When Cyril and Methodius created the Slavic alphabet. How writing developed in the Slavic lands

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 monastery walls: 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 the peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many scripts were created. So it happened with the Slavic language.

The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family who lived in the Greek city of Thessalonia. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality 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 at the monastery on Mount Olympus. Constantine from childhood expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the juvenile emperor Michael III at the royal court

Then he became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.

His brother Constantine, who took the name Cyril as a monk, was distinguished from an early age with great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.

Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars to preach the gospel. According to legend, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Konstantin found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a person 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 the native language of the Slavs.

The Bulgarians were the first of the Slavic peoples to convert to Christianity. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held hostage. She was baptized with the name of Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of the holy faith. Around 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching contributed much 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 Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter) into the Slavic language. This happened in 863.

In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops who served in the Moravian churches at Latin and they filed a complaint with Rome.

Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (Pope), discovered by them in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Having learned that the brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian greeted them with honor and approved the divine service 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 lifetime of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoy 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 Mechislav married the Bohemian princess Dombrovka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.

Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were torn away from the Greek Church under the authority of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But all the Slavs, in spite of the past centuries, still have a memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them. 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

Cyril and Methodius are Slavic first teachers, great preachers of Christianity, canonized not only by the Orthodox, but also by the Catholic Church.

The life and work of Cyril (Constantine) and Methodius are reproduced in sufficient detail on the basis of various documentary and chronicle sources.

Cyril (826-869) received this name when tonsured into the schema 50 days before his death in Rome, he lived all his life with the name Constantine (Constantine the Philosopher). Methodius (814-885) - monastic name of the saint, worldly name is unknown, presumably his name was Michael.

Cyril and Methodius are brothers. They were born in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in Macedonia (now the territory of Greece). Since childhood, they have mastered well the Old Slavonic language - Old Bulgarian. From the words of Emperor Michael III "Solunians" - all speak the Slavic language purely.

Both brothers lived mainly a spiritual life, striving for the embodiment of their beliefs and ideas, not attaching importance to either sensual joys, or wealth, or career, or fame. The brothers never had any wives or children, wandered all their lives, never creating a home or a permanent refuge for themselves, and even died in a foreign land.

Both brothers went through life, actively changing it in accordance with their views and beliefs. But as traces of their deeds, only the fruitful changes they made in the people's life, and the vague stories of lives, traditions, and legends, remained.

The brothers were born into the family of Leo-Drungaria, a middle-rank Byzantine military leader from the city of Thessalonica. The family had seven sons, with Methodius the eldest, and Cyril the youngest of them.

According to one version, they came from a pious Slavic family who lived in the Byzantine city of Soluni. From a large number historical sources, mainly from the "Brief Life of Clement of Ohrid" it is known that Cyril and Methodius were Bulgarians. Since in the 9th century the First Bulgarian Kingdom was a multinational state, it is not entirely possible to determine exactly whether they were Slavs or Proto-Bulgarians, or even had other roots. The Bulgarian kingdom consisted mainly of the ancient Bulgarians (Turks) and Slavs, who were already forming a new ethnos - the Slavic Bulgarians, who retained the old name of the ethnos, but were already a Slavic-Turkic people. According to another version, Cyril and Methodius were of Greek origin. There is and alternative theory ethnic origin of Cyril and Methodius, according to which they were not Slavs, but Bulgars (Proto-Bulgarians). This theory also refers to the assumptions of historians that the brothers created the so-called. Glagolitic is an alphabet that is more similar to the Old Bulgarian than to the Slavic.

Little is known about the first years of Methodius' life. Probably, there was nothing outstanding in the life of Methodius until she crossed with the life of his younger brother. Methodius entered military service early and was soon appointed ruler of one of the Slavic-Bulgarian regions subject to Byzantium. Methodius spent about ten years in this position. Then he left the military-administrative service that was alien to him and retired to a monastery. In the 860s, having renounced the rank of archbishop, he became abbot of the Polykhron monastery on the Asian coast of the Sea of Marmara, near the city of Cyzicus. Here, in a quiet shelter on Mount Olympus, Constantine moved for several years, in the interval between travels to the Saracens and the Khazars. The elder brother, Methodius, walked a straight, clear path through life. Only twice did he change her direction: the first time - by leaving for a monastery, and the second - by returning again, under the influence of his younger brother, to active work and struggle.

Cyril was the youngest of the brothers, from infancy he showed extraordinary mental abilities, but his health was not different. The eldest, Mikhail, even in childhood games, defended the youngest, weak one with a disproportionately large head, with small and short arms. He will continue to protect his younger brother until his death - both in Moravia, and at the cathedral in Venice, and before the papal throne. And then he will continue the fraternal work in written wisdom. And holding hands, they will go down in the history of world culture.

Cyril was educated in Constantinople at the Magnavr School, the best educational institution Byzantium. The education of Cyril was taken care of by the State Secretary Theoktist himself. Before reaching the age of 15, Cyril had already read the works of the most thoughtful father of the church, Gregory the Theologian. A capable boy was taken to the court of Emperor Michael III, as a teaching companion to his son. Under the guidance of the best mentors - including Photius, the future famous Patriarch of Constantinople - Cyril studied ancient literature, rhetoric, grammar, dialectics, astronomy, music and other "Hellenic arts". The friendship of Cyril and Photius largely predetermined further destiny Cyril. In 850, Cyril became a professor at the Magnavr School. Refusing a profitable marriage and a brilliant career, Cyril was ordained a priest, and after secretly leaving for a monastery, he began to teach philosophy (hence the nickname Constantine - "Philosopher"). The closeness with Photius was reflected in the struggle of Cyril with the iconoclasts. He wins a brilliant victory over the experienced and ardent leader of the Iconoclasts, which undoubtedly brings Constantine wide fame. The wisdom and power of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the heretics-iconoclasts Annius in the debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to a dispute to debate the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Returning, Saint Constantine withdrew to his brother Saint Methodius on Olympus, spending time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.

