Cyril and Methodius creating the alphabet. How the Slavic alphabet was created

Not all people know what May 24 is famous for, but it is even impossible to imagine what would have happened to us if this day in 863 had turned out to be completely different and the creators of writing abandoned their work.

Who created Slavic writing in the 9th century? These were Cyril and Methodius, and this event happened on May 24, 863, which led to the celebration of one of the most important events in the history of mankind. Now the Slavic peoples could use their own writing, and not borrow the languages ​​of other peoples.

The creators of Slavic writing - Cyril and Methodius?

History of development Slavic writing is not as “transparent” as it might seem at first glance, there are different opinions about its creators. Eat interesting fact, that Cyril, even before he began working on the creation of the Slavic alphabet, was in Chersonesus (today it is Crimea), from where he was able to take the sacred writings of the Gospel or the Psalter, which at that moment turned out to be written precisely in the letters of the Slavic alphabet. This fact makes you wonder: who created the Slavic writing; did Cyril and Methodius really write the alphabet or take a finished work?

However, in addition to the fact that Cyril brought a ready-made alphabet from Chersonese, there is other evidence that the creators of Slavic writing were other people, who lived long before Cyril and Methodius.

Arabic sources historical events They say that 23 years before Cyril and Methodius created the Slavic alphabet, namely in the 40s of the 9th century, there were baptized people who had books in their hands written specifically in the Slavic language. There is also another serious fact that proves that the creation of Slavic writing occurred even earlier than the stated date. The bottom line is that Pope Leo IV had a diploma issued before 863, which consisted precisely of the letters of the Slavic alphabet, and this figure was on the throne in the interval from 847 to 855 of the 9th century.

Another, but also important, fact is evidence of more ancient origin Slavic writing lies in the statement of Catherine II, who during her reign wrote that the Slavs were more ancient people, than is commonly believed, and they have had writing since before the birth of Christ.

Evidence of antiquity from other nations

The creation of Slavic writing before 863 can be proven by other facts that are present in the documents of other peoples who lived in ancient times and used other types of writing in their time. There are quite a few such sources, and they are found in the Persian historian named Ibn Fodlan, in El Massudi, as well as in slightly later creators in fairly famous works, which says that Slavic writing was formed before the Slavs had books.

A historian who lived on the border of the 9th and 10th centuries argued that the Slavic people are more ancient and more developed than the Romans, and as proof he cited some monuments that make it possible to determine the antiquity of the origin of the Slavic people and their writing.

AND last fact, which can seriously influence the train of thought of people in search of an answer to the question of who created the Slavic writing, are coins with different letters of the Russian alphabet, dated back early dates, than 863, and located in the territories of such European countries like England, Scandinavia, Denmark and others.

Refutation of the ancient origin of Slavic writing

The supposed creators of Slavic writing missed the mark a little: they did not leave any books and documents written in this language. However, for many scientists it is enough that Slavic writing is present on various stones, rocks, weapons and household items that were used by the ancient inhabitants in their everyday life.

Many scientists worked on studying historical achievements in the writing of the Slavs, but a senior researcher named Grinevich was able to get almost to the very source, and his work made it possible to decipher any text written in the ancient Slavic language.

Grinevich's work in the study of Slavic writing

In order to understand the writing of the ancient Slavs, Grinevich had to do a lot of work, during which he discovered that it was not based on letters, but had a more complex system that worked through syllables. The scientist himself absolutely seriously believed that the formation of the Slavic alphabet began 7,000 years ago.

The signs of the Slavic alphabet had different basis, and after grouping all the symbols, Grinevich identified four categories: linear, dividing symbols, pictorial and limiting signs.

For the study, Grinevich used about 150 different inscriptions that were present on all kinds of objects, and all his achievements were based on deciphering these particular symbols.

During his research, Grinevich found out that the history of Slavic writing is older, and the ancient Slavs used 74 characters. However, for an alphabet there are too many characters, and if we talk about whole words, then there cannot be only 74 of them in the language. These reflections led the researcher to the idea that the Slavs used syllables instead of letters in the alphabet.

Example: “horse” - syllable “lo”

His approach made it possible to decipher the inscriptions that many scientists struggled with and could not understand what they meant. But it turned out that everything is quite simple:

1. The pot, which was found near Ryazan, had an inscription - instructions that said that it should be put in the oven and closed.
2. The sinker, which was found near the city of Trinity, had a simple inscription: “Weighs 2 ounces.”

All of the above-described evidence completely refutes the fact that the creators of Slavic writing are Cyril and Methodius, and prove the antiquity of our language.

