The creation of the Slavic alphabet - the history of the emergence of writing in Rus'. Cyril and Methodius The founders of the Slavic alphabet
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Problem: Most students do not know the history of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.
Purpose: to increase the number of students who know about the origin of the Slavic alphabet.
collect material on the origin of the Slavic alphabet;
prepare a presentation on the origin of the Slavic alphabet;
INTRODUCTION
Language and writing are the most important factors in the formation of the culture of any people. When people begin to forget about the origins of their native language, this is the heaviest blow to their native culture.
Throughout most of their lives, people have used the alphabet to read and create various text documents. If most of the older population can still name the creators of the Slavic alphabet, then the younger generation (students), unfortunately, rarely name the authors. And only a few can tell about who these people were, where and why they became the creators of the Slavic alphabet. I am sure that it is necessary to know the past, because this knowledge helps to understand the present. From time immemorial, messages have been sent to us. It is extremely important to hear the voice of the ancestors, to find answers to eternal questions, to feel like a part of the historical flow. All this determinesrelevancethis study, since the language is an indicator of the spiritual culture of the people.
Hypothesis: a large number of students do not know the history of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.
Research methods: study of literature on the topic, observation, comparison, generalization.
Theoretical and practicalsignificancework is determined by the possibility of using the results of the study in the process of studying the Russian language in the classroom, as well as when conducting further research in this direction.
5. bulk
5.1. The founders of the Slavic alphabet: Cyril and Methodius.
The brothers Constantine (that was the name of St. Cyril before he became a monk) and Methodius were born in the Macedonian region of Byzantium, namely in the main city of the region - Thessaloniki. The father of the future compilers of the Slavic alphabet was from the upper stratum of the Byzantine people.
Constantine was the youngest of the seven brothers, and Methodius was the oldest brother. The year of birth of each of the brothers is not exactly known. It is assumed that the year of birth of Methodius refers to the second decade of the 9th century. Konstantin learned to read very early and surprised everyone with his ability to learn other languages. He received a good education at the court of the emperor in Constantinople under the guidance of the best Byzantine mentors, such as the future Patriarch of Constantinople Photius and Leo the Grammar, a connoisseur of ancient culture, the creator of a unique bibliographic code, mathematician, astronomer and mechanic.
The ancient heritage and all modern secular science were considered by the teachers of Constantine to be a necessary preliminary stage to the comprehension of the highest science - Theology. This also corresponded to the ancient church Christian scientific tradition.
After completing all the sciences at the Magnavra High School of Constantinople, Constantine took the chair of philosophy, where he had previously studied himself, also acting as the patriarch's librarian.
Returning to Byzantium, Cyril went to seek peace. In a monastery on the coast of the Sea of Marmara, Mount Olympus, after many years of separation, the brothers met again to open a new page in history.
5.2. The history of the emergence of the Slavic alphabet.
In 863, ambassadors from Moravia arrived in Constantinople. Moravia was one of the West Slavic states of the 9th-10th centuries, which was located on the territory of the present Czech Republic. The capital of Moravia was the city of Velehrad, scientists have not yet established its exact location. The ambassadors asked to send preachers to their country to 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. The answer to the question was negative. The Moravians did not have an alphabet. Then the brothers began to work. At their disposal were not years, but months. In a short time, an alphabet was created for the Moravian language. It was named after one of its creators "Cyrillic".
There are various assumptions about the origin of the Cyrillic alphabet. Some scholars believe that in the 9th century, the Slavs had two writing systems almost simultaneously: one was called the Glagolitic alphabet, and the other, the Cyrillic alphabet. Which alphabet was invented by Constantine? Perhaps the first teachers of the Slavs created both of these writing systems, but later the Cyrillic alphabet became the most widespread, which became the basis of the modern Russian alphabet. These writing systems existed in parallel and at the same time differed sharply in the shape of the letters.