The "Life" of the saint testifies that he knew Hebrew, Slavonic, Greek, Latin and Arabic languages... Having abandoned a lucrative marriage, as well as an administrative career proposed by the emperor, Cyril became the patriarchal librarian at Hagia Sophia. Soon he secretly retired for six months to a monastery, and upon his return he taught philosophy (external - Hellenic and internal - Christian) at the court school - the higher educational institution of Byzantium. Then he received the nickname "Philosopher", which remained with him forever. It was not for nothing that Constantine was nicknamed the Philosopher. Every now and then he would break out of noisy Byzantium somewhere into solitude. I read for a long time, pondered. And then, having accumulated another supply of energy and thoughts, he generously squandered it in travels, disputes, disputes, in scientific and literary creativity. Cyril's education was highly valued in the highest circles of Constantinople, he was often attracted to various diplomatic missions.

Cyril and Methodius had many students who became their true followers. Among them I would especially like to mention the Gorazd of Ohrid and Saint Naum.

Gorazd Ohridsky - a disciple of Methodius, the first archbishop of the Slavs - he was the archbishop of Mikulčica, the capital of Great Moravia. Honored by the Orthodox Church in the face of saints, commemorated July 27 (Julian calendar) in the Cathedral of the Bulgarian Enlighteners. In 885-886, during the reign of Prince Svyatopolk I, a crisis arose in the Moravian Church, Archbishop Gorazd entered into a dispute with the Latin clergy, headed by Vihtig, bishop of Nitrava, on whom at one time St. Methodius imposed an anathema. With the approval of the Pope, Vihtig expelled Gorazd from the diocese and with him 200 priests, and he himself took his place as archbishop. At the same time, Kliment Ohridsky also fled to Bulgaria. They took with them the works created in Moravia and settled in Bulgaria. Those who did not obey - according to the testimony of the Life of St. Clement of Ohrid - were sold into slavery to Jewish merchants, from which they were ransomed by the ambassadors of Emperor Basil I in Venice and transported to Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, students created world-famous literary schools in Pliska, Ohrid and Preslavl, from where their works began to move across Russia.

Naum is a Bulgarian saint, especially revered in modern Macedonia and Bulgaria. Saint Naum, together with Cyril and Methodius, as well as with his ascetic Clement Ohridski, is one of the founders of Bulgarian religious literature. Bulgarian Orthodox Church includes Saint Nahum among the Seven Numbers. In 886-893 he lived in Preslav, becoming the organizer of a local literary school. Then he created a school in Ohrid. In 905, he founded a monastery on the shores of Lake Ohrid, today named after him. His relics are also stored there.

Mount St. Naum on the island of Smolensk (Livingston) is also named after him.

In 858, Constantine, on the initiative of Photius, became the head of the mission to the Khazars. During the mission, Constantine replenishes his knowledge of the Hebrew language, which was used by the educated elite of the Khazars after they accepted Judaism. On the way, during a stop in Chersonesos (Korsun), Constantine discovered the remains of Clement, Pope of Rome (I-II centuries), who died, as they thought, here in exile, and took some of them to Byzantium. The journey into the interior of Khazaria was filled with theological disputes with the Mohammedans and Jews. The whole course of the dispute Konstantin later outlined on Greek to report to the patriarch; later this report, according to legends, was translated into Slavic by Methodius, but, unfortunately, this work did not reach us. At the end of 862, the prince of Great Moravia (the state of the Western Slavs) Rostislav turned to the Byzantine emperor Michael with a request to send preachers to Moravia who could spread Christianity in the Slavic language (sermons in those parts were read in Latin, unknown and incomprehensible to the people). The emperor summoned Saint Constantine and said to him: "You must go there, for no one can do this better than you." Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, began a new feat. Constantine goes to Bulgaria, converts many Bulgarians to Christianity; according to some scholars, during this trip he begins his work on the creation of the Slavic alphabet. Constantine and Methodius arrived in Great Moravia using the southern Slavic dialect of Soluni (now - Thessaloniki), i.e. the center of that part of Macedonia, which from time immemorial and up to our time belonged to Northern Greece. In Moravia, the brothers taught to read and write and were involved in translation activities, and not only in rewriting books, persons who, undoubtedly, spoke some northwestern Slavic dialects. This is directly evidenced by lexical, derivational, phonetic and other linguistic discrepancies in the oldest Slavic books that have come down to us (in the Gospel, Apostle, Psalter, Menaion of the 10th - 11th centuries). An indirect evidence is the later practice of the Grand Duke Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, described in the Old Russian Chronicle, when he introduced Christianity in Russia as a state religion in 988. It was the children of his "deliberate child" (that is, the children of his courtiers and the feudal elite) that Vladimir attracted to "teaching the book", sometimes even forcibly, since the Chronicle reports that mothers cried about them as if they were dead.

After the translation was completed, the holy brothers were received with great honor in Moravia, and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops who celebrated Divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers, claiming that Divine services can be performed only in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin. Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages worthy to glorify God with them. But David cries out: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, praise the Lord, all the nations, let every breath praise the Lord! And the Holy Gospel says: Come teach all languages ... ”The German bishops were put to shame, but they became even more embittered and filed a complaint with Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue.

To be able to preach Christianity in the Slavic language, it was necessary to translate the Holy Scriptures into the Slavic language; however, the alphabet capable of transmitting Slavic speech did not exist at that time.

Constantine began to create the Slavic alphabet. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples of Gorazd, Clement, Sava, Naum and Angelar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into the Slavic language books without which Divine services could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. All these events date back to 863.