Slavic runes in the creation of Slavic writing

The one who created the Slavic writing was a rather smart and brave person, because such an idea at that time could destroy the creator due to the lack of education of all other people. But besides writing, other options for disseminating information to people were invented - Slavic runes.

A total of 18 runes have been found in the world, which are present on a large number of various products from ceramics, stone statues and other artifacts. An example can be given ceramic products from the village of Lepesovka, located in southern Volyn, as well as a clay vessel in the village of Voiskovo. In addition to evidence located on the territory of Russia, there are monuments that are located in Poland and were discovered back in 1771. They also contain Slavic runes. We should not forget the temple of Radegast, located in Retra, where the walls are decorated with Slavic symbols. The last place that scientists learned about from Thietmar of Merseburg is a fortress-temple and is located on an island called Rügen. There is present large number idols whose names are written using runes of Slavic origin.

Slavic writing. Cyril and Methodius as creators

The creation of writing is attributed to Cyril and Methodius, and in support of this, historical data are provided for the corresponding period of their lives, which is described in some detail. They touch on the meaning of their activities, as well as the reasons for working on the creation of new symbols.

Cyril and Methodius was led to the creation of the alphabet by the conclusion that other languages ​​cannot fully reflect Slavic speech. This constraint is proven by the works of the monk Khrabra, in which it is noted that before the adoption of the Slavic alphabet for general use, baptism was carried out either in Greek or in Latin, and already in those days it became clear that they cannot reflect all the sounds that fill our speech .

Political influence on the Slavic alphabet

Politics began its influence on society from the very beginning of the birth of countries and religions, and it also had its hand in other aspects of people's lives.

As described above, Slavic baptism services were conducted in either Greek or Latin, which allowed other churches to influence the minds and strengthen the idea of ​​their dominant role in the minds of the Slavs.

Those countries where the liturgies were conducted not in Greek, but in Latin, received increased influence of German priests on the faith of the people, but for the Byzantine Church this was unacceptable, and it took a reciprocal step, entrusting Cyril and Methodius with the creation of writing, in which it would be written service and sacred texts.

The Byzantine Church reasoned correctly at that moment, and its plans were such that whoever created the Slavic writing based on the Greek alphabet would help weaken the influence of the German Church on all Slavic countries at the same time and at the same time help bring the people closer to Byzantium. These actions can also be seen as motivated by self-interest.

Who created Slavic writing based on the Greek alphabet? They were created by Cyril and Methodius, and it was not by chance that they were chosen by the Byzantine Church for this work. Kirill grew up in the city of Thessaloniki, which, although Greek, about half of its inhabitants spoke fluent Slavic, and Kirill himself was well versed in it and also had an excellent memory.

Byzantium and its role

There are quite serious debates about when work began on the creation of Slavic writing, because May 24 is the official date, but in history there is big gap in time, creating a discrepancy.

After Byzantium gave this difficult task, Cyril and Methodius began developing Slavic writing and in 864 arrived in Moravia with a ready-made Slavic alphabet and a fully translated Gospel, where they recruited students for the school.

After receiving a task from the Byzantine Church, Cyril and Methodius head to Morvia. During their journey, they are engaged in writing the alphabet and translating the texts of the Gospel into the Slavic language, and upon arrival in the city, the finished works are in their hands. However, the road to Moravia does not take that much time. Perhaps this time period allows us to create the alphabet, but to translate the letters of the Gospel in such a long time short term It’s simply impossible, which indicates advance work on the Slavic language and translation of texts.

Kirill's illness and care

After three years of working in his own school of Slavic writing, Kirill abandoned this business and left for Rome. This turn of events was caused by illness. Kirill left everything for a peaceful death in Rome. Methodius, finding himself alone, continues to pursue his goal and does not retreat back, although now it has become more difficult for him, because catholic church I began to understand the scale of the work done and was not delighted with it. The Roman Church imposes bans on translations into the Slavic language and openly demonstrates its dissatisfaction, but Methodius now has followers who help and continue his work.

Cyrillic and Glagolitic - what laid the foundation for modern writing?

There are no confirmed facts that can prove which of the writing systems originated earlier, and there is no exact information about who created the Slavic one and which of the two possible ones Cyril had a hand in. Only one thing is known, but the most important thing is that it was the Cyrillic alphabet that became the founder of today’s Russian alphabet and only thanks to it we can write the way we write now.

The Cyrillic alphabet has 43 letters, and the fact that its creator was Cyril proves the presence of 24 in it. And the remaining 19 were included by the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet based on the Greek alphabet solely to reflect complex sounds that were present only among peoples who used the Slavic language for communication.

