. Missionaries traveled along with the diplomats who traveled to cities and villages where they negotiated with religious enemies. This is what Konstantin became at the age of 24, setting off on his first important task from the state - to instruct Muslims on the true path.

At the end of the 50s of the 9th century, the brothers, tired of the bustle of the world, retired to a monastery, where 37-year-old Methodius took monastic vows. However, Cyril was not allowed to rest for a long time: already in 860, the man was called to the throne of the emperor and instructed to join the ranks of the Khazar mission.

The fact is that the Khazar Kagan announced an interreligious dispute, where Christians were asked to prove the truth of their faith to Jews and Muslims. The Khazars were already ready to go over to the side of Orthodoxy, but they set a condition - only if the Byzantine polemicists won the disputes.

Kirill took his brother with him and brilliantly completed the task assigned to him, but still the mission was a complete failure. The Khazar state did not become Christian, although the Kagan allowed people to be baptized. On this trip, a serious historical event happened for believers. Along the way, the Byzantines looked into Crimea, where, in the vicinity of Chersonesos, Cyril found the relics of Clement, the fourth holy Pope, which were then transferred to Rome.

The brothers are involved in another important mission. One day, the ruler of the Moravian lands (Slavic state) Rostislav asked for help from Constantinople - they needed teacher-theologians to tell the people about the true faith in an accessible language. Thus, the prince was going to escape the influence of the German bishops. This trip became significant - the Slavic alphabet appeared.

In Moravia, the brothers worked tirelessly: they translated Greek books, taught the Slavs the basics of reading and writing, and at the same time taught them how to conduct divine services. The “business trip” took three years. The results of the labors played a big role in preparing for the baptism of Bulgaria.

In 867, the brothers had to go to Rome to answer for “blasphemy.” The Western Church called Cyril and Methodius heretics, accusing them of reading sermons in the Slavic language, while they can only talk about the Most High in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

On the way to the Italian capital, they stopped in the Principality of Blaten, where they taught the people the book trade. Those who arrived in Rome with the relics of Clement were so happy that the new Pope Adrian II allowed services to be held in Slavonic and even allowed the translated books to be distributed in churches. During this meeting, Methodius received the episcopal rank.

Unlike his brother, Kirill only became a monk on the verge of death - it was necessary. After the death of the preacher, Methodius, surrounded by disciples, returned to Moravia, where he had to fight the German clergy. The deceased Rostislav was replaced by his nephew Svyatopolk, who supported the policy of the Germans, who did not allow the Byzantine priest to work in peace. Any attempts to spread the Slavic language as a church language were suppressed.

Cyril and Methodius

Methodius even spent three years in prison at the monastery. Pope John VIII helped to free him, who imposed a ban on liturgies while Methodius was in prison. However, in order not to escalate the situation, John also prohibited worship in the Slavic language. Only sermons were not punishable by law.

But the native of Thessaloniki, at his own peril and risk, continued to secretly conduct services in Slavic. At the same time, the archbishop baptized the Czech prince, for which he later appeared in court in Rome. However, luck favored Methodius - he not only escaped punishment, but also received a papal bull and the opportunity to again conduct services in the Slavic language. Shortly before his death he managed to translate the Old Testament.

Creation of the alphabet

The brothers from Thessaloniki went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. The time of the event is 862 or 863. The Life of Cyril and Methodius states that the idea was born back in 856, when the brothers, together with their disciples Angelarius, Naum and Clement, settled on Mount Lesser Olympus in the Polychron monastery. Here Methodius served as rector.

The authorship of the alphabet is attributed to Kirill, but which one exactly remains a mystery. Scientists are inclined towards the Glagolitic alphabet, this is indicated by the 38 characters that it contains. As for the Cyrillic alphabet, it was brought to life by Kliment Ohridski. However, even if this was the case, the student still used Kirill’s work - it was he who isolated the sounds of the language, which is the most important thing when creating writing.

The basis for the alphabet was the Greek cryptography; the letters are very similar, so the Glagolitic alphabet was confused with the eastern alphabets. But to designate specific Slavic sounds, they took Hebrew letters, for example, “sh”.

Death

On a trip to Rome, Constantine-Cyril was struck down by a serious illness, and on February 14, 869, he died - this day is recognized in Catholicism as the day of remembrance of saints. The body was interred in the Roman Church of St. Clement. Cyril did not want his brother to return to the monastery in Moravia, and before his death he allegedly said:

“Here, brother, you and I were like two oxen in harness, plowing one furrow, and I fell by the forest, having finished my day. And although you love the mountain very much, you cannot leave your teaching for the sake of the mountain, for how else can you better achieve salvation?

