May 24 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. Konstantin expressed since childhood 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 carry out the new mission, Constantine and Methodius drew up Slavic alphabet and transferred to Slavic language main liturgical books (Gospel, Apostle, Psalter). 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 the Moravian churches on Latin, and they filed a complaint in 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 among all Slavs, despite the centuries that have passed, the memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners and that Orthodox faith which 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

May 24 - day of remembrance of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, educators of the Slavs.
This is the only church and state holiday that is declared the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.

WHAT DO YOU PRAY FOR TO THE SAINTS EQUAL OF THE Apostles CYRILL AND METHODIUS

Byzantine monks Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal to the Apostles, are the creators of the Slavic alphabet. They help in teaching, they pray to them for the preservation of the Slavic peoples in true faith and piety, for protection from false teachings and other faiths.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
And .

THE LIFE OF SAINTS CYRILL AND METHODIUS

Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius were brothers. Methodius was the eldest of the children in the family (born in 820), and Constantine (Cyril in monasticism) was the youngest (born in 827). They were born in Macedonia, in the city of Thessaloniki (now Thessaloniki) and were raised in a wealthy family, their father was a military leader in the Greek army.

Saint Methodius, like his father, began military service. With his diligence in business, he achieved the respect of the king and was appointed governor of Slavinia, one of the Slavic principalities subordinate to Greece. Here he became acquainted with the Slavic language and studied it, which later helped him become a spiritual teacher and shepherd of the Slavs. After 10 years successful career, Methodius decided to renounce earthly vanity, left the voivodeship and became a monk.

His brother, Konstantin, showed his diligence in science from childhood. He, together with Tsarevich Mikhail, studied in Constantinople and received a good education. They studied literature, philosophy, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, and music together. But the youth showed the greatest zeal for theology. One of his religious teachers was the future Patriarch Photius of Constantinople. Even as a youth, the saint learned by heart the works of Gregory the Theologian. Constantine begged Saint Gregory to be his mentor.

After completing his studies, Saint Constantine (Cyril) received the rank of priest and was appointed librarian to the patriarchal library, which was located at the Church of Saint Sophia. But, despite this appointment, he went to one of the monasteries, from which he was practically forcibly returned to Constantinople and appointed as a philosophy teacher at school.
Despite his age, Constantine managed to defeat the mature Greek Patriarch Annius (Iannes), who was an iconoclast and did not recognize icons of saints, in the debate. Subsequently, he was removed from the patriarchal throne.

Then Cyril went to his brother Methodius and for several years was a monk in a monastery on Olympus. There were many Slavic monks in this monastery, and here, with their help, he studied the Slavic language.

After spending some time in the monastery, both holy brothers, by order of the emperor, went to preach the Gospel to the Khazars. During this trip, they stopped in Korsun, where, according to the conviction of St. Cyril, the relics of St. Clement, Pope of Rome, who was exiled to Korsun for confessing Christ and, by order of Emperor Trajan in 102, was thrown into the sea, were found and raised from the seabed, where stayed for more than 700 years.

In addition, while in Korsun, Saint Constantine found the Gospel and Psalter, which were written in “Russian letters.” And from a man who spoke Russian, I began to learn this language.
While preaching the Gospel teaching to the Khazars, the holy brothers faced “competition” from Jews and Muslims, who also tried to attract the Khazars to their faith. But thanks to their sermons, they won.
Returning back from Korsun, the Lord helped them work miracles:
— while in the hot desert, Saint Methodius collected water from a bitter lake, and it suddenly became sweet and cold. The brothers, together with their companions, quenched their thirst and thanked the Lord for creating this miracle;
- Saint Cyril, with God’s help, predicted the death of the Korsun archbishop;
- in the city of Philla there grew a large oak tree, fused with cherry trees, which, according to the pagans, brought rain after their requests. But Saint Cyril convinced them to recognize God and accept the Gospel. Then the tree was cut down, and after that, by the will of God, it began to rain at night.

At that time, ambassadors from Moravia came to the Greek emperor and asked for help and protection from the German bishops. The emperor decided to send Saint Constantine because the saint knew the Slavic language:

“You need to go there, because no one will do it better than you.”