Over time, the Cyrillic alphabet has been transformed, almost constantly influenced in order to simplify and improve it. However, there were moments that made writing difficult at first, for example, the letter “ё”, which is an analogue of “e”, the letter “th” - an analogue of “i”. Such letters made spelling difficult at first, but reflected their corresponding sounds.

The Glagolitic alphabet, in fact, was an analogue of the Cyrillic alphabet and used 40 letters, 39 of which were taken specifically from the Cyrillic alphabet. The main difference between the Glagolitic alphabet is that it has a more rounded writing style and is not inherently angular, unlike Cyrillic.

The disappeared alphabet (Glagolitic), although it did not take root, was intensively used by the Slavs living in the southern and western latitudes, and, depending on the location of the inhabitants, it had its own writing styles. The Slavs living in Bulgaria used the Glagolitic alphabet with a more rounded style to write, while the Croatians gravitated towards an angular script.

Despite the number of hypotheses and even the absurdity of some of them, each is worthy of attention, and it is impossible to accurately answer who the creators of Slavic writing were. The answers will be vague, with many flaws and shortcomings. And although there are many facts that refute the creation of writing by Cyril and Methodius, they are honored for their work, which allowed the alphabet to spread and transform into its present form.

The word “ABC” comes from the names of the first two letters of the Slavic alphabet: A (az) and B (buki).

Much older than the alphabet is the word “Alphabet”, which comes from the name of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha + Vita. It is generally accepted that the creators of the Slavic ABC were the brothers Cyril and Methodius. Back in the 9th century there was no alphabet, and the Slavs did not have their own letters, there was no writing.

At the request of the Slavic prince Rostislav, the Greek king Michael sent the Slavs two brothers, Constantine and Methodius, who lived in Byzantium in the city of Thessaloniki (now Thessaloniki, Greece), to tell the Slavs about the holy Christian books, words unknown to them and their meaning. Both brothers received good education. They were wise people and knew well different languages. Methodius was even the ruler of one Slavic region, but soon left the world and settled in a monastery on Mount Olympus. Since childhood, Kirill gravitated towards God and decided to also settle in a monastery with his brother.

Slavic writing “emerges” in one of the Constantinople monasteries.

Kirill creates the Slavic alphabet in the image and likeness of the Greek one.

There is no consensus among historians and scientists about which alphabet Kirill created - Cyrillic or Glagolitic. The names in Glagolitic and Cyrillic are the same, only the graphics are different.

Like the letters of the Greek alphabet, Glagolitic and Cyrillic letters were used to represent not only speech sounds, but also numbers. Most of the letters of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet are number letters. Studying the Old Church Slavonic alphabet, many scientists come to the conclusion that in fact the first “ABC” is a secret writing that has a deep religious and philosophical meaning. If you read each letter, you can understand the meaning that Konstantin put into it.

Cyril and Methodius created not just an alphabet, they opened a new path for the Slavic people, leading to the perfection of man on earth and the triumph of a new faith. Today there is no doubt about the connection between the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet and the adoption of Christianity. The Cyrillic alphabet was created in 863 (it is interesting to note that Constantine the Philosopher composed an alphabetic acrostic for the first Slavic alphabet he invented - a poem, each line of which begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet (in alphabetical order). And already in 988, Prince Vladimir officially announced the introduction of Christianity.

Initially, the Old Church Slavonic alphabet consisted of 43 letters. It had all the necessary letters to convey basic sounds, but at the same time, the Cyrillic alphabet included 6 Greek letters that were not needed to convey Slavic speech. Therefore, during the reforms of Russian writing in the 18th-20th centuries, these 6 letters were excluded from the alphabet.

From all of the above, it can be argued that the modern alphabet is a direct descendant of the one created by the great enlighteners Cyril and Methodius.

The origins of Slavic writing go back to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, who brought writing to the Slavic land. This event dates back to the 9th century, around 862.

Cyril and Methodius were born into a wealthy and noble family in the city of Thessaloniki (Greece). Methodius was the eldest brother in the family and was the ruler of the Bulgarian principality, which at that time was part of Byzantine Empire. Kirill (born Konstantin) is the younger brother who showed tall heights from infancy. mental abilities. While still at Thessaloniki school, he began reading the books of the Church Fathers. Gregory the Theologian made a special impression on young Constantine. The gifted young man was noticed, and he was invited to Constantinople, where he studied along with the emperor’s son from the best scientists of his time. Among Constantine's teachers was the famous scientist Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Konstantina was expecting brilliant career at the imperial court, but he chose a monastery cell.