"Cyrillic" was compiled according to a fairly simple principle. First, all Greek letters were included in it, which among the Slavs and Greeks denoted the same sounds, then new signs were added - for sounds that had no analogues in the Greek language. Each letter had its own name: “az”, “beeches”, “lead”, “verb”, “good” and so on. In addition, numbers could also be denoted by letters: the letter “az” denoted 1, “lead” -2, “verb” - 3. In total, there were 43 letters in the “Cyrillic alphabet”.
With the help of the Slavic alphabet, Cyril and Methodius very quickly translated the main liturgical books from the Greek alphabet into Slavonic. The first words written using the Slavic alphabet were the opening lines from the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The successful mission of Cyril and Methodius caused sharp discontent among the Byzantine clergy, who tried to discredit the Slavic enlighteners. They were even accused of heresy. To defend themselves, the brothers went to Rome and were successful: they were allowed to continue the work they had begun.
A long and long journey to Rome, a tense struggle with the enemies of Slavic writing undermined Cyril's health. He became seriously ill. Dying, he took the word from Methodius to continue the enlightenment of the Slavs.
Endless hardships fell upon Methodius, he was persecuted, put on trial, imprisoned, but neither physical suffering nor moral humiliation broke his will, did not change his goal - serving the cause of Slavic enlightenment. Shortly after the death of Methodius, Pope Stephen 5 banned Slavic worship in Moravia under pain of excommunication. The closest associates of Cyril and Methodius were arrested and expelled after torture. Three of them - Clement, Naum and Angelary - found a favorable reception in Bulgaria. Here they still translated from the Greek alphabet into the Slavic alphabet, compiled various collections, and instilled literacy in the population.
It was not possible to destroy the work of the Orthodox enlighteners Cyril and Methodius. Their alphabet began its march through the countries. The introduction of the Slavic alphabet into worship was of particular importance, because at that time the liturgical language was at the same time the language of literature. With the Baptism of Rus', books in the Slavic language began to spread very quickly in Kievan Rus.
5.3. Reforms of the Slavic alphabet
The Cyrillic alphabet existed in the Russian language without change almost until Peter I, during which changes were made to the outline of some letters. He removed the obsolete letters: "Ѫ, ѫ" (yus big), "Ѧ ѧ" (yus small), "Ωω" (omega) and "uk". They existed in the alphabet only by tradition, but, as it turned out, it was perfectly possible to do without them. Peter I deleted them from the civil alphabet - that is, from a set of letters intended for secular printing. In 1918, several more obsolete letters “left” the Russian alphabet: “Ѣ, ѣ” (yat), “Ѳ, ѳ” (fita), “V, ѵ” (Izhitsa), “Ъ, ъ” (er) and "b, b" (er).
For a thousand years, many letters have disappeared from our alphabet, and only two have appeared: “y” and “ё”. They were invented in the 18th century by the Russian writer and historian N.M. Karamzin.
Comparative analysis of the modern Russian alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet of the pre-Petrine era
The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters. We compared the Cyrillic alphabet with the modern Russian alphabet and got an interesting picture. For clarity, we have compiled a table.
Table 1
|
Modern alphabet |
Cyrillic letter name |
A comment |
|
preserved |
||
|
beeches |
preserved |
|
|
lead |
preserved |
|
|
verb |
preserved |
|
|
good |
preserved |
|
|
There is |
preserved |
|
|
added |
||
|
live |
preserved |
|
|
green |
lost |
|
|
Earth |
preserved |
|
|
lower (8-decimal) |
preserved |
|
|
added |
||
|
and (decimal) |
lost |
|
|
what |
preserved |
|
|
People |
preserved |
|
|
think |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
preserved |
||
|
peace |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
word |
preserved |
|
|
firmly |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
firth |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
omega |
lost |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
worm |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
preserved |
||
|
preserved |
||
|
er |
preserved |
|
|
preserved |
||
|
lost |
||
|
added |
||
|
preserved |
||
|
added |
||
|
And iotized |
lost |
|
|
E iotized |
lost |
|
|
yus small |
lost |
|
|
yus big |
lost |
|
|
yus small iotated |
lost |
|
|
jus big iotated |
lost |
|
|
lost |
||
|
lost |
||
|
fita |
lost |
|
|
izhitsa |
lost |
It turned out that during the existence of the Russian alphabet, based on the Cyrillic alphabet, 28 letters were preserved, 4 were added and 14 letters were lost. However, philologists may recognize my conclusions as inaccurate, because the added letters are not reinvented, but only replace sounds or combinations of sounds. For example, the lost letter "E iotized" can be recognized as the prototype of the modern letter "E", and the letter "small yus" - the prototype of the letter "I". But in any case, my research will make someone think and look at the usual letters of the alphabet from a slightly different angle. I, in turn, am sure that each of the Russian letters deserves a separate study.