With prayer and fasting, Saints Constantine, Methodius and their disciples began this great work in 863. They created the Slavic alphabet and translated the Gospel and Psalter from Greek into Slavic.

After this blessed work was completed, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they began teaching Divine services in the Slavic language. The German bishops were greatly angered by this circumstance; they argued that God should be glorified only in Hebrew, Greek or Latin. For this, Cyril and Methodius began to call them Pilateniks, so Pilate made a tablet on the Lord’s cross in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin.
They sent a complaint to Rome against the holy brothers, and in 867, Pope Nicholas I summoned the “culprits” to trial.
Saints Constantine and Methodius, taking the relics of Pope Saint Clement on their journey, set off for Rome. Upon arrival in the capital, they learned that Nicholas I had died by that time, and Adrian II became his successor. The Pope, having learned that they had brought the relics of St. Clement, solemnly received the brothers and approved the Divine service in the Slavic language. And he consecrated the books that were translated and ordered them to be placed in Roman churches and the Liturgy to be celebrated in the Slavic language.

In Rome, Saint Constantine had a miraculous vision of his approaching death. He accepted the schema with the name Cyril and on February 14, 869, 50 days later, at the age of 42, the earthly life of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril ended.

Before his death he told his brother:

“You and I, like a friendly pair of oxen, plowed the same furrow; I’m exhausted, but don’t think about leaving the work of teaching and retiring to your mountain again.”

The Pope ordered the relics of St. Cyril to be placed in the church of St. Clement, where miraculous healings of people began to occur from them.

And the Pope ordained Saint Methodius as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, to the ancient throne of the Holy Apostle Antrodinus, where the saint preached the Gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife.

After the death of his brother, Saint Methodius did not stop his educational work. With the help of student priests, he 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).

Saint Methodius died on April 6, 885, he was about 60 years old. His funeral service was performed in Slavic, Greek and Latin. The saint was buried in cathedral church Velehrad is the capital of Moravia.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized as saints in ancient times. According to the decree of the Holy Synod (1885), the celebration of the memory of saints is classified as medium church holidays. The same decree determined that, according to the Gospel, at Matins before the canon, at dismissals and in all prayers in which the ecumenical hierarchs of the Russian Church are remembered, the archbishop should be commemorated after the name of St. Nicholas Myra miracle worker, names: like our holy fathers Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers.

The activities of the enlighteners also influenced the development of the Old Russian language in Rus', therefore in Moscow, on Slavyanskaya Square, in 1992, a monument to the Slavic first teachers and apostles, Cyril and Methodius, saints not only of the Orthodox Church, but also of the Catholic Church, was unveiled.

GREATNESS

We magnify you, Saints Cyril and Methodius, who enlightened the entire Slovenian country with your teachings and brought them to Christ.

VIDEO

Saints Equal to the Apostles
Cyril and Methodius

The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles first teachers and Slavic educators, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Saint Methodius was the eldest of seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril in monasticism) was the youngest. Saint Methodius was at first in a military rank and ruled one of the Slavic principalities subordinate to the Byzantine Empire, apparently Bulgarian, which gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language. Having stayed there for about 10 years, Saint Methodius then became a monk.

Saint Constantine was distinguished from an early age mental abilities and studied with the young Emperor Michael from the best teachers of Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Constantine perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages; he especially diligently studied the works of Saint Gregory the Theologian. For his intelligence and outstanding knowledge, Saint Constantine was nicknamed the 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 Hagia Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly went to the monastery. Found there and returned to Constantinople, he was appointed teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople.

The wisdom and strength of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the iconoclast heretics, Annius, in a debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to debate about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Soon Saint Constantine retired to his brother Saint Methodius in the monastery, where he spent time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.

One day, the emperor summoned the 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, where they prepared for the gospel. There the holy brothers miraculously found the relics of the holy martyr Clement, Pope of Rome. There, 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. Then the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won victories in debates with Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking the relics of Saint Clement there, returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, and Saint Methodius received the abbess in the small monastery of Polychron, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had previously labored.