After completing his studies, he retired to a monastery on Mount Olympus to Methodius to “continually pray and engage in pious meditation,” as his biography says. However, Constantine's seclusion was rarely long. As a preacher and propagandist, he was often sent to neighboring states to participate in disputes. Travel weakened Constantine's strength. In 42 he became very ill. Before his death, he became a monk with the name Cyril and died in 869. Death overtook Cyril in Rome, where the brothers sought the Pope's support in spreading Slavic writing. The biography tells that before his death, Cyril said to his brother: “You and I, like two oxen, drove the same furrow. I am exhausted, but don’t think about leaving the work of teaching and retiring to your mountain again.”

Methodius outlived his brother by 16 years. He translated the Holy Books into Slavic, preached Orthodox faith, baptized the Slavic people. He trained about two hundred Slavic priests.

“The Tale of Bygone Years” tells about the beginning of writing in Rus': once the Slavic princes Rostislav, Svyatopolk and Kotsel sent ambassadors to the Byzantine Tsar Michael with the words: “Our land is baptized, but we have no teacher who would instruct and teach us, and explained the holy books. After all, we don’t know either Greek language, neither Latin; Some teach us this way, and others teach us differently, so we don’t know either the shape of the letters or their meaning. And send us teachers who could tell us about book words and their meaning.” Then Tsar Michael summoned two learned brothers - Constantine and Methodius, and “the king persuaded them and sent them to the Slavic land... When these brothers arrived, they began to compile the Slavic alphabet and translated the Apostle and the Gospel.”

These events date back to 863. The spread of writing in Rus' is associated with this date.

The Slavic alphabet also appeared. In Kyiv, Novgorod, and other cities, schools began to be created to teach Slavic literacy. An alphabet appeared, which was called “Cyrillic” after the monastic name of Constantine. It was composed based on Greek, but modified to convey a Slavic sound system. Two alphabets were created - Glagolitic and Cyrillic.

Cyril and Methodius also managed to overcome the prejudice that only Hebrew, Greek and Latin were suitable for worship and writing church books. After the brothers presented the new alphabet, the Pope approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and the liturgy to be performed in the Slavic language.

In Russia, the holiday has been celebrated since 1863, when a decree was adopted to celebrate the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 (May 24, new style). IN modern Russia The Days of Remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Days of Slavic Literature and Culture have been celebrated since 1985.

Introduction

Slavic writing enlightener antique

Since childhood, we get used to the letters of our Russian alphabet and rarely think about when and how our writing arose. The creation of the Slavic alphabet is a special milestone in the history of every nation, in the history of its culture. In the depths of millennia and centuries, the names of the creators of the writing of a particular people or language family are usually lost. But the Slavic alphabet has an absolutely amazing origin. Thanks to a whole series of historical evidence, we know about the beginning of the Slavic alphabet and about its creators - Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Language and writing are perhaps the most important culture-forming factors. If the people are deprived of the right or opportunity to speak native language, then this will be the most severe blow to his native culture. If books in their native language are taken away from a person, he will lose the most important treasures of his culture. An adult, for example, who finds himself abroad, will probably not forget his native language. But his children and grandchildren will have great difficulties mastering the language of their parents and their people. Russian emigration of the 20th century, based on their arduous experience, answered the question “What place do the native language and native literature occupy in Russian culture?” gives a very clear answer: “Primary!”

Creation of the Slavic alphabet

Contemporaries and students of the first teachers of the Slavs compiled their lives in Church Slavonic. These biographies have been tested for centuries for authenticity and to this day are recognized by Slavists of all countries as the most important sources on the history of Slavic writing and culture. Best edition ancient lists biography of Cyril and Methodius, prepared jointly by Russian and Bulgarian scientists, was published in 1986. Here are lists of lives and words of praise for Cyril and Methodius of the 12th-15th centuries. The facsimile edition in this book of the most ancient lives of the Slavic enlighteners gives it special significance. Facsimile - “exactly reproduced” (from the Latin fac simile “do like”). Reading handwritten lives and words of praise to Cyril and Methodius, we penetrate back centuries and get closer to the origins of the Slavic alphabet and culture.

In addition to hagiographic literature, the most interesting evidence has been preserved of the ancient Bulgarian writer of the late 9th and early 10th centuries, Monk Khrabra, who wrote the first essay on the history of the creation of Slavic writing.

If you ask the Slavic literati like this:

Who wrote your letters or translated your books,

Everyone knows and, answering, they say:

Saint Constantine the Philosopher, named Cyril,

He created letters for us and translated books.

The homeland of the brothers Constantine (that was the name of St. Cyril before he became a monk) and Methodius was the Macedonian region of Byzantium, namely the main city of the region - Thessaloniki, or in Slavic Thessaloniki. The father of the future enlighteners of the Slavic peoples belonged to the highest stratum of Byzantine society. Methodius was the eldest, and Constantine the youngest of his seven sons. The exact year of birth of each brother is not known. Researchers place the year of birth of Methodius in the second decade of the 9th century. Konstantin learned to read very early and surprised everyone with his ability to master other languages. He received a comprehensive education at the imperial court in Constantinople under the guidance of the best mentors in Byzantium, among whom stood out the future Patriarch of Constantinople Photius - an expert on ancient culture, the creator of a unique bibliographic code known as the "Myriobiblion" - and Leo the Grammaticus - a man surprising his compatriots and foreigners with his deep learning, an expert in mathematics, astronomy and mechanics.

The Life of Constantine reports on his education: “In three months he studied all the grammar and took up other sciences. Studied Homer, geometry and studied dialectics and others from Leo and Photius philosophical teachings, in addition - rhetoric, arithmetic, astronomy, music and other Hellenic sciences. And so he studied all this, as no one else had studied these sciences.” The ancient heritage and all modern secular science were considered by Constantine's teachers to be a necessary preliminary stage to the comprehension of the highest wisdom - Theology.

This was also consistent with the ancient church Christian scientific tradition: the famous church fathers of the 4th century, Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, before entering church service, received education at the best educational institutions Constantinople and Athens. Basil the Great even wrote a special instruction: “To young men, on how to benefit from pagan writings.” “The Slavic alphabet taught by Saint Cyril contributed not only to the development of a unique Slavic culture, but was also important factor the development of young Slavic nations, their revival and liberation from the spiritual tutelage, turning into oppression, of foreign neighbors. What Saints Cyril and Methodius did served as the foundation on which the beautiful edifice of the current Slavic culture was built, which has taken its honorable place in the world culture of mankind.” Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov). From the speech “Equal to the Apostles,” delivered on the 1100th anniversary of the death of St. Cyril. Hagiographic literature, which has preserved for us precious information about life and scientific activity Thessalonica brothers, assigned to Constantine the name Filosov (i.e. “lover of wisdom”). In this regard, an episode from the childhood of the future educator of the Slavs is of particular interest. As a seven-year-old boy, Konstantin had a dream, which he told his father and mother. The strategist (head of the region), having gathered all the girls of Thessalonica, told him: “Choose from among them whomever you want as your wife, to help (you) and your peer.” “I,” said Constantine, “having examined and examined them all, saw one more beautiful than all, with a shining face, decorated with gold necklaces and pearls and all beauty, her name was Sophia, that is, Wisdom, and her (I) chose." After completing the course of science, he took the department of philosophy in Magnavrskaya higher school Constantinople, where he himself had previously studied, Constantine the Philosopher also served as the patriarchal librarian. And, in the “books of diligence,” he rose more and more from book wisdom to the highest Wisdom, preparing for the great mission - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples.

Constantine's embassy to Moravia in 863 was of epochal significance for the entire Slavic world. The Moravian prince Rostislav asked the Byzantine emperor Michael III send preachers to him who speak the Slavic language: “Our land is baptized, but we do not have a teacher who would instruct and teach us, and explain the holy books. After all, we do not know either Greek or Latin; Some teach us this way, and others teach us differently, so we don’t know either the shape of the letters or their meaning. And send us teachers who could tell us about book words and their meaning.”

“Teaching without the alphabet and without books is like writing a conversation on water,” answered Constantine the Philosopher to Emperor Michael when he invited him to go on an educational mission to the Moravian Christians. Konstantin the Philosopher composed the alphabet for the Slavs and, together with his brother, translated the first texts from the Gospel and Psalter. Thus, the year 863 in the history of Slavic culture is marked as the year of the creation of the Slavic alphabet, which marked the beginning of the Slavic enlightenment. The Gospel of John stands out among all biblical books for its abundance of religious and philosophical concepts and categories. Through the Church Slavonic translation of this Gospel made by Cyril and Methodius, many philosophical (ontological, epistemological, aesthetic, ethical) and other terms entered the Slavic language and everyday life of Slavic philosophy: “light”, “enlightenment”, “truth”, “man”, “grace”, “life” (“belly”), “peace”, “testimony”, “power”, “darkness”, “fullness”, “knowledge”, “faith”, “glory”, “eternity” and many other. Most of these terms are firmly entrenched in the language and literature of the Slavic peoples.