6. Conclusion
It is difficult even to imagine what a nation without an alphabet would be like. Ignorant, ignorant, and simply - people without memory, without a past. It is with the help of writing that you can transmit information, share experience with descendants.
More than 1000 years ago, the Slavic scribes brothers Cyril and Methodius became the authors of the Slavic alphabet. Nowadays, one tenth of all existing languages (about 70 languages) are written in Cyrillic.
Every spring on May 24, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is celebrated all over Russia. Every person who does not want to lose his connection with the past and history of his people should know and honor the history of the emergence of the Slavic alphabet.
Bibliographic list
Artemov V. V. Slavic Encyclopedia / V. Artemov. - Moscow: OLMA Media Group, 2011. - 304 p. : ill.
Vereshchagin E. M. Cyril and Methodius book heritage: interlingual, intercultural, intertemporal and interdisciplinary research: with two applications: [dedicated to the 1150th anniversary of the beginning of the book activity of St. Cyril and Methodius] / E. M. Vereshchagin; Ros. acad. Sciences, Institute of the Russian Language.
Days of Slavic Literature and Culture: Materials of the Intern. scientific-practical. conf., May 23, 2008, Vladimir / [editor. : V. V. Gulyaeva (editor-in-chief)]. - Vladimir: VlGU, 2008. - 231 p.
Baiburova, R. How did the writing of the ancient Slavs / R. Baiburova / Science and life. - 2002. - No. 5. - S. 48-55.
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 had never been to Ancient Rus', without the Cyrillic alphabet, the formation of Russian culture and literature would have been 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 PolyakovCyril 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 science 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 at the higher educational institution of Constantinople - the 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, Slavic writing and books translated into Slavic 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 Kiev 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 ancient Roman basilica, called the Great Mary.
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).
On May 24, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.
The name of these saints is known to everyone from school, and it is to them that all of us, native speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.
Incredibly, all European science and culture was born within the walls of the monastery: it was at the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and vast libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many writing systems were created. This happened with the Slavic language.
The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality of the Byzantine Empire. This gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language.
Soon, however, he decided to leave the secular way of life and became a monk in a monastery on Mount Olympus. Constantine from childhood expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the young emperor Michael III at the royal court
Then he took monastic vows in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.
His brother Konstantin, who took the name Cyril in monasticism, from an early age was distinguished by great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.
Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars for the gospel sermon. According to legend, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Konstantin found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a man who spoke Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.
When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in their native language for the Slavs.
The first of the Slavic peoples who converted to Christianity were the Bulgarians. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held as a hostage. She was baptized with the name Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of holy faith. Around the year 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching they greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.
To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavonic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (Gospel, Apostle, Psalter) into Slavonic. This happened in 863.
In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine Liturgy in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they filed a complaint with Rome.
Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (the Pope), discovered by them back in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Upon learning that the brothers were carrying holy relics, Pope Adrian met them with honor and approved worship in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.
Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: having returned to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the life of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoj received holy baptism from him. His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the middle of the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieczyslaw married the Bohemian princess Dąbrowka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.
Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were cut off from the Greek Church under the rule of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But among all the Slavs, despite the past centuries, the memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them is still alive. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Where did our alphabet come from? Who doesn't know this! A long time ago, two Bulgarians, Cyril and Methodius, came to Rus' and invented the Cyrillic alphabet. But that's not the case! Their names were not Cyril or Methodius at all, they were not born in Bulgaria, they did not come to Rus' and did not create the Cyrillic alphabet! Like this? And what happened then? And there were amazing journeys and adventures of the holy brothers, enlighteners of the Slavs. Let's follow their path from the very beginning!
About the time in which Cyril and Methodius lived
In the 9th century, there were two great Christian empires in the vastness of Europe: one was Byzantium with its capital in Constantinople, the other was the Frankish Empire. In 843, it was divided among the heirs of King Charlemagne into several kingdoms. Between these empires stretched lands inhabited mainly by pagan Slavs. By that time, Greek became the official language in Byzantium, and Latin in the possessions of the Franks, although in everyday life the inhabitants of all these states used a variety of languages.
And what happened in those days on the lands where Rus' later arose? Slavic tribes lived there - glades, drevlyans, krivichi, vyatichi and others. The state of the Rus was just in its infancy.
About how the brothers broke up and then met
On the shores of the Aegean Sea lies the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki, or, as the Slavs called it, Thessalonica. Representatives of different nations lived in this big city. There were also a lot of Slavs here, so many people in these places spoke the Slavic language. He was also known in the family of an officer named Leo. The eldest of his seven sons, the strongest and most courageous, was called Michael. The younger, sickly, "big-headed", but very gifted boy, bore the name Konstantin.
The brothers were friends, the elder always took care and protected the younger.
Michael, following the example of his father, chose a military career. Soon he achieved great success in his service - he became the head of one of the provinces of Byzantium, where the Slavs lived. For ten years, Michael honestly managed the lands entrusted to him, and then he decided to retire from the world and went to Mount Small Olympus, on the southern coast of the Sea of Marmara. There was a monastery there. Michael took the vows as a monk, taking the name Methodius.
And the younger brother, Konstantin, went to study in Constantinople. There he showed himself so well that he was appointed to help study the future Byzantine king - the minor heir Michael. The most respected teachers of that era instructed the boys in grammar and astronomy, geometry and philosophy, music and arithmetic ... Konstantin studied more than six languages! Including in perfection - Slavic.
Click to listen to the program The young man refused a profitable marriage, firmly deciding to devote himself to the sciences. Then the Byzantine empress and the Patriarch, wanting to bring Constantine closer to themselves, persuaded him to take holy orders and become a librarian at the temple. Later, Konstantin became a teacher of philosophy and even received the nickname Philosopher.
The Byzantine king and patriarch greatly appreciated the young scientist, invited him to councils and disputes, where Constantine spoke on an equal footing with the venerable sages. In 852, when the Philosopher was only 24 years old, he was even sent to Samara, the capital of the Arab Caliphate. They sent it because the Arabs often scolded the Christian faith during negotiations with Byzantium. Literate people were needed who could change the opinion of the Arabs about Christianity. Konstantin joined the embassy, and took part in long disputes about faith. In Samara, a young man surprised Arab scholars with reasonable statements and excellent knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Home, in Constantinople, the Arabs saw him off with honor and generous gifts.
Shortly after his return, Constantine left the capital and went to the Lesser Olympus, to his elder brother Methodius.
Here the brothers are finally reunited after a long separation. They lived together in a monastery, studied the works of the holy fathers, prayed and worked. But their quiet retreat soon ended.
About how Methodius and Constantine went to the Khazars
At that time, ambassadors from the Khazars came to Tsar Michael. This was the name of the people who lived far north of Byzantium, in the Khazar Khaganate, next to the future ancient Russian lands (now it is Dagestan, part of the Crimea, the Don and the Lower Volga region). The Khazars asked to send them wise people who would tell about the teachings of Christ. The Khazar kagan - the supreme ruler, "khan of khans" - chose at that time what faith to accept: Islam, Judaism or Christianity.
Tsar Michael appointed Constantine as an envoy to the Khazars, and he persuaded his brother, a former warrior, to help him on a dangerous and long journey.
The path through the steppes was not easy! The wild tribes of the Ugrians, who, as the chronicler testifies, walked in skins and howled like wolves, attacked the caravans of travelers. According to legend, the robbers also attacked the brothers when they stopped in the steppe for prayer. Konstantin was not frightened, he just kept repeating: “Lord, have mercy!..” When the saint finished his prayer, the fierce Ugrian people suddenly subsided, began to bow to him and ask for teachings. Having received a blessing, the robbers released the monks, and they safely continued on their way.
Constantine and Methodius had an important and lengthy stop on the way to Khazaria in the Crimean city of Khersones, or, in Slavic, Korsun, which is not far from present-day Sevastopol. Preparing for the upcoming mission, the holy brothers continued to study the Khazar and Hebrew languages, and improved in Slavic.
In Chersonese, thanks to Methodius and Constantine, a real miracle happened! In those places, not far from the coast, the relics of the revered Christian Saint Clement, the closest disciple of the Apostle Peter, were hidden in the sea. Clement was executed in Chersonese, in exile, at the very beginning of the 2nd century AD. Cyril and Methodius persuaded the local bishop to find the relics of the saint.
After sunset, the brothers, along with the bishop and many clergy, boarded a ship and set sail for the sea. There they prayed fervently for a long time. At midnight a light suddenly shone from the sea! Holy relics appeared before the astonished priests. They were put on a ship, taken to the city and placed in the Apostolic Church. The brothers took part of the relics with them on a journey, in order to eventually take them to Rome.
From Chersonese, Constantine and Methodius made a long journey by sea and land until they reached the Caucasus Mountains, where the kagan, the ruler of Khazaria, was then located.
In the Khan's palace, the brothers were greeted with honor and received a letter from them from Tsar Michael. In long conversations with Muslims, Jews and Khazars, Constantine explained the subtleties of the Christian faith, referring to the Old Testament, to the ancient prophets and forefathers, who were recognized and honored by both Jews and Muslims - Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Saul ...
The noble Khazars, who heard the long disputes of Jews, Muslims and Christians, liked the speeches of the young Byzantine preacher Constantine so much that two hundred of them accepted the Christian faith. As a sign of gratitude, the Khazars released more than two hundred Greek captives from the kaganate, along with Methodius and Constantine.
The brothers set out on their way back to Constantinople. The returning envoys were received in the royal palace with triumph, as real apostles.
Methodius became abbot of the Polychronius Monastery on the Small Olympus, and Constantine settled at the church. Again, their rest was short.
About letters for Great Moravia
Great Moravia (now it is the territory of the Czech Republic) was baptized by German missionaries long ago. They also translated into Slavonic, but they translated only the most necessary prayers and teachings for the parishioners. In the churches, the believers heard only Latin, did not understand it, and therefore the German priests could explain the Christian doctrine to them in the way they wanted. It was still impossible for illiterate peasants to check whether they were telling the truth.
In 862, the Moravian prince Rostislav turned to Tsar Michael: “Our people rejected paganism and adopted the Christian law. Only we do not have such a teacher who would explain the faith of Christ to us in our language. Send us a bishop and a teacher!”
Tsar Michael responded to the request of Rostislav and first of all called the Philosopher Constantine educated in languages:
- After all, you and your brother come from Thessaloniki (this is another name for the city of Thessaloniki, native to Cyril and Methodius), and the Thessalonians all speak Slavonic well. So you go to the Slavs in Moravia.
Constantine was unwell at the time, but agreed to go to a distant land. He only asked:
- Do the inhabitants of Moravia have letters in their language?
Michael replied:
- No, they don't.
- How will I preach to them? - the Philosopher was upset. - It's like recording a conversation on the water. In addition, if the Slavs misunderstand me, it will turn out that I am preaching heresy - the wrong church teaching!
- If you want, God will give you what you ask for! - the Byzantine king assured Constantine. He understood that not only Moravia needed the creation of a written Slavic language - the new language would help the Byzantine Empire to convert thousands and thousands of pagan Slavs to Christianity!
Constantine again went to the Small Olympus to Methodius. There he prayed, fasted for forty days, and then set to work. The brothers faced a very difficult task, but Cyril was able to come up with letters that took into account all the peculiarities of the pronunciation of the Slavs. The holy brothers took as a basis the dialects of the Slavs who lived not far from Thessalonica and created the Glagolitic alphabet, which is also understandable to the inhabitants of other parts of the Slavic world. Why? Because at that time the Slavs had a single language - different Slavic tribes and nationalities spoke approximately the same way and understood each other perfectly.
Constantine had to translate into a new language the Holy Scriptures, a very complex text. Many of the words used there simply did not exist in the Slavic language, they had to be created anew. Such a complex work was undertaken by the holy philosopher. By Easter, the translation of the beginning of the Gospel of John into the new Slavic language was ready. Having completed their work, the holy brothers again set off on their journey.
In Moravia, Methodius and Constantine began by going to schools with local children. Schools prepared future clergy and for this they taught children the Latin language. The brothers showed the students a new, Slavic alphabet and books translated into Slavic.
The local prince Rostislav, under the command of Constantine and Methodius, began to build new churches, where services were held in the Slavic language.
The philosopher and his students continued to translate church services, people in Moravia finally began to understand what the prayers say and how to praise God correctly.
Unfortunately, the German priests did not like the apostolic activity of the brothers. The Germans were convinced that divine services could only be held in three languages - Latin, Hebrew and Greek. This was an erroneous opinion then widespread in Latin Western Europe, which was later called the “trilingual heresy”. Konstantin heatedly argued with the Germans, recalling the words of the ancient prophet David: “Praise the Lord in all languages!” and the words of the Gospel: "Go and teach all languages ...", that is, he convinced everyone that it is possible to praise God in any language.
Constantine and Methodius spent more than three years in Moravia. They went around many lands, equipped schools, taught people everywhere the Slavic script and the word of God. Many disciples from the Slavs were ready to become priests and deacons, but only a bishop could give them holy orders. And then there was no bishop in Moravia. In addition, Western high-ranking clergy, dissatisfied with the popularity of Byzantine preachers, sent a complaint to Rome that Constantine and Methodius were teaching the Slavs worship in the Slavic language.
To defend their innocence, Constantine and Methodius had to go to Rome. They took with them the relics of St. Clement, which they brought from Chersonesus.
How the Holy Brothers Came to the Eternal City
On the way to Rome, Constantine and Methodius stopped in Pannonia, in the Blaten Principality (it was located near Lake Blaten, modern Balaton - the territory of Hungary, eastern Austria and southwestern Slovakia). Prince Kozel ruled there. He received the brothers very cordially, and the Byzantines stayed at Kotsel for about half a year. The prince gathered 50 students from his people, and together with them he learned the Slavic alphabet from Constantine and Methodius. Saying goodbye, Kotsel offered rich gifts to the preachers, but they refused. They only asked to release nine hundred Greek captives, which was done.
Then the saints moved to the Adriatic Sea, from there they arrived with their disciples in the Italian city of Venice. In the city on the water, they met and again argued a lot, heatedly with the priests, who also fell into the heresy of “trilingualism”. Proving that he was right here too, Constantine recalled the words of the Apostle Paul: “Does not God rain equally on everyone, or does the sun not shine for everyone, or does not the whole creation breathe the same air? How dare you not be ashamed to think that besides the three languages, all other tribes and languages must be blind and deaf.”
The Byzantine listed the peoples who pray to the Christian God in their own language - Armenians, Persians, Abkhazians, Iberians, Sughds, Goths, obras, Turks, Kozars, Arabians, Egyptians, Syrians and many others. “Let every breath praise the Lord!”
In Rome, the chief bishop Adrian with the priests met Constantine and Methodius "as angels of God." The relics of St. Clement were considered the greatest relic, so the people who delivered the shrine were given every honor and patronage. Adrian approved the service in the Slavic language and blessed the translations made by the brothers. Slavic books were placed on the altar in the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and in San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the largest Roman churches of that time. The brothers were allowed to hold the main service in Slavonic - the liturgy in the Church of the Apostle Peter.
The trip to Rome was Constantine's last journey. A year after arriving in the Eternal City, the forty-year-old educator, who was in poor health, caught a serious cold. Konstantin the Philosopher bequeathed to his older brother, faithful comrade and defender: “You and I are like two oxen: one fell from a heavy burden, the other must continue on his way.”
Fifty days before his death, Konstantin took the vows as a monk with the name Cyril. Methodius wanted to take his brother's body to be buried at home, but, on the advice of the Roman bishop, Cyril was buried in the church of St. Clement, next to the relics that the brothers brought to Rome. From that moment on, Cyril began to be revered as a saint. And Methodius had to continue the work that the brothers started together.
About the long wanderings of Methodius
After some time, the prince of Pannonia, Kotsel, asked the bishop of Rome to send Methodius to him again.
Bishop Adrian II of Rome confirmed that Methodius had the right to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavonic language and appointed him his official envoy. Great Moravia and Pannonia were now lands entrusted to Methodius.
On the way to Pannonia, Methodius stopped in Great Moravia. And there everything had already changed: Prince Rostislav, who had previously received the holy brothers so cordially, no longer led the country. On the throne was his nephew Svyatopolk. This ruler again opened the country to German missionaries, and those, of course, did not want to see a rival preacher nearby who teaches and serves in the “wrong” language. In 870, during the campaign of King Louis the German against Moravia, Methodius was captured. The German bishops took advantage of this: Methodius was accused of seizing foreign church territories, arrested, tried and sent into exile in Swabia, a region in the southwest of modern Germany, to one of the monasteries. There, in prison, together with some of his students, he spent almost three years. No one reported this to Rome; there was no one to protect the saint.
Methodius suffered a lot in prison - both hunger and deprivation ... In the end, the news of the metropolitan's misfortunes nevertheless reached the new Bishop of Rome, John VIII. He immediately gave a stern order to release the prisoner.
Methodius was acquitted, his rights were restored, and the land that the metropolitan nourished (that is, he took care of, was responsible for) was returned.
Having reached Great Moravia, the saint, surrounded by his disciples, continued his apostolic labors: he translated liturgical books into Slavonic, preached the teachings of Christ to the locals, converted the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila to Christianity.
Methodius' ministry was not cloudless. The authorities changed, and he was either honored and helped in everything, then again accused of heresy, oppressed, prevented from holding services in the Slavic language. At such moments, only the intervention of Rome saved the saint. Methodius became an archbishop, translated into Slavic almost the entire Old Testament, a collection of church canons, secular laws, and many books.
Methodius had to travel a lot: from Pannonia to Moravia, from there to Rome, again to Moravia, to Constantinople and again to Moravia ... In the forests along the way he was attacked by robbers, at sea he fell into storms more than once, on the rivers he almost drowned in deep pools. But despite the trials, the saint did not leave the service until his death in 885. He was buried in the capital of Great Moravia, Velehrad. They buried him in Slavic, Greek and Latin. Before his death, Methodius appointed his successor. It was Gorazd of Ohrid, a Slav, an archbishop, who not only preserved the legacy of Cyril and Methodius, but also, together with other disciples of the holy brothers, took part in the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet based on the Glagolitic script that we use today.
Why was the Cyrillic alphabet needed if there was already a Glagolitic alphabet? In Cyrillic, the lettering is very similar to the Greek alphabet. And in those days everyone knew it - Greek was, as they would say now, “the language of interethnic communication”, like English today. The Cyrillic alphabet looked more familiar and was easier to perceive by scientists, and merchants, and princes, and ordinary people, although all letters, all sounds were transferred to it from the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius - Glagolitic.