Methodius outlived his wise relative by 16 years. Anticipating death, he ordered himself to be taken to church to read a sermon. The priest died on Palm Sunday, April 4, 885. Methodius' funeral service was held in three languages ​​- Greek, Latin and, of course, Slavic.

Methodius was replaced in his post by the disciple Gorazd, and then all the undertakings of the holy brothers began to collapse. In Moravia, liturgical translations were gradually banned again, and followers and students were hunted - persecuted, sold into slavery, and even killed. Some adherents fled to neighboring countries. And yet the Slavic culture survived, the center of book learning moved to Bulgaria, and from there to Russia.

The holy chief apostolic teachers are revered in the West and East. In Russia, a holiday has been established in memory of the brothers’ feat - May 24 is celebrated as the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.

Memory

Settlements

• 1869 – foundation of the village of Mefodievka near Novorossiysk

Monuments

• Monument to Cyril and Methodius at the Stone Bridge in Skopje, Macedonia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Belgrade, Serbia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Khanty-Mansiysk.
• Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki, Greece. The statue in the form of a gift was given to Greece by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
• Statue in honor of Cyril and Methodius in front of the building of the National Library of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic.
• Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius, installed in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Czech Republic.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Ohrid, Macedonia.
• Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the “1000th Anniversary of Russia” monument in Veliky Novgorod.

Books

• 1835 – poem “Cyril and Methodias”, Jan Golla
• 1865 - “Cyril and Methodius Collection” (edited by Mikhail Pogodin)
• 1984 - “Khazar Dictionary”, Milorad Pavic
• 1979 - “Thessaloniki Brothers”, Slav Karaslavov

Movies

• 1983 - “Constantine the Philosopher”
• 1989 - “Thessaloniki Brothers”
• 2013 - “Cyril and Methodius - Apostles of the Slavs”

The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose biography is at least briefly known to everyone who speaks Russian, were great educators. They developed an alphabet for many Slavic peoples, thereby immortalizing their name.

Greek origin

The two brothers were from the city of Thessaloniki. In Slavic sources, the old traditional name Solun was preserved. They were born into the family of a successful officer who served under the governor of the province. Cyril was born in 827, and Methodius in 815.

Due to the fact that these Greeks knew very well, some researchers tried to confirm the guess about their Slavic origin. However, no one managed to do this. At the same time, for example in Bulgaria, educators are considered Bulgarians (they also use the Cyrillic alphabet).

Slavic language experts

The linguistic knowledge of noble Greeks can be explained by the history of Thessaloniki. In their era, this city was bilingual. There was a local dialect of the Slavic language here. The migration of this tribe reached its southern border, burying itself in the Aegean Sea.

At first, the Slavs were pagans and lived under a tribal system, just like their Germanic neighbors. However, those strangers who settled on the borders of the Byzantine Empire fell into the orbit of its cultural influence. Many of them formed colonies in the Balkans, becoming mercenaries of the ruler of Constantinople. Their presence was also strong in Thessaloniki, where Cyril and Methodius were from. The brothers' biography initially took different paths.

The worldly career of the brothers

Methodius (his name in the world was Michael) became a military man and rose to the rank of strategist of one of the provinces in Macedonia. He succeeded in this thanks to his talents and abilities, as well as the patronage of the influential courtier Theoktistus. Kirill took up science from an early age and also studied the culture of neighboring peoples. Even before he went to Moravia, thanks to which he became world famous, Constantine (his name before becoming a monk) began translating chapters of the Gospel into

In addition to linguistics, Cyril studied geometry, dialectics, arithmetic, astronomy, rhetoric and philosophy from the best specialists in Constantinople. Thanks to his noble origins, he could count on an aristocratic marriage and public service in the highest echelons of power. However, the young man did not want such a fate and became the keeper of the library in the main temple of the country - the Hagia Sophia. But even there he did not stay long, and soon began teaching at the capital’s university. Thanks to his brilliant victories in philosophical debates, he received the nickname Philosopher, which is sometimes found in historiographical sources.

Cyril knew the emperor and even went on his errand to the Muslim caliph. In 856, he and a group of disciples arrived at the monastery on Lesser Olympus, where his brother was abbot. It was there that Cyril and Methodius, whose biography was now connected with the church, decided to create an alphabet for the Slavs.

Translation of Christian books into Slavic language

In 862, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav arrived in Constantinople. They conveyed a message from their ruler to the emperor. Rostislav asked the Greeks to give him learned people who could teach the Slavs the Christian faith in their own language. The baptism of this tribe took place even before this, but every service was held in a foreign dialect, which was extremely inconvenient. The patriarch and the emperor discussed this request among themselves and decided to ask the Solun brothers to go to Moravia.