Soon, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav, oppressed by the German bishops, came to the emperor with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in the native language of the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and told him: “You need to go there, because no one will do this better than you.” Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, began a new feat.

With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavic the books without which the Divine service could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. This was in 863. After completing the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they 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 rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could only be performed in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin. Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages ​​worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, praise the Lord, all nations, let every breath praise the Lord! And the Holy Gospel says: “Go and learn all languages...”. The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint to Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue.

Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius went to Rome. Having learned that the holy brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian and the clergy went out to meet them. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, 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.

While in Rome, Saint Constantine fell ill and, informed by the Lord in a miraculous vision of his approaching death, he took the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after accepting the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Going to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common cause - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of the true faith. Saint Methodius asked the Pope to allow his brother’s body to be taken away for burial in his native land, but the Pope ordered the relics of Saint Cyril to be placed in the church of Saint Clement, where miracles began to be performed from them.

After the death of Saint Cyril, the pope, following the request of the Slavic prince Kocel, sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. to the ancient throne of the holy Apostle Andronicus. In Pannonia, Saint Methodius, together with his disciples, continued to spread divine services, writing and books in the Slavic language. This again angered the German bishops. They achieved the arrest and trial of Saint Methodius, who was exiled to prison in Swabia, where he endured much suffering for two and a half years. Released by order of Pope John VIII and restored to his rights as an archbishop, Methodius continued his evangelical preaching among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila (September 16), as well as one of Polish princes. For the third time, German bishops launched a persecution against the saint for not accepting the Roman teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome and proved before the pope that he preserves the purity of Orthodox teaching, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia - Velehrad.

there in last years During his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated the entire Old Testament into the Slavic language, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).

Anticipating the approach of his death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as his worthy successor. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 19, 885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages ​​- Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad. The solemn celebration of the memory of the holy high priests Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius was established in the Russian Church in 1863.

Day of Slavic Literature and Culture
(Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius)

Annually May 24 In all Slavic countries they celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture and solemnly glorify the creators of Slavic writing, Saints Cyril and Methodius. Cyril (827-869) and Methodius (815-885) made up Slavic alphabet, translated several liturgical books from Greek into Slavic, which contributed to the introduction and spread of Slavic worship. Relying on deep knowledge Greek and eastern cultures and summarizing the existing experience of Slavic writing, they offered the Slavs their alphabet. In Russia, the celebration of the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Brothers is rooted in the distant past and it was celebrated mainly by the church. There was a period when, under the influence of political circumstances, the historical merits of Cyril and Methodius were forgotten, but already in the 19th century this tradition was revived. Officially at the state level, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture was solemnly celebrated for the first time in 1863 year, in connection with the 1000th anniversary of the creation of the Slavic alphabet by Saints Cyril and Methodius, in the same year a decree was adopted to celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 ( May 24 according to the new style). On January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, by its resolution, declared May 24 a holiday of Slavic literature and culture, thereby giving it state status. In terms of its content, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture has long been the only state-church holiday in Russia, which is state and public organizations held jointly with the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 2010, Moscow has been designated as the capital of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture holiday. The most magnificent celebrations take place annually in the city of Vlegrad in Moravia, where grave of St. Methodius, which has become a shrine for all pilgrims and believers.

Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Moscow,
located on Lubyansky Proezd, Kitay-Gorod metro station,
(opened 1992)

The inscription on the monument in Old Church Slavonic:
"To the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles
the first Slavic teachers Methodius and Cyril.
Grateful Russia"

1150 years of mission
Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius to Slavic countries.
Russian Postal Block, May 24, 2013

The first words written by the brothers in the Slavic language were from the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There was an alphabet prayer based on the Slavic alphabet. “Az buki lead” in translation: I know (know) the letters. “The verb, good, is, live” in translation: it’s good to live kindly. “What are you thinking, people?” there is no need to translate this. Just like “rtsy, word, firmly,” that is: say the word confidently, firmly. The Day of the Holy Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius is celebrated precisely on the day when our schools distribute last call, May 24. This day is a holiday of Slavic writing and culture.

