CYRILL AND MEFODIUS, Slavic educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet and literary language, the first translators from Greek into Slavic, preachers of Christianity, saints equal to the apostles.
According to the lives, brothers Cyril (before taking monasticism - Constantine) [about 827, Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) - 14.2.869, Rome] and Methodius (name unknown before taking monasticism) [about 815, Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) - 6.4.885, Velegrad ] came from the family of drungaria (Byzantine military leader and mid-ranking administrator). Methodius entered the government service in his youth, ruled a region with a Slavic population for some time, then retired to a monastery. Constantine was educated in Constantinople, among his teachers was the future Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint Photius. Having completed his education, Constantine took the position of librarian of the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, or, according to another version, the position of skeuphylax (cathedral sacristan). Leaving the capital, he settled in one of the monasteries of Asia Minor. For some time he taught philosophy in Constantinople, and participated in polemics with the iconoclasts (see Iconoclasm). In 855-856, Constantine took part in the so-called Saracen mission to the capital of the Arab Caliphate, where, according to his life, he conducted theological discussions with Muslims. In 860-861, as part of a diplomatic mission, he traveled to the Khazar Kaganate and conducted polemics with Jews and Muslims. During this journey, Constantine found near Korsun (see Chersonesos) the relics of the holy martyr Clement I, Pope of Rome; He took some of the relics with him.
"Cyril and Methodius". Icon by G. Zhuravlev (1885). Samara Diocesan Church History Museum.
According to the lives of Cyril and Methodius, an embassy from the Great Moravian prince Rostislav, who arrived at the end of 862 to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III, asked to send a “teacher” to Moravia to expound the Christian faith in the Slavic language. The mission was entrusted to Constantine and Methodius, who knew the Slavic language well. In Constantinople, in preparation for the trip, Constantine compiled an alphabet (Glagolitic) for the Slavs, which is an independent graphic system. The Glagolitic alphabet is based on the phonemic principle: in general, it is characterized by a one-to-one correspondence between the phoneme and the letter. Having created an alphabet and a writing system, Constantine began to translate the liturgical Gospel from Greek. The first recorded Slavic phrase (John 1:1) in Glagolitic looked like
(in Cyrillic - from time immemorial ѣ word). The main merit of the enlightenment brothers is that thanks to their works, on the basis of the unwritten Slavic dialect, a book-written language was developed, suitable for translating the Holy Scriptures and liturgical texts, capable of conveying the most complex theological ideas and features of Byzantine liturgical poetry (see Old Church Slavonic language, Church Slavonic language) .
“Bishop Methodius dictates the text of the Slavic translation to the scribe.” Miniature of the Radziwill Chronicle. 15th century
At the end of 863, Constantine and Methodius went to Great Moravia, where they continued their translation activities. The Apostle, the Psalter, a number of liturgical texts, the essay “Writing about the Right Faith” (the translation is based on the “Great Apologetician” of Nikephoros of Constantinople) - a brief summary of the main tenets of Christian doctrine - were translated into the Slavic language, and a poetic preface to the Gospel was compiled (“Proglas "). At the same time, local residents were actively trained in Slavic writing. The success of the missionaries displeased the German priests who served in the Moravian churches in Latin. In disputes with Constantine and Methodius, they argued that worship could be performed only in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Latin, in which, according to the Gospel, the inscription was made on the cross over the crucified Jesus Christ (Luke 23:38). Since the territory of Great Moravia was under the jurisdiction of the Roman Church, Constantine and Methodius were summoned to Rome. The brothers brought part of the relics of the holy martyr Clement I to Rome, which predetermined the favor of Pope Adrian II towards them; he approved the books they translated, approved Slavic worship and ordained Methodius to the priesthood. While in Rome, Constantine fell ill, took the schema with the name Cyril and soon died. By order of the pope, he was buried in the Basilica of St. Clement.