Cyril, Methodius and their disciples began a great deal of work. The first language into which the main Christian books were translated was Bulgarian. The biography of Cyril and Methodius, a brief summary of which is in every Slavic history textbook, is known for the colossal work of the brothers on the Psalter, Apostle and Gospel.

Travel to Moravia

The preachers went to Moravia, where they conducted services and taught people to read and write for three years. Their efforts also helped bring about the baptism of the Bulgarians, which took place in 864. They also visited Transcarpathian Rus' and Panonia, where they also glorified the Christian faith in Slavic languages. The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose short biography includes many travels, found an attentive audience everywhere.

Even in Moravia they had a conflict with German priests who were there on a similar missionary mission. The key difference between them was the reluctance of Catholics to conduct worship in the Slavic language. This position was supported by the Roman Church. This organization believed that praising God could only be done in three languages: Latin, Greek and Hebrew. This tradition has existed for many centuries.

The Great Schism between Catholics and Orthodox had not yet occurred, so the Pope still had influence over the Greek priests. He called the brothers to Italy. They also wanted to come to Rome to defend their position and to reason with the Germans in Moravia.

Brothers in Rome

The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose biography is also revered by Catholics, arrived to Adrian II in 868. He came to a compromise with the Greeks and gave his consent to allow the Slavs to conduct worship in their native languages. The Moravians (ancestors of the Czechs) were baptized by bishops from Rome, so were technically under the jurisdiction of the Pope.

While still in Italy, Konstantin became very ill. When he realized that he would soon die, the Greek accepted the schema and received the monastic name Cyril, with which he became known in historiography and popular memory. While on his deathbed, he asked his brother not to give up his general educational work, but to continue his service among the Slavs.

Continuation of Methodius' preaching activities

Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography is inseparable, became revered in Moravia during their lifetime. When the younger brother returned there, it became much easier for him to continue fulfilling his duty than 8 years ago. However, the situation in the country soon changed. The former prince Rostislav was defeated by Svyatopolk. The new ruler was guided by German patrons. This led to a change in the composition of the priests. The Germans again began to lobby for the idea of ​​preaching in Latin. They even imprisoned Methodius in a monastery. When Pope John VIII found out about this, he forbade the Germans to conduct liturgies until they freed the preacher.

Cyril and Methodius had never encountered such resistance before. Biography, creation and everything connected with their life is full of dramatic events. In 874, Methodius was finally released and again became an archbishop. However, Rome has already revoked its permission to worship in the Moravian language. However, the preacher refused to bow to the changing course of the Catholic Church. He began to conduct secret sermons and rituals in the Slavic language.

Methodius's last troubles

His persistence was not in vain. When the Germans again tried to denigrate him in the eyes of the church, Methodius went to Rome and, thanks to his abilities as an orator, was able to defend his point of view before the Pope. He was given a special bull, which again allowed worship in national languages.

The Slavs appreciated the uncompromising struggle waged by Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography was reflected even in ancient folklore. Shortly before his death, the younger brother returned to Byzantium and spent several years in Constantinople. His last great work was the translation of the Old Testament into Slavic, with which his faithful disciples helped him. He died in 885 in Moravia.

The significance of the brothers' activities

The alphabet created by the brothers eventually spread to Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Rus'. Today the Cyrillic alphabet is used by all Eastern Slavs. These are Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. The biography of Cyril and Methodius is taught to children as part of the school curriculum in these countries.

It is interesting that the original alphabet created by the brothers eventually became Glagolitic in historiography. Another version of it, known as the Cyrillic alphabet, appeared a little later thanks to the works of the students of these educators. This scientific debate remains relevant. The problem is that no ancient sources have reached us that could certainly confirm any specific point of view. Theories are based only on secondary documents that appeared later.

Nevertheless, the brothers’ contribution is difficult to overestimate. Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography should be known to every Slav, helped not only spread Christianity, but also strengthen it among these peoples. In addition, even if we assume that the Cyrillic alphabet was created by the brothers’ students, they still relied on their work. This is especially obvious in the case of phonetics. Modern Cyrillic alphabets have adopted the sound component from those written symbols that were proposed by preachers.

Both the Western and Eastern churches recognize the importance of the work carried out by Cyril and Methodius. A short biography for children of educators is available in many general education textbooks on history and the Russian language.

Since 1991, our country has celebrated an annual public holiday dedicated to the brothers from Thessaloniki. It is called the Day of Slavic Culture and Literature and is also celebrated in Belarus. An order named after them was established in Bulgaria. Cyril and Methodius, interesting facts from whose biography are published in various monographs, continue to attract the attention of new researchers of languages ​​and history.