863 is considered the year of birth of the Slavic alphabet

In 863, the Slavic alphabet was created (the Slavic alphabet existed in two versions: the Glagolitic alphabet - from the verb - "speech" and the Cyrillic alphabet; until now, scientists have no consensus about which of these two options was created by Cyril). With the help of Methodius, a number of liturgical books were translated from Greek into Slavic. The Slavs were given the opportunity to read and write in their own language. The Slavs had not only their own, Slavic, alphabet, but also the first Slavic literary language was born, many words of which still live in Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavic languages.

Cyril and Methodius were the founders of the literary-written language of the Slavs - the Old Slavonic language, which in turn was a kind of catalyst for the creation of the Old Russian literary language, the Old Bulgarian and literary languages of other Slavic peoples.

The younger brother wrote, the older one translated his works. The younger created the Slavic alphabet, Slavic writing and book business; the elder practically developed what the younger had created. The younger was a talented scientist, philosopher, brilliant dialectician and subtle philologist; the elder is a capable organizer and practitioner.

Constantine, in the quiet of his refuge, was probably busy completing the work that stood in connection with his not new plans for the conversion of the pagan Slavs. He compiled a special alphabet for the Slavic language, the so-called "verb", and began translating the Holy Scriptures into Old Bulgarian. The brothers decided to return to their homeland and to consolidate their work in Moravia - to take with them some of the disciples, the Moravians, for enlightenment in hierarchical ranks. On the way to Venice, which lay through Bulgaria, the brothers stayed for several months in the Pannonian principality of Kocela, where, despite its church and political dependence, they did the same as in Moravia. Upon arrival in Venice, Constantine had a violent clash with the local clergy. Here, in Venice, unexpectedly for the local clergy, they are presented with a kind message from Pope Nicholas with an invitation to Rome. Having received the papal invitation, the brothers continued on their way with almost complete confidence of success. This was further facilitated by the sudden death of Nicholas and the accession to the papal throne of Adrian II.

Rome solemnly greeted the brothers and the shrine they brought, part of the remains of Pope Clement. Adrian II approved not only the Slavic translation of Holy Scripture, but also the Slavic divine service, consecrating the Slavic books brought by the brothers, allowing the Slavs to perform services in a number of Roman churches, and ordaining Methodius and his three disciples as priests. The influential prelates of Rome also reacted favorably to the brothers and their cause.

All these successes went to the brothers, of course, not easily. A skilful dialectician and an experienced diplomat, Constantine, skillfully used for this the struggle between Rome and Byzantium, and the vacillations of the Bulgarian prince Boris between the eastern and western churches, and Pope Nicholas' hatred for Photius, and Hadrian's desire to strengthen his shaky authority by acquiring the remains of Clement. At the same time, Byzantium and Photius were still much closer to Constantine than Rome and the popes. But for three and a half years of his life and struggle in Moravia, the main, only goal of Constantine was to strengthen the Slavic writing, Slavic book business and culture.

For almost two years, surrounded by sugary flattery and praise, combined with the hidden intrigues of the temporarily subdued opponents of the Slavic worship, Constantine and Methodius live in Rome. One of the reasons for their long delay was the ever worsening health of Constantine.

Despite weakness and illness, Constantine composes two new literary works: "Discovery of the relics of St. Clement" and a poetic hymn in honor of the same Clement.

A long and difficult journey to Rome, an intense struggle with the implacable enemies of the Slavic writing, undermined the already weak health of Constantine. At the beginning of February 869 he took to bed, took the schema and a new monastic name Cyril, and on February 14 he died. Departing to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother, Saint Methodius, to continue their common cause - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of true faith.

Before his death, Cyril said to his brother: “You and I, like two oxen, led the same furrow. I was exhausted, but do not think to leave the labors of teaching and retire to your mountain again ”. Methodius outlived his brother by 16 years. Enduring hardships and vilification, he continued the great work - the translation of sacred books into the Slavic language, the preaching of the Orthodox faith, the baptism of the Slavic people. Saint Methodius begged the Pope to allow him to take away his brother's body 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 Kotsel, sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, to the ancient throne of Saint Apostle Andronicus. After the death of Cyril (869), Methodius continued his educational activities among the Slavs in Pannonia, where the features of local dialects were also included in the Slavic books. Later, the Old Slavonic literary language was developed by the students of the Solunsk brothers in the Ohrid Lake region, then in Bulgaria proper.

With the death of a talented brother for the modest, but selfless and honest Methodius, a painful, truly cross path begins, strewn with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, dangers and failures. But the lonely Methodius stubbornly, in no way yielding to his enemies, goes this way to the very end.

True, on the threshold of this path, Methodius comparatively easily achieves a new great success. But this success gives rise to an even greater storm of anger and resistance in the camp of the enemies of Slavic writing and culture.

In the middle of 869, Adrian II, at the request of the Slavic princes, sent Methodius to Rostislav, his nephew Svyatopolk and Kotsel, and at the end of 869, when Methodius returned to Rome, elevated him to the rank of Archbishop of Pannonia, allowing worship in the Slavic language. Inspired by this new success, Methodius returns to Kocel. With the constant help of the prince, he develops, together with his students, a large and tireless work on the dissemination of Slavic worship, writing and books in the Principality of Blatene and in neighboring Moravia.

In 870 Methodius was sentenced to imprisonment on charges of violating the hierarchical rights to Pannonia.

He remained in prison, under the most difficult conditions, until 873, when the new Pope John VIII forced the Bavarian episcopate to release Methodius and return him to Moravia. Methodius is prohibited from Slavic worship.

He continues the business church structure Moravia. Contrary to the Pope's prohibition, Methodius continues to worship in the Slavic language in Moravia. This time Methodius also involved other Slavic peoples neighboring with Moravia in the circle of his activities.