In the 9th century AD, the Greek brothers Methodius and Cyril invented two alphabets, Glagolitic and Cyrillic, as a writing system for the Old Church Slavonic language. Cyrillic, which was made based on the Glagolitic alphabet and Greek alphabet, eventually became the system of choice for recording Slavic languages. Cyrillic is used today in the writing of many Slavic languages ​​(Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian and Serbian), as well as a number of non-Slavic languages ​​that have come under the influence of Soviet Union. Throughout history, the Cyrillic alphabet has been adapted to write more than 50 languages.

Names of letters of the Russian alphabet

	Cyrillic early XIX century	modern alphabet
A a	az	A
B b	beeches	bae
In in	lead	ve
G g	verb	ge
D d	good	de
Her	There is	e
Her	-	e
F	live	or
Z z	Earth	ze
And and	others like it	And
І і	і	-
Thy	-	and short
K k	kako	ka
L l	People	ale
Mm	think	Em
N n	our	en
Oh oh	he	O
P p	peace	pe
R r	rtsy	er
With with	word	es
T t	firmly	te
U y	at	at
F f	fert	ef
X x	dick	Ha
Ts ts	tsy	this
H h	worm	what
Sh sh	sha	sha
sch sch	now	now
Kommersant	erj	hard sign
s s	eras	s
b b	er	soft sign
Ѣ ѣ	yat	-
Uh uh	uh	uh
Yu Yu	Yu	Yu
I I	I	I
Ѳ ѳ	fita	-
Ѵ ѵ	Izhitsa	-

Up to the heavens [History of Russia in stories about saints] Krupin Vladimir Nikolaevich

Holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian first teachers

Holy brothers

Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian first teachers

What was the first book we had? That's right - ABC. Why is it called that? Because az and beeches are the designation of the first letters of the alphabet. Az and beeches are the beginning of science, as they used to say. But where did these basics and beeches come from? They were brought into our lives by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century, even before the Baptism of Rus'.

Imagine that there are no letters, no written language. No, it's impossible to imagine. We differ only in one thing from dumb animals - speech, the ability to speak. We communicate, we talk, we listen. But this only happens when the interlocutor is nearby. What if he’s in another city, if he’s gone to visit his grandmother in the village, but you want to talk to him? What are we doing? We are writing a letter. By hand or on a computer. But we write in letters!

What letters do we write? Latin? No. And what? Greek? No. What kind?

Slavic. We write in Cyrillic. Where does the word “Cyrillic” come from? It is on behalf of Kirill.

Thessaloniki is a fortress and monastery of Orthodoxy from the times of early Christianity and the Middle Ages.

Monument to Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Odessa

From here - from the now Greek city of Thessaloniki, which is in a bay off the Chalkidiki peninsula - came the heavenly patron of the Russian army, one of the favorite saints of Russia, the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Hence the great brothers of Thessalonica - Cyril and Methodius.

Thessaloniki in Greece, but the brothers were not Greeks, they were Slavs, from the family of a Bulgarian governor. There were seven brothers: Methodius was the eldest, and Constantine (Cyril was his monastic name) was the youngest.

Methodius followed in his father’s footsteps, became a military man, and served in the Slavic principality of Slavinia, which was under Greek rule. Here Methodius rose to the rank of governor and held it for ten years. But a military career did not attract him. From childhood he was pious, he prayed a lot, the joys of the world, the amusements of youth did not attract him. He achieved his resignation and took monastic vows. And not just anywhere, but on Mount Olympus, legendary since antiquity. Where they previously lived pagan gods, Orthodox prayers sounded.

Younger brother Constantine also followed the path of prayer. He studied brilliantly in Constantinople. The future Byzantine Emperor Michael sat at his desk with him, and among the teachers was Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople.

It’s interesting that back in school he was nicknamed Constantine the Philosopher.