The creation of Slavic writing was not only the invention of the alphabet with all the signs characteristic of the written expression of speech, and the creation of terminology. Colossal work was also done to create a new toolkit for Slavic writing. The books that Cyril and Methodius translated from Greek and wrote in Slavic contained examples of a number of literary genres. For example, biblical texts included historical and biographical genres, monologues and dialogues, as well as examples of the most exquisite poetry. The liturgical Slavic texts that came out from the pen of the first teachers were mostly intended to be chanted or even chorally performed and thereby served to develop the musical culture of the Slavs. The first translations of patristic texts (works of the holy fathers) into the Slavic language included works of a philosophical nature. The first church-canonical Slavic collections contained translations of monuments of Byzantine legislation, that is, they laid the foundation for the legal literature of the Slavs.

Every literary genre has its own characteristics and requires its own verbal forms and visual arts. To create a full-fledged toolkit of Slavic writing, which, on the one hand, would preserve the natural beauty of the Slavic language, and on the other, convey all the literary merits and subtleties of the Greek originals, is truly a task for several generations. But historical sources indicate that this enormous philological work was done by the Thessaloniki brothers and their immediate students in an amazingly short time. This is all the more surprising because the Orthodox missionaries Cyril and Methodius, although they had an excellent knowledge of the Slavic dialect, had neither scientific grammar, nor dictionaries, nor examples of highly artistic Slavic writing.

Here is what is said in one of the many reviews of modern scientists about the philological feat of Cyril and Methodius: “Unlike other methods of recording Slavic speech practiced in that era, the Slavic letter of Constantine-Cyril was a special complete system, created with careful consideration of the specific features of the Slavic language. Translations of works in which Constantine and Methodius tried to find adequate expression for all the features of these monuments meant not just the emergence literary language medieval Slavs, but its composition is already immediately in those mature, developed forms that were developed in the original Greek text as a result of centuries of literary development.”

Maybe someone before Cyril and Methodius did experiments on creating Slavic writing, but there are only hypotheses on this matter. And numerous historical sources testify specifically to Cyril and Methodius as the creators of the Slavic alphabet, writing and books. However, the history of the creation of Slavic writing has one very interesting riddle. In the 9th century, the Slavs developed almost simultaneously two writing systems: one was called the Glagolitic alphabet, and the other, the Cyrillic alphabet. Which alphabet - Cyrillic or Glagolitic - was invented by Constantine the Philosopher? Many scientists are inclined to believe that the first Slavic alphabet was the Glagolitic alphabet. Others believe that Saint Cyril invented the Cyrillic alphabet. Perhaps the first teachers of the Slavs created both of these writing systems, but later the Cyrillic alphabet became most widespread, which became the basis of the modern Russian alphabet. But no matter how these questions are subsequently resolved by science, the evidence of historical sources about the brothers Cyril and Methodius as the creators of Slavic writing and book culture remains unchanged. The Orthodox mission of Cyril and Methodius also became a decisive factor for the formation of a single cultural space of the Slavic peoples. In the 19th century, the famous Russian archaeographer Archimandrite Leonid Kavelin found and published the manuscript “The Word of our teacher Constantine the Philosopher” in the book depository of the Hilendar (Serbian) monastery on Mount Athos. In it, Constantine the Philosopher addresses all Slavic peoples: “In the same way, hear the Slovenes of all... Hear, Slovenian the whole people... Behold, all of us, brothers of Slovenia, conspiring, speak light appropriately.”

To whom was the word of the enlighteners Cyril and Methodius addressed? To all the peoples of the Slavic world, which in the 9th century was not as divided linguistically as in subsequent centuries. From the Baltic Sea in the north to the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic in the south, from the Laba (Elbe) and the Alps in the west and to the Volga in the east they settled Slavic tribes, the names of which were reported by our “initial chronicle”: Moravians, Czechs, Croats, Serbs, Horutans, Polyans, Drevlyans, Mazovshans, Pomorians, Dregovichi, Polochans, Buzhans, Volynians, Novgorodians, Dulebs, Tivertsy, Radimichi, Vyatichi. They all spoke the “Slovenian language” and all received education and native literature from their first teachers.

Constantine the Philosopher, having shortly before his death accepted monasticism with the name Cyril, died in 869. Methodius outlived his younger brother by 16 years. Before his death, Kirill bequeathed to his brother: “You and I, like two oxen, plowed the same furrow. I am exhausted, but don’t think about leaving the work of teaching and retiring to the mountain (to the monastery) again.” Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother’s order and until the end of his earthly life he worked on translating the Bible, liturgical books and collections of church law. Methodius died in 885, leaving behind many successors who knew and loved Church Slavonic books.

“Translating a Byzantine text into Russian is a grateful and joyful task, because the modern translator is energetically assisted by his ancient predecessors; The historical fate of the Russian language opened it up to opportunities specific to Byzantium to link and weave words. In English or French, the same text can only be retold, recklessly sacrificing its verbal fabric, and even German translation it is possible to approach the true warehouse of Hellenic orbit only at a respectful distance. The tradition of Russian culture embodied in language is connected with the Byzantine heritage in a very tenacious, very real and concrete connection. We shouldn’t forget about this.”

The greatest service of Cyril and Methodius to the Slavic world was also that they tried to leave their students everywhere - continuers of the work of enlightening the Slavic peoples. Their students continued Orthodox mission in Moravia and Panonia, and through the next link of successors, the Cyril and Methodius book traditions reached southern Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria.

The Cyril and Methodius Orthodox missionary tradition, in contrast to the Western Catholic one, was characterized by the fact that the oral preaching of the Gospel, church service and schooling - all this was done in the native language of those peoples to whom the followers of Cyril and Methodius brought Orthodoxy and Orthodox culture. The introduction of the Slavic language into worship was especially important, because at that time the liturgical language was also the language of literature. With the Baptism of Rus', books in the Slavic language began to spread very quickly on Russian soil. “In The Tale of Bygone Years, which is attentive to all the events of Russian culture, there are no names or dates associated with Russian writing itself. And this, undoubtedly, is because Cyril and Methodius were in the minds of the scribes of Rus' the true creators of a single writing system for all eastern and southern Slavs. The Russian “Tale of the Translation of Books into the Slavic Language,” placed in the “Tale of Bygone Years,” begins with the words: “There is no single Slovenian language.” Further in this “Legend” it is said: “And the Slovenian language and the Russian language are one,” and a little lower it is repeated again: “... and the Slovenian language is one.”

Currently in Russian culture Church Slavonic is most often perceived as the language of prayer and Orthodox worship. But its significance does not end there. “In general, the significance of the Church Slavonic language for Russian is that it represents the entire history of the Russian language placed on one plane, for in Church Slavonic at the same time there are monuments that go back to the activities of the Slavic first teachers - St. Nestor, Metropolitan Hilarion, Cyril of Turov, St. Maxim Greek and further to the present day." M.V. wrote about the fateful significance of the Church Slavonic language and Church Slavonic writing for Russian culture in his “Preface on the benefits of church books in the Russian language.” Lomonosov: “The Russian language in full strength, beauty and richness is not subject to change and decline; it will be established as long as the Russian Church through the praise of God continues to Slovenian language will be decorated."

Russian Orthodox Church to this day he sacredly preserves the Church Slavonic language as the language of his worship. Consequently, the Russian language, despite all the trials, is not in danger of decline. The high cultural standard maintained by the Church Slavonic language will help preserve the beauty, richness and strength of the Russian language and native literature.

Kostin Pavel 3rd grade

May 24th is celebrated Slavic culture and writing. Cyril and Methodius are considered the founders of Slavic writing. The work of a 3rd grade student, dedicated to the founders of Slavic writing.

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Kostin Pavel, 3rd grade

Cyril and Methodius - the founders of Slavic writing

Celebrates Slavic writing and culture. Year of birth (creation) of the Slavic

brothers Cyril (before becoming a monk, Constantine) and Methodius.

Cyril (circa 827-869) and his older brother Methodius (circa 825-885)

were born in greek city Thessalonica (now Thessalonica). Father named Leo was

famous Greek official. One of the later sources says about the mother,

that she is a Slav by birth named Maria. And although, presumably, the family spoke

The brothers listened to Greek, Slavic words, and music of the language in the house since childhood. Yes and no

only in the house. There were many Slavic merchants in the trading districts of Thessaloniki. Many

The Slavs settled in Greece several centuries before the birth of the brothers. No wonder many years

later, sending the brothers to Moravia at the request of the Slavic prince to send teachers,

who will teach church reading, singing and writing in their native Slavic language,

Emperor Michael said: “No one can do this better than you. Go

together with Abbot Methodius, since you are Solunians, and Solunians all speak

purely Slavic" (beginning of 863).

Having received his education in his hometown, Methodius served for ten years as a military commander in

one of the Slavic provinces of Byzantium. Constantine studied in the capital of the empire

Constantinople and showed brilliant philological talent. He has mastered perfectly

several languages, including Latin, Syriac and Hebrew. When Konstantin

graduated from college, he was offered a very honorable position as a librarian at

patriarchal repository of books. At the same time, he became the patriarch's secretary. Working

in the library (the best library in the world), he constantly expanded his knowledge by comparing

one language with another, wrote Yuri Loschits in one of the magazines in the article “Prophetic Rumor”.

Only if you have an ear for music and develop it, you can hear in an unfamiliar

Greek of someone else's speech individual sounds and sound combinations. Konstantin was not ashamed that

It's called looking into the speaker's mouth to figure out exactly what position

lips, teeth and tongue of the interlocutor, a sound escapes from his mouth, outlandish for

Greek hearing. The sounds “z”, “z”, and “z” seemed so strange and unusual to the Greeks."sh",

"sch" etc. To us, Russian people, and to those for whom Russian is their native language, it seems funny,

when these and other sounds are difficult for foreigners to pronounce. Sounds in Slavic speech

turned out to be significantly more than in Greek (later the brothers had to

create 14 more letters than in the Greek alphabet). Kirill managed to hear

sounds of Slavic speech, isolate them from a smooth, coherent flow and create under these

sounds signs-letters.

When we talk about the creation of the Slavic alphabet by the brothers Cyril and Mefoliy, then

We call the youngest one first. This was the case during both of their lives. Methodius himself said:

“He served, like a slave, his younger brother, obeying him.” The younger brother was a genius

a philologist, as we would say now, a brilliant polyglot. He had to many times

engage in scientific disputes, and not only scientific ones. The new business of creating writing

numerous Slavic people found many enemies (in Moravia and Pannonia -

on the lands of modern Hungary, former Yugoslavia, Austria). After the brothers' death

about 200 of their students were sold into slavery, and their closest and most capable

comrades thrown into prison.

The tragic personal fates of the disciples Cyril and Methodius did not stop

the spread of Slavic writing from one Slavic people to another. From

Moravia and Pannonia it passed to Bulgaria, and in the 10th century, after the adoption

Christianity, and to ancient Rus'.

What was the Slavic alphabet? We need to talk about this in more detail,

since this writing was used in Rus' until the 18th century. Under Peter I and

then several more times in the 18th century. the alphabetical composition changed, i.e. number of letters and their

graphics (writing). The last reform of the Cyrillic alphabet took place in 1917-1918. In total there were

12 letters were excluded, and two new ones were introduced - “i” and “e”. If you look at the names of the letters

Cyrillic alphabet, the origin of the word “alphabet” itself will become clear: a - az, b - beeches. Like

the name of the alphabet, the name “alphabet” comes from the first two letters of the Greek

languages ​​"alpha" and "vita".

All Slavs from the Baltic spoke, wrote, and created literature in the “Slovenian language”

to the Aegean Sea, from the Alps to the Volga. Six long centuries, up to the 15th century,

only three ancient languages ​​(Slavic, Greek, Latin) were accepted in the world

as the main languages ​​of interethnic communication. And now it’s a matter of honor for millions of people

Carriers Slavic languages- protect, preserve and develop it.

How did distant ancestors learn to read and write?

Education at school was individual, and each teacher had no more than 6-8

students. The teaching methods were very imperfect. Folk proverbs

retained the memory of the difficulty of learning the alphabet: “Az, beeches, lead them to fear how

bears", "They teach the alphabet, they shout at the whole hut."

Learning the Old Church Slavonic alphabet was not an easy task. Not sounds were pronounced, but

the names of the letters are complex in themselves. Having memorized the alphabet, they began to study syllables, or

warehouses, first from two letters: “buki”, “az” - the student named the names of the letters, and

then pronounced the syllable “ba”; for the syllable “vo” it was necessary to name “vedi”, “on”. Then

they taught syllables of three letters: “buki”, “rtsy”, “az” - “bra”, etc.

The complex names of the letters were not taken, as they say, out of thin air. Each title

carried great meaning and moral content. He who mastered literacy absorbed

moral concepts of enormous depth, developed for himself a line of behavior in

life, received concepts of goodness and morality. I can’t even believe it: well, letters and letters.

But no. When a person learning to read and write repeated after the teacher “az, beeches, lead,” he

He said the whole phrase: “I know letters.” Next came g, d, f - “The verb is good

is." In the listing of these letters in a row there is a commandment for man not to waste

I didn’t throw around words, I didn’t mince words, because “The word is good.”

Let's see what letters like r meant. s, t. They were called “Rtsy the word is firm”, i.e.

e. “Speak the word clearly,” “be responsible for your words.” It would be good for many of us

learn both pronunciation and responsibility for the spoken word.

After memorizing the syllables, reading began. The second proverb reminds us of order

work: the teacher pronounced the letters, and the students repeated them in chorus until

haven't remembered yet.

Literature:

Great Encyclopedia of Primary School

Excerpts from historical sources"The Tale of Bygone Years" and "The Life of Konstantin-Kirill"