All this prompted the German clergy to take new actions against Methodius. German priests turn Svyatopolk against Methodius. Svyatopolk writes a denunciation to Rome against his archbishop, accusing him of heresy, violating the canons of the Catholic Church and disobeying the pope. Methodius manages not only to justify himself, but even to persuade Pope John to his side. Pope John allows Methodius to worship in the Slavic language, but appoints him as bishop of Viching, one of Methodius's most ardent opponents. Wiching began to spread rumors about the condemnation of Methodius by the Pope, but was exposed.

Tired to the limit and exhausted by all these endless intrigues, forgeries and denunciations, feeling that his health was constantly weakening, Methodius went to rest in Byzantium. Methodius spent almost three years in his homeland. In the middle of 884 he returns to Moravia. Returning to Moravia, Methodius in 883. started translating the full text into Slavic canon books Holy Scripture (except Maccabean books). Having finished his hard work, Methodius weakened even more. IN last years During his life, Methodius' activity in Moravia proceeded under very difficult conditions. The Latin-German clergy in every possible way prevented the spread of the Slavic language as the language of the church. In the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated into the Slavic language the entire Old Testament, except the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomokanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).

Foreseeing the approach of death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as a worthy successor to himself. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 6, 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.

With the death of Methodius, his work in Moravia approached destruction. With the arrival of Vihing in Moravia, the persecution of the disciples of Constantine and Methodius began, the destruction of their Slavic church. Up to 200 clergy disciples of Methodius were expelled from Moravia. The Moravian people gave them no support. Thus, the case of Constantine and Methodius perished not only in Moravia, but also among the Western Slavs in general. But it got further life and flourishing among the southern Slavs, partly among the Croats, more - among the Serbs, especially among the Bulgarians and, through the Bulgarians - among the Russians, Eastern Slavs who united their destinies with Byzantium. This happened thanks to the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, who were expelled from Moravia.

From the period of activity of Constantine, his brother Methodius and their closest disciples, no written monuments have survived to us, except for the relatively recently discovered inscriptions on the ruins of the church of Tsar Simeon in Preslav (Bulgaria). It turned out that these ancient inscriptions were made not with one, but with two graphic varieties of Old Church Slavonic writing. One of them received the conditional name "Cyrillic" (from the name of Cyril, adopted by Constantine when he was tonsured a monk); the other got the name "Glagolitic" (from the Old Church Slavonic "verb", which means "word").

Cyrillic and Glagolitic were almost the same in their alphabetic composition. Cyrillic, according to the surviving manuscripts of the XI century. had 43 letters, and the Glagolitic alphabet had 40 letters. Out of 40 glagolic letters, 39 served to convey almost the same sounds as the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet. Like the letters of the Greek alphabet, the verbal and Cyrillic letters had, in addition to the sound, also a numerical meaning, i.e. were used to denote not only the sounds of speech, but also numbers. At the same time, nine letters were used to designate units, nine - for tens and nine - for hundreds. In Glagolitic, moreover, one of the letters denoted a thousand; in the Cyrillic alphabet a special sign was used to denote thousands. In order to indicate that the letter denotes a number, and not a sound, the letter was usually highlighted on both sides with dots and a special horizontal dash was put above it.

In the Cyrillic alphabet, as a rule, only letters borrowed from the Greek alphabet had numerical values: at the same time, the same numerical value that this letter had in the Greek numeric system was assigned to each of 24 such letters. The only exceptions were the numbers "6", "90" and "900".

Unlike the Cyrillic alphabet, in the Glagolitic alphabet, the first 28 letters in a row received a numerical value, regardless of whether these letters corresponded to the Greek ones or served to convey special sounds of Slavic speech. Therefore, the numerical meaning of most of the verbal letters was different from both Greek and Cyril letters.

The names of the letters in Cyrillic and Glagolitic were exactly the same; however, the time of the origin of these names is unclear. The order of the letters in the Cyril and Glagolic alphabets was almost the same. This order is established, Firstly, based on the numerical meaning of the Cyrillic and Glagolitic letters, secondly, on the basis of the acrostics of the 12th-13th centuries that have come down to us, and thirdly, on the basis of the order of the letters in the Greek alphabet.

Cyrillic and Glagolitic were very different in the form of their letters. In the Cyrillic alphabet, the shape of the letters was geometrically simple, clear and easy to write. Of the 43 letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, 24 were borrowed from the Byzantine charter, and the remaining 19 were built more or less independently, but in compliance with the uniform style of the Cyril alphabet. The shape of the letters of the Glagolitic alphabet, on the contrary, was extremely complex and intricate, with many curls, loops, etc. But the glagolic letters were graphically more original than the Cyril letters, much less like the Greek ones.

The Cyrillic alphabet is a very skillful, complex and creative reworking of the Greek (Byzantine) alphabet. As a result of careful consideration of the phonetic composition of the Old Church Slavonic language, the Cyril alphabet had all the letters necessary for the correct transmission of this language. The Cyrillic alphabet was also suitable for accurate transmission of the Russian language, in the 9th-10th centuries. the Russian language already differed somewhat phonetically from the Old Church Slavonic. The correspondence of the Cyrillic alphabet to the Russian language is confirmed by the fact that for more than a thousand years it was necessary to introduce only two new letters into this alphabet; multi-letter combinations and superscripts are not needed and almost never used in Russian. This is what determines the originality of the Cyril alphabet.

Thus, despite the fact that many letters of the Cyrillic alphabet coincide in form with the Greek letters, the Cyrillic alphabet (as well as the Glagolitic alphabet) should be recognized as one of the most independent, creatively and in a new way constructed alpha-sound systems.

The presence of two graphic varieties of Slavic writing still causes great controversy among scientists. Indeed, according to the unanimous testimony of all chronicle and documentary sources, Constantine developed some one Slavic alphabet. Which of these alphabet was created by Constantine? Where and when did the second alphabet come from? Closely related to these questions are others, perhaps even more important. Didn't the Slavs have some kind of writing before the introduction of the alphabet developed by Constantine? And if it existed, what was it?

A number of works by Russian and Bulgarian scientists have been devoted to the evidence of the existence of writing in the pre-Cyrillic period among the Slavs, in particular among the eastern and southern ones. As a result of these works, as well as in connection with the discovery of the oldest monuments of Slavic writing, the question of the existence of writing among the Slavs can hardly be doubted. This is evidenced by many of the most ancient literary sources: Slavic, Western European, Arab. This is confirmed by the indications contained in the treaties of the Eastern and Southern Slavs with Byzantium, some archaeological data, as well as linguistic, historical and general socialist considerations.

Fewer materials are available to address the question of what the oldest Slavic writing was and how it arose. Presumably, the pre-Cyril Slavic writing could be of only three types. So, in the light of the development of the general laws of the development of writing, it seems almost certain that long before the formation of ties between the Slavs and Byzantium, they had various local varieties of the original primitive pictographic writing, such as the "features and cuts" mentioned by Brave. The emergence of the Slavic writing of the "devil and cut" type should probably be attributed to the first half of the 1st millennium AD. NS. True, the oldest Slavic writing could only be a very primitive letter, which included a small, unstable and different assortment of the simplest pictorial and conventional symbols for different tribes. This writing could not turn into any developed and ordered logographic system.

The use of the original Slavic writing was also limited. These were, apparently, the simplest counting signs in the form of dashes and notches, generic and personal signs, property signs, signs for fortune telling, maybe primitive route charts, calendar signs that served to date the dates of the beginning of various agricultural work, pagan holidays, etc. NS. In addition to considerations of a sociological and linguistic order, the existence of such a letter among the Slavs is confirmed by quite numerous literary sources of the 9th-10th centuries. and archaeological finds. Having arisen in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, this letter was probably survivorly preserved among the Slavs even after the creation of an ordered Slavic alphabet by Cyril.

The second, even more undoubted type of pre-Christian writing of the Eastern and Southern Slavs was the letter, which can be conventionally called the "proto-Cyril" letter. The letter of the type "lines and cuts", suitable for designating calendar dates, for fortune-telling, counting, etc., was unsuitable for recording military and trade agreements, liturgical texts, historical chronicles and other complex documents. And the need for such records should have appeared among the Slavs simultaneously with the emergence of the first Slavic states. For all these purposes, the Slavs, even before their adoption of Christianity and before the introduction of the alphabet created by Cyril, undoubtedly used Greek letters in the east and south, and Greek and Latin letters in the west.

Greek writing, used by the Slavs for two or three centuries before their official adoption of Christianity, had to gradually adapt to the transmission of the peculiar phonetics of the Slavic language and, in particular, be replenished with new letters. This was necessary for the accurate recording of Slavic names in churches, in military lists, for recording Slavic geographical names etc. The Slavs have made great strides in adapting Greek writing to a more accurate transmission of their speech. For this, ligatures were formed from the corresponding Greek letters, the Greek letters were supplemented with letters borrowed from other alphabets, in particular from the Hebrew, which was known to the Slavs through the Khazars. This is how the Slavic "proto-Cyril" letter was formed. The assumption of such a gradual formation of the Slavic "proto-Cyril" letter is also confirmed by the fact that the Cyril alphabet in its later version, which has come down to us, was so well adapted for accurate transmission of Slavic speech that this could be achieved only as a result of its long development. These are the two undoubted varieties of pre-Christian Slavic writing.

The third, however, not undoubted, but only its possible variety can be called "protoglagolic" writing.

The process of forming a supposed protoglagolic writing could occur in two ways. Firstly, this process could proceed under the complex influence of Greek, Jewish-Khazar, and possibly also Georgian, Armenian and even runic Turkic writing. Under the influence of these writing systems, the Slavic "features and cuts" could gradually also acquire an alphabetic meaning, partially retaining their original form. Secondly, and some Greek letters could be graphically changed by the Slavs in relation to the usual forms of "lines and cuts". Like the Cyrillic alphabet, the formation of proto-glagolic writing could also begin among the Slavs no earlier than the 8th century. Since this letter was formed on the primitive basis of the ancient Slavic "features and cuts", insofar as by the middle of the 9th century. it had to remain even less precise and orderly than the proto-Cyril letter. In contrast to the proto-Cyrillic alphabet, the formation of which took place in almost the entire Slavic territory, which was under the influence of Byzantine culture, the proto-glagolic writing, if it existed, was first formed, apparently, among the Eastern Slavs. In the conditions of insufficient development in the second half of the 1st millennium A.D. political and cultural ties between the Slavic tribes, the formation of each of the three alleged types of pre-Christian Slavic writing should have occurred in different tribes in different ways. Therefore, we can assume the coexistence of not only these three types of writing among the Slavs, but also their local varieties. In the history of writing, cases of such coexistence were very frequent.

At present, the writing systems of all the peoples of Russia have been built on the basis of Cyril. Writing systems built on the same basis are also used in Bulgaria, partly in Yugoslavia and Mongolia. The letter, built on the Cyril basis, is now used by peoples who speak more than 60 languages. The greatest vitality, apparently, is possessed by the Latin and Cyril groups of writing systems. This is confirmed by the fact that more and more peoples are gradually switching over to the Latin and Cyril basis of writing.

Thus, the foundations laid by Contantin and Methodius more than 1100 years ago continue to be continuously improved and successfully developed up to the present time. At the moment, most researchers believe that Cyril and Methodius created the verb, and the Cyrillic alphabet was created by their students based on the Greek alphabet.

From the turn of the X - XI centuries. major centers Slavic writing are Kiev, Novgorod, the centers of other ancient Russian principalities... The oldest Slavic-language handwritten books that have come down to us, having the date of their writing, were created in Russia. These are the Ostromir Gospel of 1056-1057, Izbornik Svyatoslav 1073, Izbornik 1076, Arkhangelsk Gospel 1092, Novgorod Menaion dated 90s. The largest and most valuable fund of ancient manuscript books dating back to the Cyril and Methodius written heritage, as named, is located in the ancient depositories of our country.

The unshakable faith of two people in Christ and in their ascetic mission for the good of the Slavic peoples - this is what happened driving force the penetration, after all, of writing into Ancient Russia. The exceptional intelligence of one and the stoic courage of the other - the qualities of two people who lived very long before us, turned into the fact that we now write them in writing, and put together our picture of the world according to their grammar and rules.

It is impossible to overestimate the introduction of writing into Slavic society. This is the greatest Byzantine contribution to the culture of the Slavic peoples. And it was created by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Only with the establishment of writing begins true story the people, the history of its culture, the history of the development of its worldview, scientific knowledge, literature and art.

Cyril and Methodius never, in their life conflicts and wanderings, fell into the lands Ancient Rus... They lived more than a hundred years before they were officially baptized here and accepted their letters. It would seem that Cyril and Methodius belong to the history of other peoples. But it was they who radically turned the life of the Russian people upside down. They gave him the Cyrillic alphabet, which became the flesh and blood of his culture. And this is the greatest gift to people of a man-ascetic.

In addition to inventing the Slavic alphabet, during 40 months of their stay in Moravia, Constantine and Methodius managed to solve two problems: some of the liturgical books were translated into Church Slavonic (Old Slavic literary) language, and people who were able to serve on these books were trained. However, this was not enough for the spread of Slavic worship. Neither Constantine nor Methodius were bishops and could not ordain their disciples to priesthood. Cyril was a monk, Methodius was a simple priest, and the local bishop was opposed to Slavic worship. To give their activities an official status, the brothers and several of their disciples went to Rome. In Venice, Constantine entered into a discussion with opponents of worship in the national languages. The idea was popular in Latin spiritual literature that worship could only be performed in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. The brothers' stay in Rome was triumphant. Constantine and Methodius brought with them the relics of St. Clement, Pope, who, according to legend, was a disciple of the Apostle Peter. Clement's relics were a precious gift, and Constantine's Slavic translations were blessed.

The disciples of Cyril and Methodius were ordained priests, while the Pope sent a message to the Moravian rulers, in which he officially authorized the worship in the Slavic language: reason and true faith, so that it enlightens you, as you yourself asked, explaining to you in your language Holy Scripture, the entire liturgical rite and holy mass, that is, services, including baptism, as the philosopher Constantine began to do with God's grace and through the prayers of St. Clement. "

After the death of the brothers, their activities were continued by their disciples, expelled from Moravia in 886, in the South Slavic countries. (In the West, the Slavic alphabet and Slavic literacy did not resist; Western Slavs- Poles, Czechs ... - still use the Latin alphabet). The Slavic literacy firmly established itself in Bulgaria, from where it spread to the countries of the southern and eastern Slavs (IX century). Writing came to Russia in the X century (988 - the baptism of Russia). The creation of the Slavic alphabet was and still is of great importance for the development of Slavic writing, Slavic peoples, and Slavic culture.

The merits of Cyril and Methodius in the history of culture are enormous. Cyril developed the first ordered Slavic alphabet and thus marked the beginning of the widespread development of Slavic writing. Cyril and Methodius translated many books from Greek, which was the beginning of the formation of the Old Slavonic literary language and Slavic book business. Cyril and Methodius for many years carried out great educational work among the Western and South Slavs and greatly contributed to the spread of literacy among these peoples. There is information that Cyril also created original works. Cyril and Methodius for many years carried out great educational work among the Western and South Slavs and greatly contributed to the spread of literacy among these peoples. In the course of all their activities in Moravia and Panionia, Cyril and Methodius fought, in addition, an unceasing selfless struggle against the attempts of the German Catholic clergy to prohibit the Slavic alphabet and books.

Cyril and Methodius were the founders of the first literary-written language of the Slavs - the Old Slavonic language, which in turn was a kind of catalyst for the creation of the Old Russian literary language, the Old Bulgarian and literary languages of other Slavic peoples. The Old Slavic language was able to fulfill this role primarily due to the fact that it was not initially something solid and stagnant: it itself was formed from several Slavic languages or dialects.

Finally, evaluating the educational activities of the Solun brothers, it should be borne in mind that they were not missionaries in the generally accepted sense of the word: they did not engage in the Christianization of the population as such (although they contributed to it), for by the time of their arrival Moravia was already a Christian state.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Constantine began to create the Slavic alphabet. In his work, Methodius helped him, who also knew the Slavic language well, since a lot of Slavs lived in Soluni (the city was considered half-Greek, half-Slavic). In 863, the Slavic alphabet was created (the Slavic alphabet existed in two versions: the Glagolitic alphabet - from the verb - "speech" and the Cyrillic alphabet; until now, scientists have no consensus about which of these two options was created by Cyril). With the help of Methodius, a number of liturgical books were translated from Greek into Slavic. The Slavs were given the opportunity to read and write in their own language. The Slavs had not only their own, Slavic, alphabet, but also the first Slavic literary language was born, many words of which still live in Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavic languages.

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

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

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

The Bulgarian Church established the Day of Remembrance of Cyril and Methodius - May 11 according to the old style (May 24 according to the new style). The Order of Cyril and Methodius was also established in Bulgaria.

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

“Take care of our language, our beautiful Russian language, this treasure, this heritage passed down to us by our predecessors! .. Treat this powerful weapon with respect; in the hands of the skilled, it is able to perform miracles "

AND ABOUT. Turgenev

Slavic writing and culture are among the oldest in Europe. The Slavs owe the appearance of writing to the holy apostles Cyril and Methodius. History has put their names in line greatest sons humanity. It is to them that the Slavs owe the appearance of writing.

In 863, by order of Emperor Michael, the brothers were instructed to go to Slavic Moravia to teach local residents to worship in the Slavic language.

Cyril and Methodius, Kyrill und Method auf einer russischen Ikone des 18./19. Jh.

Methodius (approx. 815 or 820 - 885) and Cyril (approx. 826 or 827 - 869 rubles), were born and raised in Macedonia. The brothers' father, according to legend, was Bulgarian, and the mother was Greek. Perhaps this to some extent explains the interest and that selfless devotion to the cause of Slavic enlightenment, which is so characteristic of both brothers.

Methodius was at first in military service, but then he retired to a monastery.

Constantine (as a monk, Cyril) from childhood discovered extraordinary mental talents. Already at school, he achieved considerable success, in particular, in the study of theology. Constantine's abilities became known in the capital of the empire, and Emperor Michael III invited him as a companion to his son. Studying at the court of the emperor, under the guidance of experienced teachers and mentors, he quickly mastered all sciences, as well as many languages.

In Byzantium, Constantine had not only the best teachers of the empire at his disposal, but also the book treasures of the patriarchal library. He decided to become the patriarchal librarian. Then he taught in the same Constantinople high school, which he graduated from and where he received the respectful name of the Philosopher, which remained for him in history. He actively participated in various religious disputes with Muslims, Jews, Persians. His oratory skills grew stronger. In a dispute, he defeated the patriarch for the protection of icons. In Syria, he defended Christianity, the idea of a single God. The brothers carried out a mission-journey to the Khazars, visited Chersonesos, where Cyril found the “Gospel” and “Psalter” in Russian.

Before starting his missionary activity, Cyril developed and streamlined the Slavic alphabet. It consisted of 43 letters. Most of the letters were taken from the Greek alphabet, so they are similar to them. To designate sounds characteristic only of the Slavic language, 19 signs were invented. However, there was one significant flaw in it: it contained six Greek letters, superfluous in the transmission of the Slavic language.

Josef Mathauser Konstantin a Metoděj přišli na Velehrad

In Moravia, Cyril and Methodius began active work... The brothers and their students opened schools in which they began to teach the youth of Slavic writing. Thanks to the efforts of the brothers in Moravia, the translation of the entire annual cycle of worship, as well as the books necessary for it, was completed. Also during this time, several churches were built, in which worship was conducted in the Slavic language.

Slavs in their Original Homeland: Between the Turanian Whip and the sword of the Goths. 1912. Galerie hlavního města Prahy

The secret of the success of the mission of Cyril and Methodius was that the divine service was held on native people language. Cyril and Methodius translated texts from many Greek books, thus laying the foundation for the formation of the Old Slavonic book business. The educational work of the Slavs contributed to the spread of literacy among these peoples. The brothers overcame a difficult path of struggle. Cyril's whole life was filled with frequent difficult trips. The hardships and hard work affected his health. Cyril's health worsened. He died before he was 42 years old.

Methodius continues his activity. And now not only in Moravia, but also in neighboring Czech Republic and Poland. Methodius, exhausted by the continuous struggle with the German feudal lords and churchmen in 885, dies.

The brothers left behind more than two hundred disciples, who contributed to the fact that the Cyrillic alphabet spread in the Balkans, crossed the Danube and reached the borders of Ancient Russia. Cyril and Methodius are canonized by the church. The church equated their work with the apostolic deed. The day of their canonization - May 24, is proclaimed the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture in our today's calendars. This is one of the most important holidays of the fraternal Slavic peoples, in which the past and present, spirituality and culture are organically combined.

The memory of Cyril and Methodius is immortalized in monuments in all corners of the Slavic land. Slavic alphabet serves 10% of the world's population. She wrote "The Tale of the Past Years", "The Word about Igor's Campaign", other works Kievan Rus... The names of Cyril and Methodius are forever recorded in the history of the Slavic peoples.

And Methodius went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. Thanks to their activities, we can now read, express our thoughts in writing. This is quite well-known historical figures... There is even a short biography for children of Cyril and Methodius.

Worldly life of future saints

The two brothers were born in the city of Thessaloniki. Their father is a soldier under the governor of the city. The years of life of Cyril and Methodius in short biography belong to the XIV century AD.

The elder brother Methodius was born in 815, Cyril, at birth Constantine, was born in 827. Methodius, at birth Michael, was originally even appointed to the princely position. But the worldly vanity tired the young man. He gave up this privilege and was tonsured at the age of 37.

The younger brother Kirill consciously chose the spiritual path from the very beginning. Thanks to his curiosity and phenomenal memory, he won the favor of others. Cyril was sent to Byzantium, where he studied with the emperor himself. Having thoroughly studied geometry, dialectics, arithmetic, astronomy, rhetoric and philosophy, he became interested in the study of languages. His noble origins allowed him to enter into a profitable marriage and receive a high state office. But the young man decided to build his life differently. He got a job at the Hagia Sophia as a library curator, and later became a teacher at the university. He often took part in philosophical debates. For his excellent oratory and erudition, they began to call him the Philosopher. But worldly life is just a part of a short biography of Cyril and Methodius, which quickly ended. A new story has begun.

The beginning of the spiritual path

The life of the court did not suit Cyril, and he went to his brother in the monastery. But the spiritual silence and solitude that he so longed for, he never found. Cyril was a frequent participant in controversies related to issues of faith. He perfectly knew the canons of Christianity and often prevailed over opponents thanks to his intelligence and high knowledge.

