Cyril and Methodius: why is the alphabet named after the youngest of the brothers? Prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teacher. Kirill's code
Description of the presentation by individual slides:
1 slide
Slide description:
Teachers of Slovenia Presentation on the topic: “Why were Cyril and Methodius canonized”
2 slide
Slide description:
3 slide
Slide description:
4 slide
Slide description:
WITH junior classes I was interested in the question “Why were Cyril and Methodius canonized?” I began to understand this issue. I read a lot of books and a lot of other literature. While studying literature, I learned that Saint Methodius first served, like his father, in a military rank. The king, having learned about him as good warrior, made him governor of one Slavic principality of Slavinia, which was under the Greek power. This happened at the special discretion of God and so that Methodius could better learn the Slavic language, as the future spiritual teacher and shepherd of the Slavs. Having served in the rank of governor for about 10 years and having experienced the vanity of everyday life, Methodius began to dispose his will to renounce everything earthly and direct his thoughts to the heavenly. Leaving the province and all the pleasures of the world, he became a monk on Mount Olympus
5 slide
Slide description:
And his brother Saint Constantine, from his youth, showed brilliant success both in secular and in religious and moral education. I also learned from books that Constantine studied with the young Emperor Michael. They studied from the best teachers Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Constantine received an excellent education and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages, but he especially diligently studied the works of St. Gregory the Theologian. Later he received the nickname Philosopher (wise). At the end of his studies, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed keeper of the patriarchal library at the Church of Saint Sophia
6 slide
Slide description:
But, neglecting all the benefits of his position, he retired to one of the monasteries near the Black Sea. Subsequently, he was almost forcibly returned to Constantinople and appointed a teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople. After young Constantine managed to defeat the leader of the heretical iconoclasts, Aninius, in a debate, he retired to his brother Methodius and for several years shared monastic exploits with him in a monastery on Olympus, where he first began to study Slavic language. Soon the emperor summoned both holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars to preach the gospel. On the way, they stopped for some time in the city of Korsun, preparing for the sermon.
7 slide
Slide description:
In Korsun, Saint Constantine found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in “Russian letters,” and a man speaking Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak his language. After this, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won the debate with Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. Subsequently, Constantine, with the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Sava, Naum and Angelyar, compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavic the books without which the Divine service could not be performed: the Gospel, the Psalter and selected services. According to some chroniclers, it is known that the first words written in the Slavic language were the words of the Apostle Evangelist John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word.” This was in 863. Studying further literature, I came to the conclusion that the brothers Cyril and Mythodiy really left a significant mark on the works of teachers
8 slide
Slide description:
After adopting the schema with the name Cyril, Constantine died at the age of 42, but before his death he asked his brother Mythodius: “You and I, like a friendly pair of oxen, drove the same furrow; I was exhausted, but don’t think about leaving the work of teaching and retiring to your mountain again.” Methodius fulfilled his brother’s will and continued the Gospel preaching among the Slavs. IN last years During his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated the entire Old Testament, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).
Slide 9
Slide description:
Methodius died on April 6, 885 at the age of 60. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages - Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad, the capital of Moravia. Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized in ancient times. In Russian Orthodox Church The memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners of the Slavs has been celebrated since the 11th century. The oldest services to saints that have survived to our time date back to the 13th century. Now, having learned about the enormous contribution of the brothers Cyril and Methodius, I can say that for Orthodox Russia the celebration of St. the first teachers have special meaning, since it was they who made an inexhaustible contribution to the development of the Slavic Divine Liturgy and writing.
Today, the Divine Liturgy was served in our church, 48 people received communion, and at the end of the service, a water-blessing prayer service was served to Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teachers.
The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius not only brought the light of Christ’s teaching to the Slavic peoples, but also made it possible to speak with God in our native language: they came up with what we now call the alphabet. Therefore, the Church called them equal to the apostles - equal to the apostles in terms of the significance of what they did for our faith.
The brothers were born in Macedonia (now a region in Greece, not to be confused with the country of Macedonia), in the city of Thessaloniki, in the family of a Byzantine military leader - Macedonia was part of Byzantine Empire. Most likely, their father was Greek, and their mother was a Bulgarian Slav, which is why they knew the Slavic language almost as well as Greek. The family was large: seven children, with Methodius being the oldest of the seven (he was born in 820 or earlier), and Cyril the youngest (he was born in 826).
The brothers adopted these names - Cyril and Methodius - later, when they were tonsured as monks. From birth, Cyril bore the name Constantine, and Methodius, presumably, Michael. At first, the fates of the brothers developed differently. Methodius did it very quickly military career, the pinnacle of which was the position of strategos (military leader) of the Macedonian province of Slavinia.
Konstantin devoted himself to science. From the age of 14, he was brought up in Constantinople with the son of Emperor Michael III, and studied with the best teachers of that time. He perfectly comprehended all the sciences that existed at that time, as well as many languages. Having matured, Constantine refused a profitable marriage with the goddaughter of one of the hierarchs of the Church of Constantinople: he had other plans for life. Constantine became a priest and was appointed custodian of the library of the main church in Constantinople - the Hagia Sophia. A library keeper is not a librarian in the current sense, but rather corresponds to the current position of a professor or the title of academician. The young man was appointed to this position because his intelligence, education and abilities were appreciated.
However, Konstantin quickly realized that this was not for him. He went to one of the monasteries on the Black Sea and lived there for some time - in prayer and work. But his university teachers were sorry that such a mind was “losing”, and they persuaded him to return to Constantinople. In the capital, Konstantin began teaching philosophy at the same Magnavra University, where he himself had recently studied. Either then, or even earlier, during his studies, his friends gave him the nickname Philosopher. The university period in the life of Constantine was marked by the fact that at one of the theological debates he won a brilliant victory over the leader of the iconoclasts (these are people who denied icons) - the former Patriarch Annius, although he was much more experienced. Thanks to this, the young scientist was talked about in the intellectual circles of Constantinople.