Escape and return

Of course, the teachers did not want to let such a wonderful student go. He was ordained a priest and received the position of custodian of the patriarchal library at the Church of Hagia Sophia. It was a high appointment for such young man. But Constantine neglected all the benefits and simply fled to one of the distant monasteries on the Black Sea. He was found and returned. And he was appointed teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople. But he taught more not philosophy, but the knowledge of God.

“In the Holy Trinity, the solar circle is the likeness of God the Father. The circle has neither beginning nor end, and God is beginningless and infinite. Just as a light ray and solar warmth come from the solar circle, so the Son is born from God the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds. And just as the sun, consisting of a circle, a ray and warmth, is not divided into three suns, so the Most Holy Trinity, although it has three faces: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, is not divided by the Divinity into three gods. But there is one God,” taught Constantine the Philosopher.

The wisdom and education of Constantine were such that he was nominated on behalf of the Orthodox for a public debate with heretical iconoclasts. That is, with those who did not recognize the holy icons. Constantine defeated the heretical leader Lineus in a dispute. “We pray not to boards, not to paints, but through the images of icons we ascend to the prototype of God and the Saints. Icons are a window into God’s world, said Konstantin. “And to recognize idols made of stone, clay, wood, and metals as gods is heresy.”

Then a new dispute, a new battle for the purity of the Orthodox faith. This time with the Saracens. And again a brilliant victory. Such that the Saracens gave the philosopher a lot of gold as a reward. But he said that what would be most valuable to him would be if the Byzantine captives were released with him.

Temple of Cyril and Methodius. Khimki, Moscow region

All these years the brothers kept in touch and knew about each other. And at the first opportunity, Constantine retires to Methodius, to Olympus.

Konstantin, unlike his brother, is only beginning to study the Slavic language here. Until that time, he knew Greek, Latin, Hebrew - those languages ​​in which the inscription was made over the crucified Christ: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Or INCI for short, hence the word initials.

The monastery on Olympus was mostly Slavic. And although the services were held in Greek, the sermons were read in Slavic. Yes and everyday communication It was in Slavic. After all, the story is about the creators of the Slavic alphabet. The authors of such an alphabet must have known the language to its very depths. And they learned many subtleties of the language, and lexicon theirs was noticeably enriched.

"To the foolish Khazars"

Issues of interethnic relations were not always resolved with fire and sword. There are as many examples of peaceful conflict resolution as you like.

The Byzantine Empire in the north was disturbed by the pagan Khazar tribes. It was to them that both brothers were sent to preach Christian faith. And it was not just anyone who sent them, but the Byzantine Emperor himself. This suggests that the brothers were famous for their learning and piety. In addition, they were instructed to bring to Rome the relics of St. Clement, who was killed here during early Christianity.

Saints Cyril and Methodius. Russian icon. XVIII–XIX centuries

Having reached Korsun (Chersonese, now the outskirts of Sevastopol) in 858, the brothers stopped to study both Russian and Khazar languages. The light of Christianity had already penetrated into Rus', and there was already writing there in the 9th century. The so-called letters of the monk (monk) Brave are known. The Gospel and Psalter, written in Russian, were brought to Constantine and Methodius. History has not preserved the name of the person who brought the books. They say he was a Samaritan who lived next door to the brothers. Wanting to test Kirill’s education and intelligence, he brought him books written in Russian. Not knowing a language unknown to him, Cyril turned to the Lord and asked him for the gift of reading and understanding letters unknown to him (nowadays they are referred to as the Glagolitic alphabet). A miracle happened: the Thessalonica monk began to read. “Truly, those who believe in Christ also receive the grace of the Holy Spirit!” - exclaimed the Samaritan.

In debates with Jews and Muslims, the brothers won. And they accomplished several more good deeds: they found the relics of St. Clement, the holy martyr, the Pope of Rome, brought the remains to Constantinople, and also baptized about two hundred people from the local residents.

The order of letters is the music of the universe

They returned to the capital and were separated. Methodius received a referral to the Polychron monastery, where he became abbot, and Constantine remained in the capital.

In 862, ambassadors from the Slavic prince Rostislav from Moravia came to the emperor and began to complain about oppression by the Germans. They forced them to pray in Latin and study in German. Rostislav asked to send teachers who could carry the Word of God in the Slavic language.