Returning with his disciples to Moravia, Methodius enlisted the support of princes Rostislav and Kocel, again went to Rome, where no later than the end of the summer of 869 he was installed as archbishop of the restored Sirmian diocese, which included Great Moravia and Pannonia, and continued to strengthen and spread Slavic writing and worship. Methodius's activities continued to provoke opposition from the German clergy, who, taking advantage of the successes of the East Frankish king Carloman in the war with Rostislav, achieved his arrest and trial. For two and a half years, Methodius and his closest disciples were imprisoned in Ellwangen Abbey (according to another version - Reichenau). Thanks to the intercession of Pope John VIII in the spring of 873, Methodius was released and returned to the see. However, the opposition of the German clergy did not stop. Methodius was accused of rejecting the doctrine of the Filioque. In 880 he was summoned to Rome, where he was acquitted, after which he returned to Moravia.
Methodius directed his efforts towards organizing a full-fledged church life and disseminating Byzantine legal norms in Great Moravia. For this purpose, he translated the Nomocanon and compiled “The Law of Judgment for People” - the first Slavic legal collection. On the initiative of Methodius, and possibly with his participation, the life of Cyril and the service to him were written (originally in Greek). IN recent years life, according to his life, Methodius, with the help of two assistants, translated the entire Old Testament (except for the Maccabean books), as well as the “books of the fathers” (in all likelihood, the Patericon) into Slavic. Shortly before his death, he named Gorazd, one of his students, as his successor. Methodius was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad, the capital of Moravia (the grave has not survived). Soon after the death of Methodius, his students were expelled from Moravia, and most of them (Clement of Ohrid, Naum of Ohrid, Konstantin of Preslav) ended up in Bulgaria, where the tradition of Slavic writing was continued.
The veneration of Cyril and Methodius probably began immediately after their death. Their lives and services to them were created in the 9th century. The names of Cyril and Methodius appear in the monthly book of the Assemanian Gospel (1st half of the 11th century). The early veneration of Cyril and Methodius in Rus' is evidenced by the inclusion of their names in the month books of the Ostromir Gospel (1056-57) and the Archangel Gospel (1092). At the end of the 17th century, during the correction of the Menaion (see Book on the right), the names of Cyril and Methodius were excluded from the church calendar. The renewal of veneration dates back to the mid-19th century and is associated with the ideas of Slavic unity that were relevant at that time. The days of memory of Cyril and Methodius were included in the Russian Orthodox Church calendar in 1863.
Images of Cyril and Methodius are quite widespread. Cyril is depicted in monastic attire - in a dark tunic and mantle with a hood, Methodius - in bishop's vestments. The earliest depiction of Cyril and Methodius is considered to be the miniature “Transfer of the Relics of St. Clement, Pope of Rome” from the Menology of Basil the Great (between 976 and 1025, Vatican Library). Sometimes a 9th century fresco of the Basilica of St. Clement in Rome is cited as the earliest image. In Rus', images of Cyril and Methodius have been found since the 15th century among the miniatures of the Radziwill Chronicle and in the minea icons, which depicted saints of the entire month. In Russian iconography, their images have become especially popular since the mid-19th century.
Days of remembrance according to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church - February 14 (27) (Equal to the Apostles Cyril), April 6 (19) (Holy Methodius), May 11 (24) (Equal to the Apostles Methodius and Cyril); according to the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church - February 14. Since 1991, Russia has established an annual secular holiday, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture, which falls on the day of church memory of Cyril and Methodius.
Lit.: Lavrov P. A. Kirilo and Methodology in Old Slavonic writing Kiev, 1928; aka. Materials on the history of the emergence of ancient Slavic writing. L., 1930; Kirilo-Metodievsk encyclopedia. Sofia, 1985-2003. T. 1-4; Vereshchagin E. M. History of the emergence of the ancient common Slavic literary language. Translation activities of Cyril and Methodius and their students. M., 1997; Florya B. N. Tales of the beginning of Slavic writing. St. Petersburg, 2004; Tahiaos A.-E. N. Holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, educators of the Slavs. Sergiev Posad, 2005.
On May 24, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.
The name of these saints is known to everyone from school, and it is to them that all of us, native speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.
Incredibly, all European science and culture were born within the monastery walls: it was in the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and extensive libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many written languages were created. This happened with the Slavic language.
The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family who lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality of the Byzantine Empire. This gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language.
Soon, however, he decided to leave the secular lifestyle and became a monk at the monastery on Mount Olympus. From childhood, Constantine showed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the young Emperor Michael 3rd at the royal court.
Then he became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.
His brother Constantine, who took the name Cyril as a monk, was distinguished by great abilities from an early age and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.
Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars to preach the gospel. As the legend says, along the way they stopped in Korsun, where Constantine found the Gospel and the Psalter written in “Russian letters,” and a man speaking Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.
When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in the native language of the Slavs.
The first of the Slavic peoples to turn to Christianity were the Bulgarians. The sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (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 Mikhail. Saints Cyril 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.
To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (Gospel, Apostle, Psalter) into Slavic. This happened in 863.
In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who performed divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they filed a complaint to Rome.
Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement (Pope), which they discovered back in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius went to Rome.
Having learned that the brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian greeted them with honor and approved the service in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and the liturgy to be performed in the Slavic language.
Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother’s will: returning to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia, Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the lifetime of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoj received holy baptism from him. His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the mid-10th century, the Polish prince Mieczyslaw married the Bohemian princess Dabrowka, after which he and his subjects accepted the Christian faith.
Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were torn away from the Greek Church under the rule of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But all Slavs, despite the centuries that have passed, still have a living memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Name: Cyril and Methodius (Constantine and Michael)
Activity: creators of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet and Church Slavonic language, Christian preachers
Marital status: were not married
Cyril and Methodius: biography
Cyril and Methodius became famous throughout the world as champions of the Christian faith and authors of the Slavic alphabet. The biography of the couple is extensive; there is even a separate biography dedicated to Kirill, created immediately after the man’s death. However, today you can get acquainted with a brief history of the destinies of these preachers and founders of the alphabet in various manuals for children. The brothers have their own icon, where they are depicted together. People turn to her with prayers for good studies, luck for students, and increased intelligence.
Childhood and youth
Cyril and Methodius were born in the Greek city of Thessaloniki (present-day Thessaloniki) in the family of a military leader named Leo, whom the authors of the biography of a couple of saints characterize as “of good birth and rich.” The future monks grew up in the company of five other brothers.
Before tonsure, the men bore the names Mikhail and Konstantin, and the first was older - he was born in 815, and Konstantin in 827. Controversy still rages among historians about the ethnicity of the family. Some attribute him to the Slavs, because these people were fluent in the Slavic language. Others attribute Bulgarian and, of course, Greek roots.
The boys received an excellent education, and when they matured, their paths diverged. Methodius entered military service under the patronage of a faithful family friend and even rose to the rank of governor of a Byzantine province. During the “Slavic reign” he established himself as a wise and fair ruler.
From early childhood, Kirill was fond of reading books, amazed those around him with his excellent memory and abilities in science, and was known as a polyglot - in his linguistic arsenal, in addition to Greek and Slavic, there were Hebrew and Aramaic. At the age of 20, a young man, a graduate of Magnavra University, was already teaching the basics of philosophy at the court school at Constantinople.
Christian service
Kirill flatly refused a secular career, although such an opportunity was provided. Marriage to the goddaughter of an official of the royal chancellery in Byzantium opened up dizzying prospects - leadership of the region in Macedonia, and then the position of commander-in-chief of the army. However, the young theologian (Konstantin was only 15 years old) chose to take the church path.
When he was already teaching at the university, the man even managed to win a theological debate over the leader of the iconoclasts, the former Patriarch John the Grammar, also known as Ammius. However, this story is considered simply a beautiful legend.
The main task for the Byzantine government at that time was considered to be the strengthening and promotion of Orthodoxy. Missionaries traveled along with the diplomats who traveled to cities and towns where they negotiated with religious enemies. This is what Konstantin became at the age of 24, setting off on his first important task from the state - to instruct Muslims on the true path.
At the end of the 50s of the 9th century, the brothers, tired of the bustle of the world, retired to a monastery, where 37-year-old Methodius took monastic vows. However, Cyril was not allowed to rest for a long time: already in 860, the man was called to the throne of the emperor and instructed to join the ranks of the Khazar mission.
The fact is that the Khazar Kagan announced an interreligious dispute, where Christians were asked to prove the truth of their faith to Jews and Muslims. The Khazars were already ready to go over to the side of Orthodoxy, but they set a condition - only if the Byzantine polemicists won the disputes.
Kirill took his brother with him and brilliantly completed the task assigned to him, but still the mission was a complete failure. The Khazar state did not become Christian, although the Kagan allowed people to be baptized. On this trip, a serious historical event happened for believers. Along the way, the Byzantines looked into Crimea, where, in the vicinity of Chersonesus, Cyril found the relics of Clement, the fourth holy Pope, which were then transferred to Rome.
The brothers are involved in another important mission. One day, the ruler of the Moravian lands (Slavic state) Rostislav asked for help from Constantinople - they needed teacher-theologians to tell the people about the true faith in an accessible language. Thus, the prince was going to escape the influence of the German bishops. This trip became significant - the Slavic alphabet appeared.
In Moravia, the brothers worked tirelessly: they translated Greek books, taught the Slavs the basics of reading and writing, and at the same time taught them how to conduct divine services. The “business trip” took three years. The results of the labors played a big role in preparing for the baptism of Bulgaria.
In 867, the brothers had to go to Rome to answer for “blasphemy.” The Western Church called Cyril and Methodius heretics, accusing them of reading sermons in the Slavic language, while they can only talk about the Most High in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.
On the way to the Italian capital, they stopped in the Principality of Blaten, where they taught the people the book trade. Those who arrived in Rome with the relics of Clement were so happy that the new Pope Adrian II allowed services to be held in Slavic and even allowed the translated books to be distributed in churches. During this meeting, Methodius received the episcopal rank.
Unlike his brother, Kirill only became a monk on the verge of death - it was necessary. After the death of the preacher, Methodius, surrounded by disciples, returned to Moravia, where he had to fight the German clergy. The deceased Rostislav was replaced by his nephew Svyatopolk, who supported the policy of the Germans, who did not allow the Byzantine priest to work in peace. Any attempts to spread the Slavic language as a church language were suppressed.
Methodius even spent three years in prison at the monastery. Pope John VIII helped to free him, who imposed a ban on liturgies while Methodius was in prison. However, in order not to escalate the situation, John also prohibited worship in the Slavic language. Only sermons were not punishable by law.
But the native of Thessaloniki, at his own peril and risk, continued to secretly conduct services in Slavic. At the same time, the archbishop baptized the Czech prince, for which he later appeared in court in Rome. However, luck favored Methodius - he not only escaped punishment, but also received a papal bull and the opportunity to again conduct services in the Slavic language. Shortly before his death he managed to translate the Old Testament.
Creation of the alphabet
The brothers from Thessaloniki went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. The time of the event is 862 or 863. The Life of Cyril and Methodius claims that the idea was born back in 856, when the brothers, together with their disciples Angelarius, Naum and Clement, settled on Mount Lesser Olympus in the Polychron monastery. Here Methodius served as rector.
The authorship of the alphabet is attributed to Kirill, but which one exactly remains a mystery. Scientists are inclined towards the Glagolitic alphabet, this is indicated by the 38 characters that it contains. As for the Cyrillic alphabet, it was brought to life by Kliment Ohridski. However, even if this was the case, the student still used Kirill’s work - it was he who isolated the sounds of the language, which is the most important thing when creating writing.
The basis for the alphabet was the Greek cryptography; the letters are very similar, so the Glagolitic alphabet was confused with the eastern alphabets. But to designate specific Slavic sounds, they took Hebrew letters, for example, “sh”.
Death
Constantine-Cyril was struck down by a serious illness on a trip to Rome, and on February 14, 869 he died - this day is recognized in Catholicism as the day of remembrance of saints. The body was interred in the Roman Church of St. Clement. Cyril did not want his brother to return to the monastery in Moravia, and before his death he allegedly said:
“Here, brother, you and I were like two oxen in harness, plowing one furrow, and I fell by the forest, having finished my day. And although you love the mountain very much, you cannot leave your teaching for the sake of the mountain, for how else can you better achieve salvation?
Methodius outlived his wise relative by 16 years. Anticipating death, he ordered himself to be taken to church to read a sermon. The priest died on Palm Sunday, April 4, 885. Methodius' funeral service was held in three languages - Greek, Latin and, of course, Slavic.
Methodius was replaced in his post by the disciple Gorazd, and then all the undertakings of the holy brothers began to collapse. In Moravia, liturgical translations were gradually banned again, and followers and students were hunted - persecuted, sold into slavery, and even killed. Some adherents fled to neighboring countries. And yet the Slavic culture survived, the center of book learning moved to Bulgaria, and from there to Russia.
The holy chief apostolic teachers are revered in the West and East. In Russia, a holiday has been established in memory of the brothers’ feat - May 24 is celebrated as the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.
Memory
Settlements
- 1869 – foundation of the village of Mefodievka near Novorossiysk
Monuments
- Monument to Cyril and Methodius at the Stone Bridge in Skopje, Macedonia.
- Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Belgrade, Serbia.
- Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Khanty-Mansiysk.
- Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki, Greece. The statue in the form of a gift was given to Greece by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
- Statue in honor of Cyril and Methodius in front of the building of the National Library of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic.
- Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius, installed in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Ohrid, Macedonia.
- Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the “1000th Anniversary of Russia” monument in Veliky Novgorod.
Books
- 1835 – poem “Cyril and Methodias”, Jan Golla
- 1865 - “Cyril and Methodius Collection” (edited by Mikhail Pogodin)
- 1984 - “Khazar Dictionary”, Milorad Pavic
- 1979 - “Thessaloniki Brothers”, Slav Karaslavov
Movies
- 1983 - “Constantine the Philosopher”
- 1989 - “Thessaloniki Brothers”
- 2013 - “Cyril and Methodius - Apostles of the Slavs”
Cyril (826 - 869) and Methodius (815 - 885) - educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, saints equal to the apostles, translated Scripture into the Slavic language.
Cyril (Constantine - in the world) and Methodius were born in Greece, in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in the family of the Drungarian (military leader) Leo. From 833, Methodius was a military man and served at the imperial court of Theophilus, and in 835-45. was an archon (ruler) of one of the Slavic principalities.
Later, Methodius went to Olympus, to the Bithynia monastery. Kirill was highly gifted since childhood, in the 40s. studied at the Magnaur Imperial School in Constantinople, where his mentors were Leo the Mathematician, the head of the capital's university, and Photius, the future patriarch.
At this time, Cyril's scientific interests turned to philology, apparently under the influence of the Photius circle. The famous Slavic historian B.N. Florya wrote that “it was under the leadership of Photius that Constantine took the first steps towards becoming the greatest philologist of his time.”
After graduating from the Magnaur school, Kirill accepted the priesthood and was appointed librarian at the Cathedral of St. Sophia. But soon he leaves Constantinople due to disagreements with Patriarch Ignatius and retires to the shores of the Bosphorus in a monastery. Six months later he returns and begins teaching philosophy at the school where he studied. Apparently, from then on they began to call him Cyril the Philosopher.
Around 855, Cyril was part of a diplomatic mission to the Arabs, and both brothers in 860-61. were part of the Khazar mission. Traveling, they ended up in Chersonesus, where they found the Psalter and Gospel “written in Russian letters” (Life of St. Cyril, VIII). This information is interpreted in different ways.
Some scholars believe that we are talking about pre-Cyril ancient Russian writing, others think that the hagiographer had in mind a version of the Gothic translation of Ulfilas, and the majority believes that we should read not “Russians”, but “Surskie”, that is, Syriac ones. In Khazaria, Cyril conducts theological debates with Gentiles, including Jews.
These disputes were recorded and information about them is reflected in the life of the saint. From them we can understand Cyril's biblical hermeneutics. For example, he points not only to the continuity between the 2 Testaments, but also to the order of the stages of the Testament and Revelation within the Old Testament. He said that Abraham observed such a rite as circumcision, although it was not commanded to Noah, and at the same time, he could not fulfill the laws of Moses, since they did not yet exist. Likewise, Christians accepted God’s new Testament, and for them the old things passed away (Life of St. Cyril, 10).
In the fall of 861, having returned from Khazaria, Methodius became abbot at the Polychron monastery, and Cyril continued his scientific and theological lessons at the Church of the 12 Apostles (Constantinople). 2 years later, Prince of Moravia Rostislav asked to send the brothers to Great Moravia to teach the people its “right Christian faith.” The Gospel had already been preached there, but it had not taken deep root.
In preparation for this mission, the brothers created the alphabet for the Slavs. For a long time, historians and philologists debated whether it was Cyrillic or Glagolitic. As a result, priority was given to the Glagolitic alphabet, based on the Greek minuscule letter (the letter Ш was created on the basis of the Hebrew letter shin). Only later, towards the end of the 9th century, was the Glagolitic alphabet replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet in many South Slavic lands (for example, Minusculi; Church Slavonic editions of the Bible).
Using their new alphabet, Cyril and Methodius began to translate the Gospel of Aprakos, it was chosen based on the needs of the service. L.P. Zhukovskaya in her textual study proved that Kirill first translated the short, Sunday Aprakos.
Its most ancient lists have survived to this day in the Slavic edition of the 11th century. (for example, the Assemanian Gospel), together with the chosen Apostle (the earliest, the Eninsky list, also dates back to the 11th century). In the preface written for the translation of the Gospel into Slavic, Kirill refers to the translation experience of a number of Syrian authors who were considered unbelievers, which speaks not only of his knowledge of Semitic languages, but also of his broad views. Methodius and their students, after the death of Cyril, brought short translations to complete ones.
The translation work begun by the brothers in Constantinople was continued in Moravia by them in 864-67. The Slavic translation of the Bible is based on Lucian’s (also called the Syriac, or Constantinople) review of Scripture, this was also noted by Evseev.
This is also evidenced by the contents of the Slavic collection of Proverbs. The brothers did not compile new books, but only made translations of similar Greek collections of Profitologies, which originate from the Lucian version. The Cyrillomethodian Paremiynik not only recreates the Constantinople type of Profitology, but, as Evseev says, “is a copy of the text of the very center of Byzantineism - the reading of the Great Church of Constantinople.”
As a result, in more than 3 years, the brothers not only completed a collection of Slavic texts of Scripture, including the Psalter, but, at the same time, founded a fairly developed form of the language of the medieval Slavs. They worked in difficult political conditions. Moreover, the German bishops, who were afraid of curtailing their rights in Moravia, put forward the so-called “trilingual doctrine”, according to which “only three languages, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, were chosen from above, in which it is proper to give praise to God.” Therefore, they tried in every possible way to discredit the work of Cyril and Methodius.
A synod of bishops was even convened in Venice, which defended the “trilinguals.” But Kirill successfully repelled all attacks. Pope Adrian II was on his side, he received the brothers in Rome with honor. They brought here the relics of the Pope of Rome, the Hieromartyr Clement, from Chersonesos.
After Cyril died in Rome (his grave is there), Methodius continued the work. He became Archbishop of Pannonia and Moravia. He translated most of the biblical canon in 870 with 3 disciples in 8 months. True, this translation has not reached us in full, but one can judge its composition from the list of sacred books that Methodius cites in the Slavic Nomocanon.
Traces of translations by Methodius and his assistants remained in later Glagolitic Croatian manuscripts (the Book of Ruth, according to A.V. Mikhailov, is the best translation of the Methodius group, or, for example, the translation of the Song of Songs). In the translation of Methodius, according to Evseev, the proverbial texts were reproduced completely and unchanged; other parts were translated with the same lexical and grammatical properties as the proverb.
Rome had to defend the apostolic activity of Methodius from the opposition of the Latin clergy. Pope John VIII wrote: “Our brother Methodius is holy and faithful, and does apostolic work, and in his hands from God and the apostolic throne are all the Slavic lands.”
But there was a gradual intensification of the struggle between Byzantium and Rome for influence on the Slavic lands. Methodius was in prison for 3 years. Being near death, he bequeaths his department to the native of Moravia Gorazd. In his last years he had more hopes for help from Constantinople than from Rome. And in fact, after the death of Methodius, the German Viching, his opponent, gained an advantage. Methodius was accused of breaking his promise to maintain worship in Latin, and his disciples were expelled from Moravia.