Later, the emperor of Byzantium expressed a desire to attract the Khazars to the side of Christianity. Jews and Muslims have already begun to spread their religion on their territory. Cyril and Methodius were sent to enlighten the Khazar minds with Christian sermons. Their biography tells about an interesting case. On the way home, the brothers visited the city of Korsun. There they were able to get hold of the relics of St. Clement, the former Pope. After returning home, Cyril stayed in the capital, and Methodius went to the Polychrome monastery, which was located near Mount Olympus, where he received abbess.

Mission to Moravia

The biography of the brothers Cyril and Methodius is based on chronicle data. According to them, in 860 the ambassadors of Prince Rostislav of Moravia turned to the Byzantine emperor with a request to send preachers to praise Christianity. The emperor, without hesitation, assigned an important task to Cyril and Methodius. Their biography tells about the complexity of the assignment. It consisted in the fact that German bishops, who were aggressively disposed against the activities of anyone else, had already begun their activity in Moravia.

Arriving in Moravia, Cyril discovered that almost no one knew the Holy Scripture, since the service was performed in a language unknown to the people - Latin. Preachers from Germany were of the opinion that divine services can only be conducted in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, because it was in these languages that the inscriptions on the cross where Christ was crucified were. The Eastern clergy, however, recognized the conduct of services in any language.

The main task of the future saints was to create their own alphabet. After writing their alphabet, they began to rewrite the scriptures in a language understandable to the people. But in order to conduct divine services, it was necessary not only to create your own letter, but also to teach the people to read and write.

The clergy of Moravia was wary of such innovations, and later began to oppose them. An important factor was not only spiritual life, but also political life. Moravia actually submitted to the jurisdiction of the Pope, and the spread of the new letter and language was viewed there as an attempt to seize power by the Byzantine emperor through the hands of preachers. At that time, Catholicism and Orthodoxy were still one faith under the patronage of the Pope.

The vigorous activity of Cyril and Methodius aroused the indignation of the German bishops. Since Cyril always won the victory in religious disputes, the German preachers wrote a complaint to Rome. To resolve this issue, Pope Nicholas I called on the brothers to come to him. Cyril and Methodius were forced to embark on a long journey.

Creating the alphabet

The complete biography of Cyril and Methodius is filled with references to the origin of their greatest creation. Cyril knew the Slavic language well and therefore began to create the alphabet for the Slavs. His older brother actively helped him. The first alphabet was modeled on the Greek alphabet. The letters corresponded to the Greek ones, but had a different look, and Hebrew letters were taken for the characteristic Slavic sounds. This version of the alphabet was called a verb, from the word "verb" - to speak. Another version of the alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet.

Glagolitic is a set of sticks and symbols that echo Greek alphabet... Cyrillic is already a variant closer to the modern alphabet. It is believed that it was created by the followers of the saints. But disputes about the truth of this statement are still ongoing.

It is difficult to establish the exact date of the formation of the alphabet, since the primary source has not reached us, there are only minor or rewritten letters.

Metamorphoses of the first alphabet

As soon as Cyril and Methodius finished working on the creation of the Slavic writing system, they began to translate a number of books for worship. In this they were helped by many students and followers. This is how the Slavic literary language appeared. Some words from it have come down to our times in the Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Russian languages. The early version became the basis of the alphabet of all Eastern Slavs, but the later version was not forgotten either. It is now used in church books.

Initially, the Cyrillic letters were written separately from each other and were called the charter (charter letter), which eventually became a semi-charter. When the original letters were modified, the semi-ustav was replaced by cursive writing. Since the 18th century, during the reign of Peter I, some of the letters were excluded from the Cyrillic alphabet and called the Russian Civil Alphabet.

Cyril and Methodius in Rome

After the ups and downs with the German bishops, Cyril and Methodius were summoned to the Pope for trial. Going to the meeting, the brothers took with them the relics of St. Clement, previously brought from Korsun. But an unforeseen circumstance happened: Nicholas I died before the arrival of the future saints. They were met by his successor Adrian II. A whole delegation was sent out of the city to meet the brothers and the holy relics. As a result, the Pope gave his consent to conduct divine services in the Slavic language.

During the trip, Cyril became weak and did not feel well. He fell ill from illness and, foreseeing an early death, asked his older brother to continue their common cause. He accepted the schema, changing the worldly name Constantine to the spiritual name Cyril. His older brother had to return from Rome alone.

Methodius without Cyril

As promised, Methodius continued his activity. Pope Adrian II proclaimed Methodius bishop. He was allowed to conduct divine services in the Slavic language, but on condition that he must begin the service in Latin or Greek.

Upon returning home, Methodius took several disciples and began to translate the Old Testament into the Slavic language. He opened church schools and educated young, immature minds in matters of Orthodoxy. The population more and more abandoned the parishes where the services were conducted in Latin, and went over to Methodius's side. This period is one of the brightest episodes in the biography of Cyril and Methodius.

The sad fate of the followers

With the gradual growth of the authority of the German feudal lords and the change of power in the lands of Moravia, mass persecutions of Methodius and his followers began. In 870 he was arrested for "uncontrolled arbitrariness." Together with him, his associates are arrested.

They were imprisoned for six months until they were brought to trial. As a result of lengthy disputes, Methodius was defrocked and imprisoned in a monastery. Only when he got to Rome, he was able to refute empty accusations and regain the rank of archbishop. He continued his educational activities until his death in 885.

After his death, a ban was immediately issued on the conduct of services in the Slavic language. Death or slavery awaited his disciples and followers.

Despite all the difficulties, the brothers' work of life flourished with greater vigor. Thanks to them, many peoples have acquired their own written language. And for all the trials that the brothers had to endure, they were canonized - canonized. We know them as the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Everyone should know and honor the biography of Saints Cyril and Methodius as a tribute to their work.