Meanwhile, his brother, having served as strategist for about 10 years, decided to put an end to worldly life and devote yourself to God. Michael was tonsured a monk, taking the name Methodius, in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus. Soon Konstantin joined him, taking the name Kirill. And from that moment on, the fate of the brothers became common.
Most likely, it was during this period that they began to compile the Slavic alphabet. The fact is that numerous but scattered Slavic tribes did not have their own written language. Our ancestors had enough oral speech to transmit information to each other. But in order to convey the word of God to them, it was necessary to translate the texts Holy Scripture into their language. As a basis Slavic alphabet the brothers took Greek - that's why anyone who can read Russian can read most Greek words without even understanding their meaning. As a result, Cyril and Methodius invented what we now call Old Church Slavonic.
However, the brothers did not succeed in peaceful solitude in the monastery. Having become Patriarch in 858, Photius, one of Cyril’s mentors, asked him to head the mission to the Khazars ( Khazar Khaganate located between the Caspian and Black seas and in the lower reaches of the Volga, in the south of present-day Russia). Their main mission was the liberation of Byzantine captives. But the Khazars became so interested in the brothers’ stories about Christ and the Christian faith that many of them converted to Christianity. Despite the fact that even then there were quite a lot of Muslims and Jews in Khazaria.
After this trip, Cyril and Methodius continued to work on the Slavic alphabet at one of the churches of Constantinople. It is still completely unknown which alphabet the brothers invented - Glagolitic or Cyrillic. But in any case, this was the first Slavic alphabet. With the help of students, many of whom later became the first to preach in the Slavic language (and one of the brothers’ students, St. Clement of Ohrid, is considered the first Slavic writer), they began translating sacred texts into Old Church Slavonic. Naturally, the Gospel was translated first. And for some reason it is especially pleasant to realize that the first words written in our language were the first words of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The first Slavic people who listened to the sermons of Cyril and Methodius were most likely the Bulgarians. And in 863, the brothers and their students went to Moravia - there was such a state on the Middle Danube, which included the territories of present-day Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many inhabitants of this country were already Christians, but they were poorly organized in church terms. The Bavarian-German episcopate fought for influence on Moravian Christians, but at the same time the Moravian prince Rostislav fought for the independence of his country from the Germans.
Divine services in those days were conducted mainly in Latin and Greek. Moreover, only three languages - in addition to those mentioned, also Jewish - were considered acceptable for worship by the hierarchs of the Western Church (preaching could be done in any language). Cyril and Methodius considered this unfair, and it was in Moravia that the holy brothers, for the first time in history, celebrated the first liturgy in the Slavic language.
Cyril, Methodius and their disciples lived in Moravia for more than 3 years. Constantly preaching, translating more and more new books from Greek into Slavic, teaching the Slavs to read and write, they earned great authority among people. However, not everyone liked this deviation from the “norms”: the brothers were summoned to Rome to explain themselves about the use of the Slavic language in worship, which was not directly prohibited, but was not allowed either.
The situation was aggravated by political troubles: in Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Emperor Michael, at whose court Cyril was brought up, was killed. His mentor, Patriarch Photius, was deposed. All this was a consequence of the aggravation of relations between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, as well as the Eastern and Western Churches. The Pope was considered “first among equals”; he claimed to be a judge on all controversial church issues. Therefore, the brothers had no choice but to obey the order of the Pope and come to Rome. Contrary to expectations, Pope Adrian II did not prohibit services in Slavic. Apparently, the brothers’ persuasive power was so great that they were able to convince the Pope. Methodius was even ordained by him as a bishop, and the brothers' disciples as priests.
In Rome, Kirill fell seriously ill. He accepted the schema ( higher form monasticism, complete renunciation of the world). Saint Cyril died on February 14, 869 and was buried in the Church of Saint Clement - it still exists in Rome. The chapel of the temple in which Cyril’s tomb is located eventually became “Slavic”. Here, for this great man, who is called the apostle of the Slavs, each of our kindred peoples installed thanksgiving plaques. There are two of them from Russia at once - from the Russian Orthodox Church and from Russian youth.
Meanwhile, Methodius and the brothers’ disciples had to continue the work of enlightening the Slavs. Methodius was ordained archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia (a Roman province that occupied the territory of modern western Hungary, eastern Austria and part of Slovenia). The situation in the region by that time had become even more complicated. Prince Rostislav (he is canonized), who helped the brothers in every possible way on their previous visit, was defeated in the war against Louis the German, was imprisoned and died there. The new authorities of Moravia did not want to support the desire of their subjects to serve God in their native language. The influence of the German clergy, insisting that services be conducted in Latin, increased significantly. The confrontation between “Latinophiles” and “Slavophiles” resulted in the arrest of Methodius and his imprisonment in one of the monasteries.
Having learned about this, the new Pope John VIII demanded the release of Methodius, but at the same time banned services in the Slavic language, allowing only sermons. Then services in Slavic were repeatedly allowed, prohibited and allowed again. Methodius and his disciples, without going headlong into politics, continued to translate the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Slavic, book after book. During this period, for example, they translated the Old Testament.
Saint Methodius died in 885. April 19, at Palm Sunday, he asked to be taken to the temple, where he read a sermon - naturally, in Slavic, and died that same evening. The funeral service for the enlightener was held at three languages- Slavic, Greek and Latin. It is not known exactly where Saint Methodius is buried.