But, nevertheless, the works of the Thessaloniki brothers were not forgotten. The Slavic Bible was read by many peoples, and it soon reached Rus'.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Cyril on February 14, and on April 6 - St. Methodius, two brothers - on May 11.
Cyril and Methodius are saints, equal to the apostles, Slavic educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, preachers of Christianity, the first translators of liturgical books from Greek into Slavic. Cyril was born around 827, died on February 14, 869. Before taking monasticism at the beginning of 869, he bore the name Constantine. His elder brother Methodius was born around 820 and died on April 6, 885. Both brothers were originally from Thessalonica (Thessaloniki), their father was a military leader. In 863, Cyril and Methodius were sent by the Byzantine emperor to Moravia in order to preach Christianity in the Slavic language and assist the Moravian prince Rostislav in the fight against the German princes. Before leaving, Cyril created the Slavic alphabet and, with the help of Methodius, translated several liturgical books from Greek into Slavic: selected readings from the Gospel, apostolic epistles. Psalms, etc. There is no consensus in science on the question of which alphabet Cyril created - Glagolitic or Cyrillic, but the first assumption is more likely. In 866 or 867, Cyril and Methodius, at the call of Pope Nicholas I, headed to Rome, and on the way they visited the Principality of Blaten in Pannonia, where they also distributed Slavic literacy and introduced worship in the Slavic language. After arriving in Rome, Kirill became seriously ill and died. Methodius was ordained archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia and in 870 returned from Rome to Pannonia. In mid-884, Methodius returned to Moravia and worked on translating the Bible into Slavic. With their activities, Cyril and Methodius laid the foundation for Slavic writing and literature. This activity was continued in the South Slavic countries by their students who were expelled from Moravia in 886 and moved to Bulgaria.
CYRIL AND MEFODIUS - EDUCATION OF THE SLAVIC PEOPLES
In 863, ambassadors from Great Moravia from Prince Rostislav arrived in Byzantium to Emperor Michael III with a request to send them a bishop and a person who could explain the Christian faith in the Slavic language. The Moravian prince Rostislav strove for the independence of the Slavic church and had already made a similar request to Rome, but was refused. Michael III and Photius, just as in Rome, reacted to Rostislav’s request formally and, having sent missionaries to Moravia, did not ordain any of them as bishops. Thus, Constantine, Methodius and their associates could only conduct educational activities, but did not have the right to ordain their students to the priesthood and deaconship. This mission could not have been crowned with success and had great significance if Constantine had not brought the Moravians a perfectly developed alphabet that was convenient for transmitting Slavic speech, as well as a translation into Slavic of the main liturgical books. Of course, the language of the translations brought by the brothers was phonetically and morphologically different from the living spoken language spoken by the Moravians, but the language of the liturgical books was initially perceived as a written, bookish, sacred, model language. It was much more understandable than Latin, and a certain dissimilarity to the language used in everyday life gave it greatness.
Constantine and Methodius read the Gospel in Slavic at services, and the people reached out to their brothers and to Christianity. Constantine and Methodius diligently taught their students the Slavic alphabet, divine services, and continued their translation activities. Churches where services were conducted in Latin were emptying, and the Roman Catholic priesthood was losing influence and income in Moravia. Since Constantine was a simple priest, and Methodius a monk, they did not have the right to appoint their students to church positions themselves. To solve the problem, the brothers had to go to Byzantium or Rome.
In Rome, Constantine handed over the relics of St. Clement to the newly ordained Pope Adrian II, so he received Constantine and Methodius very solemnly, with honor, took under his care the divine service in the Slavic language, ordered to put Slavic books in one of the Roman churches and perform a divine service over them. The pope ordained Methodius as a priest, and his disciples as presbyters and deacons, and in a letter to princes Rostislav and Kotsel he legitimized the Slavic translation of the Holy Scriptures and the celebration of worship in the Slavic language.
The brothers spent almost two years in Rome. One of the reasons for this is Konstantin’s increasingly deteriorating health. At the beginning of 869, he accepted the schema and the new monastic name Cyril, and died on February 14. By order of Pope Adrian II, Cyril was buried in Rome, in the Church of St. Clement.
After the death of Cyril, Pope Adrian ordained Methodius as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. Returning to Pannonia, Methodius began vigorous activity to spread Slavic worship and writing. However, after the removal of Rostislav, Methodius did not have strong political support left. In 871, German authorities arrested Methodius and put him on trial, accusing the archbishop of invading the domain of the Bavarian clergy. Methodius was imprisoned in a monastery in Swabia (Germany), where he spent two and a half years. Only thanks to the direct intervention of Pope John VIII, who replaced the deceased Adrian II, in 873 Methodius was released and restored to all rights, but Slavic worship became not the main one, but only an additional one: the service was conducted in Latin, and sermons could be delivered in Slavic.
After the death of Methodius, opponents of Slavic worship in Moravia became more active, and the worship itself, which rested on the authority of Methodius, was first oppressed and then completely extinguished. Some of the students fled to the south, some were sold into slavery in Venice, and some were killed. The closest disciples of Methodius Gorazd, Clement, Naum, Angellarius and Lawrence were imprisoned in iron, kept in prison, and then expelled from the country. The works and translations of Constantine and Methodius were destroyed. This is precisely why their works have not survived to this day, although there is quite a lot of information about their work. In 890, Pope Stephen VI anathematized Slavic books and Slavic worship, finally banning it.
The work begun by Constantine and Methodius was nevertheless continued by his disciples. Clement, Naum and Angellari settled in Bulgaria and were the founders of Bulgarian literature. Orthodox Prince Boris-Mikhail, a friend of Methodius, supported his students. A new center of Slavic writing emerges in Ohrid (the territory of modern Macedonia). However, Bulgaria is under strong cultural influence from Byzantium, and one of Constantine's students (most likely Clement) creates a writing system similar to Greek writing. This happens at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century, during the reign of Tsar Simeon. It is this system that receives the name Cyrillic in memory of the person who first attempted to create an alphabet suitable for recording Slavic speech.
QUESTION ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE OF SLAVIC ABCs
The question of the independence of the Slavic alphabets is caused by the very nature of the outlines of the letters of the Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabet and their sources. What were the Slavic alphabet - a new writing system or just a variation of the Greek-Byzantine letter? When deciding this issue, the following factors must be taken into account:
In the history of writing, there was not a single letter-sound system that arose completely independently, without the influence of previous writing systems. Thus, Phoenician writing arose on the basis of ancient Egyptian (although the principle of writing was changed), ancient Greek - on the basis of Phoenician, Latin, Slavic - on the basis of Greek, French, German - on the basis of Latin, etc.
Consequently, we can only talk about the degree of independence of the writing system. In this case, it is much more important how accurately the modified and adapted original writing corresponds to the sound system of the language that it intends to serve. It was in this regard that the creators of Slavic writing showed great philological flair, a deep understanding of the phonetics of the Old Church Slavonic language, as well as great graphic taste.
THE ONLY STATE-CHURCH HOLIDAY
PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE RSFSR
RESOLUTION
ABOUT THE DAY OF SLAVIC WRITING AND CULTURE
Attaching great importance to the cultural and historical revival of the peoples of Russia and taking into account the international practice of celebrating the day of the Slavic educators Cyril and Methodius, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR decides:
Chairman
Supreme Council of the RSFSR
In 863, 1150 years ago, the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius began their Moravian mission to create our written language. It is spoken about in the main Russian chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years”: “And the Slavs were glad that they heard about the greatness of God in their language.”
And the second anniversary. In 1863, 150 years ago, the Russian Holy Synod determined: in connection with the celebration of the millennium of the Moravian mission of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers, to establish an annual celebration in honor of the Venerables Methodius and Cyril on May 11 (24 AD).
In 1986, on the initiative of writers, especially the late Vitaly Maslov, the first Writing Festival was held in Murmansk, and the next year it was widely celebrated in Vologda. Finally, on January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the annual holding of Days of Slavic Culture and Literature. Readers do not need to be reminded that May 24 is also the name day of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.
Logically, it seems that the only state-church holiday in Russia has every reason to acquire not only a national significance, as in Bulgaria, but also pan-Slavic significance.