Of course, who else could be entrusted with the task of educating the Slavs, if not Constantine, who long years studied the Slavic language. The emperor invited Constantine and said: “You need to go to the Slavs, because no one will do this better than you.” Constantine asked that Brother Methodius also participate in compiling the alphabet.

Table of Cyril and Methodius. Glagolitic Alley. Croatia

The brothers began to work with prayer. The Slavs Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Aguilar became assistants.

The task of compiling the alphabet is the most difficult. Cyril and Methodius arranged the letters of the future Slavic alphabet in a seemingly familiar order - just like in the Latin alphabet. Many letters were taken from the Greek written language. But there were not enough signs that would exactly correspond to the sound (phonetic) composition of Slavic languages ​​and dialects. In the Russian language, in its oral folk art there was a feeling of open spaces, fresh wind, steppe expanse, the mystery of forests, cleanliness and deep rivers, green pastures, radiance mountain peaks. The brothers admired Slavic songs and epics. New styles were needed, others - small, clear drawings and letters. Such letters were not in any other alphabet. That's why it was invented whole line unique lettering. And the alphabet began to sound in a completely new way: in a Slavic melodious and broad manner, loudly and freely. It is now easy and familiar to say: “A, B, C, D, D” and so on.

But few people wonder why the letters are in this particular order, why they have this particular spelling. Perhaps the very order of the letters contains some other, unearthly meaning? Sometimes they remember a legend that the Slavic alphabet appeared to one of the brothers in a dream. Maybe the very structure of the Slavic alphabet was given to the Slavic peoples by the Creator himself?

The Slavic alphabet and liturgical books were translated into Slavic in 863.

Wooden Church of Cyril and Methodius. Metochion of the Temple of the Sign icons Mother of God. Photo by V. Ovchinnikov

What kind of textbooks were there then? What books did children and adults learn from? The main book for this was the Psalter. It was used to master reading and writing, and it taught to love God and to live according to the precepts of the Holy Fathers. The translation of the Psalter made by the brothers helped a great cause - the beginning of the written period of Russian literature. Without this we would not have literature at all. Yes, no Derzhavin, no Pushkin, no Tyutchev, no Goncharov, no one at all. Our genius, Lomonosov, also did a lot of transpositions of psalms into poetic Russian.

Bishops' malice

The brothers served in Moravia in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the Catholic bishops, who performed services in the Moravian churches in Latin. Of course, they lost both their flock and their income. But they couldn’t completely ban the Slavic language! Then they decided to ban worship in the Slavic language. They used as proof of their prohibition that the inscriptions on the Cross of Jesus were only in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

Constantine answered: “Doesn’t the sun shine for all peoples? Isn't it for all people it's raining? Are not all mortals equal before the Lord? And remember how the psalmist David said: “Sing to the Lord, all lands, praise the Lord, all tongues, let every breath praise the Lord.” And the Holy Gospel says: “As you go, learn all languages.” That is, both the people and the means of communication between people and nations are called language. Language is the main wealth of all people. After all, Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, is the Word incarnate according to the Word of the Father. At the beginning of the Gospel of John, great words are said: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The bishops defeated in the dispute became even more embittered and filed a complaint to Rome, to the Vatican.

Discovery of the relics of Clement of Rome near Chersonesus. Miniature from the Menology of Emperor Vasily II. XI century

The brothers were summoned to Rome, to Pope Nicholas I for trial. After serving a farewell prayer, they set off on a dangerous road. They took with them the relics of St. Pope Clement. Set up against the brothers by the German bishops, Pope Nicholas I suddenly died and Adrian II took his place. He, unlike his predecessor, treated his brothers with respect and greeted them with honor. I personally went out of town with my retinue.

Constantine presented the Pope with a gift of the Gospel and other books in the Slavic language. The Pope, as a sign of respect for the Holy Texts, ordered them to be placed on the altar of the Church of St. Mary. Moreover, he approved services in the Slavic language. And soon in several churches in Rome, where the Slavs gathered, services began using the books brought by the brothers. And where previously only the Catholic Mass had been heard in Latin, the praise of God was heard in Church Slavonic.