The enlightenment brothers were canonized almost immediately after their death. Cyril and Methodius are revered as saints by all Christians, but their memory is especially revered, naturally, by the Slavic peoples. In the Russian Church their memory has been honored since the 11th century. And since 1991, May 24 is the Day of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius - Public Holiday Russia, Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.
We all know how to read and write, but we never think about who created the letters and words, that is, the alphabet. Who were these two brothers? What life path did they go through? Through what vicissitudes did Cyril and Methodius carry their creation? Why were they elevated to the rank of saints? What monumental books did they translate into Slavic, thereby giving us knowledge? A long, thorny path from an ordinary Greek family to the icons of all Slavic churches.
The Byzantine Empire gave Rus' not only the Christian religion, but also writing, the importance of which is difficult to overestimate. The people who stood at the origins of the creation of Slavic writing are destined to forever remain on the list of the most famous people in our history. Their names, Cyril and Methodius, are revered by the Russian Church as the names of saints.
Cyril and Methodius were brothers. They were born in the city of Thessalonica (Byzantium). In Russian sound, this name is known in sources as “Solun” (“Profits from Solun”). Also, some sources call the brothers not Cyril and Methodius, but Constantine and Michael. As for their origin, many scientists put forward the opinion that their family went back to Greek roots.
In Slavic Orthodoxy, Cyril and Methodius are revered as holy equal-to-the-apostles “Slovenian teachers”; The order officially adopted by the church is “Methodius and Cyril.”
Their family was reputed to be quite wealthy and noble. My father had the rank of officer and carried out military service at the court of the governor (strategist) of Thessalonica. In addition to Cyril and Methodius, there were seven more sons in the family. All of them, starting from the elder Michael (Methodius) and ending with Constantine (Cyril), also had, according to established tradition, to follow in the footsteps of their father, that is, to take the path of military service. Under the patronage of his father, Mikhail made a very good career in this field. He managed to rise to the rank of strategos (military and civil governor) of the province of Slavinia, located in Macedonia, then part of the Byzantine Empire.
The ten years he spent in this post were not in vain for Michael (Methodius). Over the years, he perfectly mastered the Slavic language, which later became a priority for the decision to create the Slavic alphabet. It is not known exactly what caused Mikhail to give up his successful military career overnight. Many historians see this as an expression personal search, the desire to find one's own true purpose. Be that as it may, after ten years military service, Mikhail makes a firm decision to become a monk. He implements this decision almost immediately, in one of the Slavic monasteries located on Mount Olympus.
In 860, Constantine was sent as a missionary to the Khazar Khagan. There a debate between Constantine and the imam and rabbi took place. According to some sources, Constantine won it, but the Kagan did not change his faith. According to others, the rabbi pitted Constantine against the imam and proved to the kagan the advantages of the Jewish faith.
Konstantin, the youngest of the brothers in the family, impressed with the breadth of his interests and remarkable abilities in science from childhood. The father, as if by inspiration from above, refused to make plans about the military future of his youngest son. Constantine was apprenticed to one of the best teachers in the city of Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, to teachers who taught young emperor Mikhail. Among these teachers was the future Patriarch of Constantinople, Phocius. Konstantin was fluent in many languages and had enormous knowledge in a wide variety of branches of science. He was especially interested in theology and philosophy. He enthusiastically studied the works of church apologists. His own views were in tune with the thoughts of the famous Saint Gregory the Theologian.
Konstantin, being at a very young age, clearly determined for himself that he would devote his life to serving the Lord. Having barely completed his studies, he was ordained a priest and took the honorary position of custodian of the patriarchal library, located in the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople. Constantine remained in this position for only a short time, leaving behind dusty tomes and manuscripts for the life of a wandering monk. It is noteworthy that Constantine left the library secretly, practically escaping to one of the many monasteries. What motivated him? Youth? Ardent impulses? Fortunately, the fugitive was found and returned to Constantinople. He was offered to become a teacher of philosophical sciences at the Higher School of Constantinople.
Western theologians believed that praising God could only be done in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Constantine and Methodius, who preached in Moravia, were considered heretics and summoned to Rome. But the pope approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the translated books to be placed in Roman churches.
Here his talent as a theologian and philosophizing thinker was fully demonstrated. Bright oratorical skills and the ability to convince any audience that he was right allowed Constantine (Cyril) to win his first significant victory in the theological field: to defeat in the debate the views of the iconoclasts - one of the heretical movements that openly opposed Orthodox Christianity.
Emperor of Byzantium and the Fathers Byzantine church appreciated Constantine's talent, instructing him to lead the debate with the Saracens, where Constantine was supposed to defend the immutability of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. And here Konstantin also became the winner.
In the mid-50s of the 9th century AD. he was destined to lead a missionary trip to Arab lands. Later, with the same educational goal, he, together with his brother Michael (Methodius), goes to the Khazars. Their goal is to convey to other nations the true values of Christianity. And everywhere there were people ready to listen to the words of Constantine. He knew well not only the theory of Christian theology, but also studied the Koran perfectly, finding in it a lot of confirmation of his words. Years of missionary service brought him fame and respect among many Slavic peoples. Constantine was often called the Philosopher, honoring his wisdom.
The main merit of Constantine is the compilation of the foundations of the Slavic alphabet. In this matter, his brother Mikhail (Methodius) helped him in everything. They not only laid the foundation for Slavic writing, but also translated the Gospel into the Slavic language.
According to the Life of Constantine, the letters of the new alphabet were given to Cyril by divine revelation: “The Philosopher went and began to pray... And God revealed to him that he listened to the prayers of His servants, and then he folded the letters and began to write the words of the Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Constantine spent the last years of his life in Rome, seriously ill, but working tirelessly to compile theological works. In 869 AD, sensing the approach of death, he accepted the schema (torn as a monk) and a new name - Cyril, and was also elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia.