All alphabets created after the Nativity of Christ are inextricably linked with the adoption of Christianity by the peoples. And the Goths, and the Ethiopians, and the Slavs received their alphabets and their own literary languages only after baptism. The holy brothers understood that Christ's teaching is addressed to all peoples, and it is difficult for illiterate people to preach. Thanks to Cyril and Methodius, the Slavs received not only the gospel and worship in their native language, but also the opportunity to read Byzantine books.
Almost a thousand years after the birth of the Savior, Rus' was also baptized. The heritage of the holy brothers and their disciples has become available to us. The Russians got acquainted with the books of Cyril, Methodius and their students, and began to write their own books! Old Russian literature appeared: Metropolitan Hilarion's "Sermon on Law and Grace", Vladimir Monomakh's "Instruction", "The Tale of Boris and Gleb" and others. We are rightfully the successors and custodians of the legacy of Cyril and Methodius.
Glagolitic
Constantine got an alphabet of 41 letters (later reduced to 30). Only it was not known to us Cyrillic , and the other, the first Slavic alphabet - Glagolitic . The name may have come from the fourth letter of the alphabet - "verb", which meant "word". "verb" - to speak. It turns out that with the help of the Glagolitic letters, the sacred books spoke to the Slavs in their native language.
Konstantin came up with a completely new alphabet. Its letters, by their very form, were ideally suited for preaching, as they were combinations of Christian elements symbolizing Christian teaching: the cross - the Passion of Christ, the circle - Divine perfection, the triangle - the Holy Trinity.
The Glagolitic alphabet lasted the longest in Croatia, the last printed edition was published in Rome at the beginning of the last century, however, the letters changed outwardly under the influence of Western Gothic letters.
Cyrillic
The Cyrillic alphabet - Cyrillic - was compiled later, after the death of the holy brothers, on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet in sound and Greek writing in writing. It is believed that the new alphabet was compiled by the disciples of Methodius, who found shelter in Bulgaria after they were expelled by the authorities from Great Moravia.
Why was the Cyrillic alphabet needed and subsequently became popular, if there was already a Glagolitic alphabet? The fact is that the Cyrillic alphabet is very similar in writing to the Greek alphabet, which was then widespread. Liturgical books were rewritten in Greek letters, so it was more convenient and understandable for the Slavs to write in a similar Cyrillic alphabet. Today Cyrillic is written in Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Abkhazia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, South Ossetia...
Take our little quiz and find out if you have carefully read the story of the enlightenment brothers!
It is extremely difficult for a modern person to imagine a time when there was no alphabet. All these letters that we are taught at school desks appeared quite a long time ago. So in what year did the first alphabet appear, which, I'm not afraid of this phrase, changed our lives?
In what year did the Slavic alphabet appear?
Let's start with the fact that 863 is recognized as the year when the Slavic alphabet appeared. She owes her "birth" to two brothers: Cyril and Methodius. Once the ruler Rostislav, who owns the throne of Great Moravia, turned to Michael, the emperor of Byzantium, for help. His request was simple: send preachers who spoke Slavic and thus promote Christianity among the people. The emperor took into account his request and sent two outstanding scientists at that time! 
Their arrival coincides with the year when the alphabet appeared, because the brothers faced the problem of translating the Holy Scripture into the language of the Slavs. By the way, there was no alphabet then. This means that the basis of the whole attempt to translate the holy speeches to ordinary people was missing.
The time when the first alphabet appeared can be safely called the moment of the birth of the modern language and the alphabet, the development of the culture and history of the Slavs themselves. The creation of the Slavic alphabet in 863 was a significant day!
A curious fact about abzuki in general: Louis Braille invented almost 1000 years later. When they ask you, they say, the creation of the Slavic alphabet in what year began, then you will be able to answer! And also read. It's educational too!