Death of Constantine

Konstantin was forty-two years old when he felt the approach of death. Some sources speculate that he was poisoned with a slow-acting poison. He accepted the schema, that is, the highest form of monasticism, with the name Cyril. Fifty days after this, he departed to the Lord. Methodius begged the pope to allow his brother’s body to be taken away for burial in his native land. But the pope ordered the relics of the saint to be placed in the church of St. Clement. Soon news of miracles of healing occurring from the relics spread throughout Rome.

Methodius was with the relics of his brother until Pope Adrian II ordained him bishop of Moravia and Pannonia.

The capital of what was then Moravia was the city of Velehrad. This principality is located in the center of Europe. It was inhabited by many Slavic peoples: Croats, Dalmatians, Czechs, Slovaks. All of them were received with love by the Moravian Bishop Methodius. In 871, he personally baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Saint Lyudmila, who is highly revered to this day by the Czech Orthodox, and not only the Czechs. The name "Lyudmila" has always been loved in Slavic countries. In the Czech Republic itself, he introduced Slavic worship. For this he suffered many attacks from foreign missionaries. They turned the German emperor and the Salzburg archbishop against Methodius.

Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Khanty-Mansiysk. Photo by S. Milyutin

An exile to Swabia followed for two and a half years. In essence, it was not even a link, but a real imprisonment: Saint Methodius could not preach, did not have the opportunity to serve in the church. His whole life was pure suffering. He endured the Swabian period of his life stoically and with courage.

In 874 he was released by order of the Pope, now John VIII.

New persecution

Methodius also baptized a Polish prince. What does the baptism of a prince mean? It means that his subordinates, his servants, warriors, and farmers will also be baptized. Is this not a reason for the Catholic bishops to once again take up arms against Archbishop Methodius?

This time the persecution was more serious. Methodius was accused of not accepting the Roman doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son (the so-called filioque). Methodius was summoned to Rome. But his high, spiritual state, his knowledge and, of course, the intercession of his brother Cyril, whose relics he visited on the very first day, helped Methodius withstand all the attacks on him by the Vatican cardinals.

But Saint Methodius did not have long to live. In recent years, he translated the Old Testament into Slavic, as well as the works of the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church.

The day of his death was revealed to him, like his brother Kirill. He called his disciples to him, pointed to Gorazd and appointed him as his successor.

The funeral service for Saint Methodius was held in three languages: Slavic, Greek and Latin. This was in 885.

The oldest services to saints date back to the 13th century. That is, the significance of the feat of Cyril and Methodius was well understood in ancient times, canonizing the brothers as saints.

Monument to the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius. Murmansk

The Russian Orthodox Church established a solemn commemoration of the saints in 1863, on May 24 according to the new style. The Cyril and Methodius Society was created in Russia. His activities are still ongoing International Foundation Slavic writing and culture. May 24 happily coincided with the end of the school year. For the Day of the Holy Brothers, schools write essays about Russian history and Russian culture. Folklore ensembles perform, craftsmen show their products, exhibitions of folk costumes open, culinary specialists prepare dishes national cuisine, artists present their works. In a word, everything is quickened by the influence of the Word, which is what we are talking about.

Cyril and Methodius at the monument “1000th anniversary of Russia”. Velikiy Novgorod. Photo Dar Veter

Moreover, Saints Cyril and Methodius are not just saints, but equal to the apostles. This is how highly the Orthodox Church appreciated their feat.

Let’s listen to the measured pace of Slavic speech, let’s try to understand the Church Slavonic text speaking about the significance of the Thessalonica brothers: “For them, in our middle language Slovenian, began the Divine Liturgy and all church service be accomplished, and thus an inexhaustible reservoir of water flowing into eternal life.”

Major life events

Around 805–815, Methodius was born in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki in Greek).

82*7 year - Konstantin was born.

858 - trip to the pagan Khazars in Korsun, Crimea. Discovery of the relics of Pope Clement. Baptism of two hundred people.