Mikhail, who was not only his brother, but also his closest comrade-in-arms and associate, was by his side until his last breath. It was to him that Konstantin addressed his last words: “You and I are like two oxen. When one falls from a heavy burden, the other will continue on his way.”
Cyril was buried in the Church of St. Clement in Rome. Once upon a time, on one of his missionary trips, Constantine discovered the relics of this Roman emperor, canonized for his great martyrdom, and reverently delivered them to his homeland.
After the death of his brother, Methodius returned to Moravia. In 870 he was imprisoned, accused of heresy. He spent about three years in captivity. He was released only after the personal intervention of the Pope. In order to finally protect his life’s work from attacks from the German clergy, who had extended their influence to Moravia, Methodius insisted on a personal audience with the Pope. Having met with him, he asked to approve the liturgical works translated by him and Cyril into the Slavic language. The Pope and the Roman Curia did not find anything in them that in any way contradicted the canons and dogmas of Christianity.
Methodius devoted the rest of his days to translating the Bible, the Patericon, and the collection of church laws of the Byzantine Church (Nomocanon) into Slavic. He died on April 19, 885, on the day of the bright church holiday - Palm Sunday. It is noteworthy that despite the approaching breath of death, he found the strength to serve a festive church service, bequeathing people to follow the laws of the Christian religion. To commemorate his merits, the funeral service for the deceased was carried out in 3 languages at once: Latin, Greek and Slavic. The Church canonized Methodius and his brother Cyril as saints.
“The Tale of Bygone Years” says that all the Greek church books were translated into the Slavic language in six months with the help of only two people: “Methodius appointed two priests ... cursive writers, and translated all the books from Greek into Slavic in six months, starting in March and finishing October 26..."
The death of Cyril and Methodius prompted their opponents to ensure that Slavic writing, as well as worship in the Slavic language in the territory of Moravia, were placed under the strictest ban. The followers of the saints were persecuted and persecuted. Many of them settled in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, in cities Kievan Rus. This is what contributed widespread Slavic writing.
The Slavic alphabet, compiled by the brothers Cyril and Methodius, was called the Glagolitic alphabet. Church Slavonic writing, based on the Glagolitic alphabet, should not be confused with the Cyrillic alphabet. This is a more adapted alphabet, developed somewhat later, by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The Cyrillic alphabet is used by such peoples as Macedonians, Serbs, Bulgarians, as well as Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Russians.
The merits of Saints Cyril and Methodius are appreciated by many peoples inhabiting the East and West. Day Slavic culture and writing is an official public holiday in our country, as well as in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. According to tradition, it is celebrated on May 24 (in Slovakia and the Czech Republic - July 5). In addition, in Bulgaria there is even a special Order of Cyril and Methodius, which recognizes special merits in the field of culture.
The holy Slovenian teachers strove for solitude and prayer, but in life they constantly found themselves in the forefront - both when they defended Christian truths before Muslims, and when they took on great educational work. Their success sometimes looked like defeat, but as a result, it is to them that we owe the acquisition of “the gift of the most valuable and greater than all silver, and gold, and precious stones, and all transitory wealth.” This gift is Slavic writing.
Brothers from Thessalonica
The Russian language was baptized back in the days when our ancestors did not consider themselves Christians - in the ninth century. In the west of Europe, the heirs of Charlemagne divided the Frankish empire, in the East the Muslim states strengthened, squeezing Byzantium, and in the young Slavic principalities, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the true founders of our culture, preached and worked.The history of the activities of the holy brothers has been studied with all possible care: the surviving written sources have been commented on many times, and pundits argue about the details of the biographies and acceptable interpretations of the extant information. And how could it be otherwise when we're talking about about the creators of the Slavic alphabet? And yet, to this day, the images of Cyril and Methodius are lost behind the abundance of ideological constructions and simple inventions. Khazar dictionary Milorada Pavic, in which the enlighteners of the Slavs are embedded in a multifaceted theosophical mystification, is not the worst option.
Kirill, the youngest in both age and hierarchical rank, was simply a layman until the end of his life and received monastic tonsure with the name Kirill only on his deathbed. While Methodius, the elder brother, held great positions, was the ruler of a separate region of the Byzantine Empire, abbot of a monastery and ended his life as an archbishop. And yet, traditionally, Kirill takes honorable first place, and the alphabet - the Cyrillic alphabet - is named after him. All his life he bore another name - Constantine, and also a respectful nickname - Philosopher.
Konstantin was an extremely gifted man. “The speed of his abilities was not inferior to his diligence,” - the life compiled shortly after his death repeatedly emphasizes the depth and breadth of his knowledge. Translating into the language of modern realities, Constantine the Philosopher was a professor at the capital's University of Constantinople, very young and promising. At the age of 24 (!) he received his first important government assignment- to defend the truth of Christianity in the face of Muslims of other faiths.
Missionary politician
This medieval inseparability of spiritual, religious tasks and state affairs looks bizarre these days. But even for it one can find some analogy in the modern world order. And today the superpowers newest empires, base their influence not only on military and economic power. There is always an ideological component, an ideology that is “exported” to other countries. For Soviet Union it was communism. For the United States - liberal democracy. Some people accept exported ideas peacefully, while others have to resort to bombing.
For Byzantium, Christianity was the doctrine. The strengthening and spread of Orthodoxy was perceived by the imperial authorities as paramount state task. Therefore, as he writes modern explorer Cyril and Methodius heritage of A.-E. Tahiaos, “a diplomat who entered into negotiations with enemies or “barbarians,” was always accompanied by a missionary.” Constantine was such a missionary. That is why it is so difficult to separate his actual educational activities from his political ones. Only just before his death did he symbolically lay down public service, having accepted monasticism. “I am no longer a servant of the king or anyone else on earth; Only God Almighty was and will be forever,” Kirill will now write.
His life tells about his Arab and Khazar mission, about tricky questions and witty and deep answers. Muslims asked him about the Trinity, how Christians could worship “many gods,” and why, instead of resisting evil, they strengthened the army. Khazar Jews disputed the Incarnation and blamed Christians for non-compliance with Old Testament regulations. Konstantin's answers - bright, figurative and brief - if they did not convince all opponents, then, in any case, they delivered a polemical victory, leading those listening to admiration.
"Nobody else"
The Khazar mission was preceded by events that greatly changed the internal structure of the Solun brothers. At the end of the 50s of the 9th century, both Constantine - a successful scientist and polemicist - and Methodius - shortly before appointed archon (head) of the province, retreated from the world and led a solitary ascetic lifestyle for several years. Methodius even takes monastic vows. The brothers were already distinguished by their piety from an early age, and the thought of monasticism was not alien to them; however, there were probably external reasons for such a drastic change: a change in the political situation or personal sympathies of those in power. However, the lives are silent about this.But the bustle of the world receded for a while. Already in 860, the Khazar Kagan decided to organize an “interreligious” dispute, in which Christians had to defend the truth of their faith before Jews and Muslims. According to the life, the Khazars were ready to accept Christianity if the Byzantine polemicists “won the upper hand in disputes with the Jews and Saracens.” They found Constantine again, and the emperor personally admonished him with the words: “Go, Philosopher, to these people and talk about the Holy Trinity with Her help. No one else can take on this with dignity.” On the trip, Konstantin took his older brother as his assistant.
The negotiations ended generally successfully, although the Khazar state did not become Christian, the Kagan allowed those who wished to be baptized. There were also political successes. We should pay attention to an important incidental event. On the way, the Byzantine delegation stopped in Crimea, where near modern Sevastopol (ancient Chersonesos) Constantine found the relics of the ancient saint Pope Clement. Subsequently, the brothers will transfer the relics of St. Clement to Rome, which will further win over Pope Adrian. It is with Cyril and Methodius that the Slavs begin their special veneration of Saint Clement - let us remember the majestic church in his honor in Moscow not far from the Tretyakov Gallery.
Birth of writing
862 We've reached historical milestone. This year, the Moravian prince Rostislav sends a letter to the Byzantine emperor with a request to send preachers capable of instructing his subjects in Christianity in the Slavic language. Great Moravia, which at that time included certain areas of the modern Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Poland, was already Christian. But the German clergy enlightened her, and the entire divine service, holy books and the theology was Latin, incomprehensible to the Slavs.
And again at court they remember Constantine the Philosopher. If not he, then who else will be able to complete the task, the complexity of which both the emperor and the patriarch, Saint Photius, were aware of? The Slavs did not have a written language. But it was not even the fact of the absence of letters that represented main problem. They did not have abstract concepts and the wealth of terminology that usually develops in “book culture.” High Christian theology, Scripture and liturgical texts had to be translated into a language that did not have any means to do so.
And the Philosopher coped with the task. Of course, one should not imagine that he worked alone. Konstantin again called on his brother for help, and other employees were also involved. It was a kind of scientific institute. The first alphabet - the Glagolitic alphabet - was compiled on the basis of Greek cryptography. The letters correspond to the letters of the Greek alphabet, but look different - so much so that the Glagolitic alphabet was often confused with eastern languages. In addition, for sounds specific to the Slavic dialect, Hebrew letters were taken (for example, “sh”).
Then they translated the Gospel, checked expressions and terms, and translated liturgical books. The volume of translations carried out by the holy brothers and their direct disciples was very significant - by the time of the baptism of Rus', a whole library of Slavic books already existed.
The price of success
However, the activities of educators could not be limited only to scientific and translation research. It was necessary to teach the Slavs new letters, a new book language, a new worship. The transition to a new liturgical language was especially painful. It is not surprising that the Moravian clergy, who had previously followed German practice, reacted with hostility to the new trends. Even dogmatic arguments were put forward against the Slavic translation of services, the so-called trilingual heresy, as if one can only speak to God in “sacred” languages: Greek, Hebrew and Latin.Dogmatics intertwined with politics, canon law with diplomacy and power ambitions - and Cyril and Methodius found themselves in the center of this tangle. The territory of Moravia was under the jurisdiction of the pope, and although the Western Church was not yet separated from the Eastern, the initiative of the Byzantine Emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople (namely, this was the status of the mission) was still viewed with suspicion. The German clergy, closely associated with the secular authorities of Bavaria, saw in the brothers’ undertakings the implementation of Slavic separatism. And indeed, the Slavic princes, in addition to spiritual interests, also pursued state interests - their liturgical language and church independence would have significantly strengthened their position. Finally, the pope was in tense relations with Bavaria, and support for the revitalization of church life in Moravia against the “trilinguals” fit well into the general direction of his policy.
Political controversies cost the missionaries dearly. Due to the constant intrigues of the German clergy, Constantine and Methodius twice had to justify themselves to the Roman high priest. In 869, unable to withstand the overstrain, St. Cyril died (he was only 42 years old), and his work was continued by Methodius, who was ordained to the rank of bishop in Rome soon after. Methodius died in 885, having survived exile, insults and imprisonment that lasted several years.
The most valuable gift
Methodius was succeeded by Gorazd, and already under him the work of the holy brothers in Moravia practically died out: liturgical translations were prohibited, followers were killed or sold into slavery; many fled to neighboring countries. But this was not the end. This was only the beginning of Slavic culture, and therefore Russian culture too. The center of Slavic book literature moved to Bulgaria, then to Russia. Books began to use the Cyrillic alphabet, named after the creator of the first alphabet. Writing grew and became stronger. And today the proposals to abolish Slavic letters and switch to Latin, which in the 1920s was actively promoted by People's Commissar Lunacharsky, sounds, thank God, unrealistic.So next time, dotting the “e” or agonizing over Russification new version photoshop, think about the wealth we have. Very few nations have the honor of having their own own alphabet. This was understood already in the distant ninth century. “God has created even now in our years - having declared the letters for your language - something that was not given to anyone after the first times, so that you too would be numbered among the great nations who glorify God in their own language... Accept the gift, most valuable and greater than any silver, and gold, and precious stones, and all transitory wealth,” wrote Emperor Michael to Prince Rostislav.
And after this we are trying to separate Russian culture from Orthodox culture? Russian letters were invented by Orthodox monks for church books; at the very basis of Slavic book literature lies not just influence and borrowing, but a “transplantation” of Byzantine church book literature. The book language, cultural context, terminology of high thought were created directly together with the library of books by the Slavic apostles Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Deacon Nikolai SOLODOV
Kirill(in the world Constantine, nicknamed the Philosopher, 827-869, Rome) and Methodius(in the world Michael; 815-885, Velehrad, Moravia) - brothers from Greek city Soluni (Thessaloniki) in Macedonia, creators of the Slavic alphabet, creators of the Church Slavonic language and preachers of Christianity.
Origin
Cyril and Methodius came from the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki, Slavic "Thessaloniki"). Their father, named Leo, held a high military position under the governor of Thessalonica. There were seven sons in the family, with Mikhail (Methodius) being the eldest and Konstantin (Kirill) the youngest of them.
Thessalonica, where the brothers were born, was a bilingual city. Except Greek language, they sounded the Slavic Solunsky dialect, which was spoken by the tribes surrounding Thessaloniki: Draguvites, Sagudites, Vayunits, Smolyans and which, according to the research of modern linguists, formed the basis of the language of translations of Cyril and Methodius, and with them the entire Church Slavonic language.
Before becoming a monk, Methodius made a good military-administrative career, culminating in the post of strategist (commander-in-chief of the army) of Slavinia, a Byzantine province located on the territory of Macedonia.
Konstantin was a very educated man for his time. Even before his trip to Moravia (the historical region of the Czech Republic), he compiled the Slavic alphabet and began to translate the Gospel into the Slavic language.
Monasticism
Around 850, Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius sent Constantine to Bulgaria, where he converted many Bulgarians to Christianity on the Bregalnitsa River.
On next year Cyril, together with George, Metropolitan of Nicomedia, goes to the court of the Emir of Militia to introduce him to the basics of Christianity.
In 856, the logothete Theoktistus, who was the patron of Constantine, was killed. Constantine, together with his disciples Clement, Naum and Angelarius, came to the monastery, where his brother Methodius was abbot. In this monastery, a group of like-minded people formed around Constantine and Methodius and the idea of creating a Slavic alphabet was born.
Khazar mission
In 860, Constantine was sent for missionary purposes to the court of the Khazar Khagan. According to the life, the embassy was sent in response to a request from the Kagan, who promised, if he was convinced, to convert to Christianity.
Khazar Khaganate (Khazaria)- a medieval state created by a nomadic Turkic people- Khazars. He controlled the territory of the Ciscaucasia, the Lower and Middle Volga region, modern northwestern Kazakhstan, the Azov region, eastern part Crimea, as well as the steppes and forest-steppes of Eastern Europe up to the Dnieper. The center of the state was originally located in the coastal part modern Dagestan, later moved to the lower reaches of the Volga. Part of the ruling elite converted to Judaism. Part of the East Slavic tribal unions were politically dependent on the Khazars. The fall of the Kaganate is associated with the military campaigns of the Old Russian state.
Khazar Khaganate
During his stay in Korsun, Konstantin, in preparation for polemics, studied the Hebrew language, the Samaritan letter, and along with them some “Russian” letter and language (they believe that there is a typo in the life and instead of “Russian” letters one should read “Sursky”, that is, Syrian - Aramaic; in any case, this is not Old Russian language, which in those days was not distinguished from Common Slavic). Constantine's dispute with a Muslim imam and a Jewish rabbi, which took place in the presence of the Kagan, ended in the victory of Constantine, but the Kagan did not change his faith.
Bulgarian mission
The sister of the Bulgarian Khan Boris was held hostage in Constantinople. She was baptized with the name Theodora and was raised in the spirit of the Holy Faith. Around 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael, in honor of the son of the Byzantine Empress Theodora - Emperor Michael III, during whose reign the Bulgarians converted to Christianity. Constantine and Methodius were in this country and with their preaching they greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to its neighboring Serbia.
In 863, with the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Sava, Naum and Angelar, Constantine compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books from Greek into Slavic: the Gospel, the Psalter and selected services. Some chroniclers report that the first words written in the Slavic language were the words of the Apostle Evangelist John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word.”
Moravian Mission
In 862, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav came to Constantinople with the following request: “Our people profess the Christian faith, but we do not have teachers who could explain the faith to us in our native language. Send us such teachers.” Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the patriarch were delighted and, calling the Thessalonica brothers, invited them to go to the Moravians.
Great Moravia- considered first Slavic state, which existed in 822-907 on the Middle Danube. The capital of the state was the city of Velegrad. The first Slavic writing was created here and Church Slavonic language. During the period of greatest power, it included the territories of modern Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, as well as Lesser Poland, part of Ukraine and the historical region of Silesia. Now part of the Czech Republic.
Constantine and Methodius stayed in Moravia for more than 3 years and continued to translate church books from Greek into Slavic. The brothers taught the Slavs to read, write and conduct worship in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who performed divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers and filed a complaint to Rome. Among some theologians of the Western Church, a point of view has developed that praise to God can only be given in the three languages in which the inscription on the Cross of the Lord was made: Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Therefore, Constantine and Methodius, who preached Christianity in Moravia, were perceived as heretics and summoned to court to resolve this issue in Rome before Pope Nicholas I.
Taking with them the relics of St. Clement, the Pope of Rome, found by Constantine on his Chersonesos journey, the brothers set off for Rome. On the way to Rome they visited another Slavic country - Pannonia(the territory of modern western Hungary, eastern Austria and parts of Slovenia and Serbia), where the Principality of Blaten was located. Here, in Blatnograd, on behalf of Prince Kocel, the brothers taught the Slavs book business and worship in the Slavic language.
When they arrived in Rome, Nicholas I was no longer alive; his successor Adrian II, having learned that they were carrying with them the relics of St. Clement, met them solemnly outside the city. After this, Pope Adrian II approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches. At the behest of Hadrian II, Formosus (Bishop of Porto) and Gauderic (Bishop of Velletri) ordained three brothers who traveled with Constantine and Methodius as priests, and the latter was ordained to the episcopate.
last years of life
In Rome, Constantine fell seriously ill, at the beginning of February 869 he finally fell ill, accepted the schema and new monastic name Kirill. 50 days after accepting the schema, On February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. He was buried in Rome in the Church of St. Clement.
The chapel (side altar) of the Basilica of St. Clement is dedicated to the memory of Sts. Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius
Before his death, he told Methodius: “You and I are like two oxen; one fell from a heavy burden, the other must continue on his way.” The Pope ordained him to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. Methodius and his disciples, who were ordained priests, returned to Pannonia, and later to Moravia.
By this time the situation in Moravia had changed dramatically. After Rostislav was defeated by Louis the German and died in a Bavarian prison in 870, his nephew Svyatopolk became the Moravian prince, who submitted to the German political influence. The activities of Methodius and his disciples proceeded in a very difficult conditions. The Latin-German clergy in every way prevented the spread of the Slavic language as the language of the church. They even managed to imprison Methodius for 3 years in one of the Swabian monasteries - Reichenau. Having learned about this, Pope John VIII released him in 874 and restored him to the rights of archbishop. Coming out of captivity, Methodius continued his evangelical preaching among the Slavs and worship in the Slavic language (despite the prohibition), baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila, as well as one of the Polish princes.
In 879, German bishops organized a new trial against Methodius. However, Methodius brilliantly justified himself in Rome and even received a papal bull allowing worship in the Slavic language.
In 881, Methodius, at the invitation of Emperor Basil I of Macedon, came to Constantinople. There he spent 3 years, after which he and his students returned to Moravia.
Methodius of Moravia
In the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two priest disciples, translated the entire Old Testament (except for the Maccabean books) and patristic books into Slavic.
In 885, Methodius became seriously ill. Before his death, he appointed his student Gorazd as his successor. 6/19 April 885, on Palm Sunday, he asked to be taken to church, where he read a sermon on the same day died(at about 60 years of age). Methodius' funeral service took place in three languages - Slavic, Greek and Latin. He was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad, the capital of Moravia.
After death
After the death of Methodius, his opponents managed to achieve the prohibition of Slavic writing in Moravia. Many students were executed, some moved to Bulgaria and Croatia.
In Bulgaria and subsequently in Croatia, Serbia and the Old Russian state, the Slavic alphabet created by the brothers became widespread. In some regions of Croatia, until the mid-20th century, the liturgy of the Latin rite was served in the Slavic language. Since liturgical books were written in the Glagolitic alphabet, this rite was called Glagolitic.
Pope Adrian II wrote to Prince Rostislav in Prague that if anyone begins to treat books written in Slavic with contempt, then let him be excommunicated and brought before the court of the Church, for such people are “wolves.” And Pope John VIII in 880 wrote to Prince Svyatopolk, ordering that sermons be delivered in Slavic.
Heritage
Cyril and Methodius developed a special alphabet for writing texts in the Slavic language - the Glagolitic alphabet.
Glagolitic- one of the first Slavic alphabet. It is assumed that it was the Glagolitic alphabet that was created by the Bulgarian enlightener St. Konstantin (Kirill) Philosopher for recording church texts on Old Slavonic language. In Old Church Slavonic it is called “Kirillovitsa”. Whole line facts indicate that the Glagolitic alphabet was created before the Cyrillic alphabet, which in turn was created on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet and the Greek alphabet. The Roman Catholic Church, in its fight against services in the Slavic language among the Croats, called the Glagolitic alphabet "Gothic scripts."
There are usually two types of Glagolitic alphabet: the older “round” one, also known as Bulgarian, and the later “angular” one, Croatian (so called because until the mid-20th century it was used by Croatian Catholics when performing services according to the Glagolitic rite). The latter's alphabet was gradually reduced from 41 to 30 characters.
In Ancient Rus', the Glagolitic alphabet was practically not used; there are only isolated inclusions of Glagolitic letters in texts written in Cyrillic. The Glagolitic alphabet was the alphabet for transmitting primarily church texts; the surviving ancient Russian monuments of everyday writing before the baptism of Rus' use the Cyrillic alphabet. The Glagolitic alphabet is also used as a cryptographic script.
Cyrillic - Old Church Slavonic alphabet(Old Bulgarian alphabet): the same as the Cyrillic (or Cyrillic) alphabet: one of two (along with Glagolitic) ancient alphabets for the Old Church Slavonic language.
The Cyrillic alphabet goes back to the Greek statutory script, with the addition of letters to convey sounds that were absent in the Greek language. Since its creation, the Cyrillic alphabet has adapted to linguistic changes, and as a result of numerous reforms in each language, it has acquired its own differences. Different versions Cyrillic alphabets are used in Eastern Europe and Central and Northern Asia. As an official letter, it was first adopted in the First Bulgarian Kingdom.
In Church Slavonic it is called “klimentovica”, in honor of Kliment of Ohrid.
Cyrillic-based alphabets include the alphabets of the following Slavic languages:
Belarusian language (Belarusian alphabet)
Bulgarian language (Bulgarian alphabet)
Macedonian language (Macedonian alphabet)
Rusyn language/dialect (Rusyn alphabet)
Russian language (Russian alphabet)
Serbian language (Vukovica)
Ukrainian language (Ukrainian alphabet)
Montenegrin language (Montenegrin alphabet)
Currently, among historians, the point of view of V. A. Istrin prevails, but is not generally recognized, according to which the Cyrillic alphabet was created on the basis of the Greek alphabet by the disciple of the holy brothers, Clement of Ohrid (which is also mentioned in his Life). Using the created alphabet, the brothers translated the Holy Scriptures and a number of liturgical books from Greek. It should be noted that even if the Cyrillic letterforms were developed by Clement, he relied on the work of isolating the sounds of the Slavic language done by Cyril and Methodius, and it is this work that is the main part of any work on creating a new written language. Modern scientists note high level this work, which gave designations for almost all scientifically distinguished Slavic sounds, to which we apparently owe to the outstanding linguistic abilities of Konstantin-Kirill, noted in the sources.
Sometimes it is claimed that Slavic writing existed before Cyril and Methodius. However, it was a non-Slavic language. It should be remembered, however, that during the time of Cyril and Methodius and much later, the Slavs easily understood each other and believed that they spoke a single Slavic language, which is also agreed by some modern linguists who believe that the unity of the Proto-Slavic language can be spoken of until the 12th century. century. Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) also points out that Constantine was the creator of Slavic letters and there were no Slavic letters before him.
Reverence
Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized in ancient times. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners of the Slavs has been honored since the 11th century. The oldest services to saints that have survived to our time date back to the 13th century.
In 1863, the Russian Church established a solemn celebration of the memory of the holy high priests, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.
The holiday in honor of Cyril and Methodius is a public holiday in Russia (since 1991), Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Republic of Macedonia. In Russia, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia the holiday is celebrated May 24; in Russia and Bulgaria it is called the Day of Slavic Culture and Literature, in Macedonia - the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia the holiday is celebrated on July 5th.
Troparion, tone 4
As the Apostle of uniformity and the Slovenian countries, teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God-wisdom, pray to the Lord of all, establish all Slovenian languages in Orthodoxy and unanimity, pacify the world and save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 3
We honor the sacred duo of our enlighteners, who, by translating the Divine Scriptures, have poured out the source of knowledge of God for us, from which even to this day we endlessly draw joy upon you, Cyril and Methodius, who stand before the Throne of the Most High and warmly pray for our souls.
Greatness
We magnify you, Saints Cyril and Methodius, who enlightened the entire Slovenian country with your teachings and brought them to Christ.
Kirill's code. Birth of civilization
Name: KIRILL'S CODE. THE BIRTH OF CIVILIZATION
Release year: 2013
Genre: Documentary
Production: TV channel "Russia 1"
Duration: 00:50:16
Director: Alexander Brunkovsky
The film tells the story of the emergence of the Slavic alphabet - the Cyrillic alphabet - and how Russia took its place as the leader of the Eastern Christian Cyrillic civilization.
The great saints Cyril and Methodius created a universal principle - every people deserves to learn the Word of God in their native language. And now this principle continues to be implemented. The film tells how alphabets are created on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet for the previously unwritten languages of the peoples of Russia. And the Russian Orthodox priest - the modern successor of Cyril and Methodius - comes with dogs to the yurts and teaches the Kamchatka Koryaks to read the Gospel, printed in Cyrillic in Koryak.
But there were times when the fate of the Russian alphabet seemed to hang by a thread. In the 20s of the last century, the Bolsheviks hatched plans to replace Cyrillic alphabet Latin alphabet Lunacharsky actively supported this project. The Cyrillic alphabet was then considered a reactionary tsarist alphabet that interfered with the world revolution. But the main goal of the Bolsheviks was, of course, to format the spiritual memory of the people in their own way, to deprive future generations of the opportunity to read everything that had been accumulated over the course of centuries of Russian history.
What saved the Russian alphabet then? How did it happen that among all the peoples of Europe, only the Slavs received a national alphabet many centuries ago? How did it affect national identity of all Slavs that they learned the Bible in their native language, and not in Latin or Greek? How Russia saved its Cyrillic brothers from a 400-year-old Ottoman yoke? What kind of struggle over the Cyrillic alphabet is unfolding in the modern world? Will Ukraine switch to the Latin alphabet?
Filming took place in Russia, Greece, Istanbul, Rome, Crimea, Czech Republic, Croatia, and Kamchatka.
Taking part in the film are: Metropolitan Hilarion, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Alpatov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Boris Florya, Professor of Moscow State University Andrey Kibrik and others.
“The moral quest of Kuprin’s heroes using the example of the heroes of the story “The Duel”
Poems by Robert Rozhdestvensky
Where and when did the Cortes appear in Spain?