862 - trip to Moravia, where sermons are read in the Slavic language. The books in the Slavic language brought by the brothers aroused the hostility of the Latin clergy. Summons to Rome for trial before Pope Nicholas I. Pope Adrian II allows Slavic-language worship.

863 - Constantine and Methodius create the Slavic alphabet.

869 - Constantine adopted a schema with the name Cyril. Death of a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine(in the monastic life of Kirill).

Around 870 - the consecration of Methodius as bishop of Moravia (Pannonia).

871 - Methodius baptizes the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila.

879 - Methodius's new summons to the Roman court. Justification of the first Slavic teacher. Translations of Methodius Nomocanon and biblical books into the language of one of the South Slavic, Bulgarian dialects.

885 - death of Saint Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

From the book of the Gospel and the second generation of Christianity author Renan Ernest Joseph

From the book Bibliological Dictionary author Men Alexander

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Lesson 1. St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius (Lessons from their lives: a) we must have brotherly love and unanimity and b) value our faith most of all) I. St. Cyril (in the world Constantine) and Methodius, whose memory is celebrated today, were the children of Leo, a nobleman of Thessalonica,

Holy Slavic Equal-to-the-Apostles First Teachers and Enlighteners, Brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. Saint Methodius was the eldest of seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril was his monastic name) the youngest. Saint Methodius was at first in a military rank and was a ruler in one of the Slavic principalities subordinate to the Byzantine Empire, apparently Bulgarian, which gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language. Having stayed there for about 10 years, Saint Methodius then became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus (Asia Minor). From an early age, Saint Constantine was distinguished by great abilities and studied together with the young Emperor Michael from the best teachers of Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Constantine perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages; he especially diligently studied the works of Saint Gregory the Theologian. For his intelligence and outstanding knowledge, Saint Constantine 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, but soon left the capital and secretly went to the monastery. Found there and returned to Constantinople, he was appointed teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople. The wisdom and strength of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the iconoclast heretics, Annius, in a debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to debate about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Having returned, Saint Constantine retired to his brother Saint Methodius on Olympus, spending time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.

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. There the holy brothers miraculously found their relics (November 25). There, 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. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking the relics of Saint Clement there, returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, and Saint Methodius received the abbess in the small monastery of Polychron, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had previously labored. Soon, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav, oppressed by the German bishops, came to the emperor with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in the native language of the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and told him: “You need to go there, because no one will do this better than you.” Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, began a new feat. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavic the books without which the Divine service could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. This was in 863.

After completing the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they 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 rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could only be performed in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin. Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages ​​worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, praise the Lord, all nations, let every breath praise the Lord! And in the Holy Gospel it is said: Go and learn all languages...” The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint to Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius went to Rome. Having learned that the holy brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian and the clergy went out to meet them. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, 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.

While in Rome, Saint Constantine fell ill and, informed by the Lord in a miraculous vision of his approaching death, he took the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after accepting the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Going to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common cause - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of the true faith. Saint Methodius begged the Pope to allow his brother’s body to be taken away for burial in his native land, but the Pope ordered the relics of Saint Cyril to be placed in the Church of Saint Clement, where miracles began to be performed from them.

After the death of Saint Cyril, the pope, following the request of the Slavic prince Kocel, sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, to the ancient throne of Saint Andronicus the Apostle. In Pannonia, Saint Methodius, together with his disciples, continued to spread divine services, writing and books in the Slavic language. This again angered the German bishops. They achieved the arrest and trial of Saint Methodius, who was exiled to prison in Swabia, where he endured much suffering for two and a half years. Released by order of Pope John VIII and restored to his rights as an archbishop, Methodius continued preaching the gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and him (September 16), as well as one of the Polish princes. For the third time, German bishops initiated persecution against the saint for not accepting the Roman teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome, but justified himself before the pope, preserving the purity of the Orthodox teaching, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia - Velehrad.

Here, in the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two priest disciples, translated the entire Old Testament into Slavic, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).

Anticipating the approach of his death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as a worthy successor. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 6, 885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages ​​- Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad.