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, speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.
Incredibly, all European science and culture was born within the monastic walls: it was at the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and vast libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of the peoples, for the translation of the Gospel that many scripts were created. So it happened with the Slavic language.
The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family who lived in the Greek city of Thessalonia. Methodius was a warrior and ruled over 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 way of life and became a monk at the monastery on Mount Olympus. From childhood, Constantine expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the juvenile emperor Michael III at the royal court
Then he became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.
His brother Konstantin, who took the name Cyril as a monk, was distinguished from an early age with great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.
Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars to preach the gospel. According to legend, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Constantine found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a person who spoke Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.
When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in the native language of the Slavs.
The Bulgarians were the first of the Slavic peoples to convert to Christianity. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held hostage. She was baptized with the name of Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of the holy faith. Around the year 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching contributed much to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.
To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter) into the Slavic language. This happened in 863.
In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops who were conducting services in the Moravian churches in Latin, and they filed a complaint with Rome.
Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (Pope), discovered by them in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Having learned that the brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian greeted them with honor and approved the divine service in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.
Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: having returned to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia, Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the lifetime of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoi received holy baptism from him. His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the middle of the 10th century, the Polish prince Mechislav married the Bohemian princess Dombrovka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.
Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were torn away from the Greek Church under the authority of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But all Slavs, despite the past centuries, still have a memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
The holy Slovenian teachers strove for solitude and prayer, but in life they constantly found themselves at the forefront - both when they defended Christian truths before Muslims, and when they took upon themselves a great educational work. Their success sometimes looked like a defeat, but as a result, it is to them that we owe the acquisition of "the gift of the most valuable and greatest of all silver, and gold, and precious stones, and all transitory wealth." This gift is.
Brothers of Thessalonica
The Russian language was baptized back in the days when our ancestors did not consider themselves Christians - in the ninth century. In the West of Europe, the heirs of Charlemagne divided the Frankish empire, in the East Muslim states were strengthened, crowding out Byzantium, and in the young Slavic principalities the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the true founders of our culture, preached and worked.
The history of the activities of the holy brothers has been studied with all possible thoroughness: the surviving written sources have been repeatedly commented on, and pundits argue about the details of biographies and acceptable interpretations of the information that has come down. And how could it be otherwise when it comes to the creators of the Slavic alphabet? And yet, to this day, the images of Cyril and Methodius are lost behind the abundance of ideological constructions and mere inventions. The Khazar dictionary of Milorad Pavich, in which the enlighteners of the Slavs are embedded in a multifaceted theosophical mystification, is not the worst option.
Cyril - the youngest both in age and in hierarchical titles - until the end of his life was just a layman and took monastic tonsure with the name Cyril only on his deathbed. While Methodius, the elder brother, held large positions, was the ruler of a separate area of \u200b\u200bthe Byzantine Empire, the abbot of the monastery and ended his life as an archbishop. And yet, traditionally, Cyril takes the honorable first place, and the Cyrillic alphabet is named after him. All his life he bore a different name - Constantine, and also a respectful nickname - Philosopher.
Constantine was an extremely gifted person. "The speed of his abilities was not inferior to diligence" - the life, compiled soon after his death, repeatedly emphasizes the depth and breadth of his knowledge. Translating into the language of modern realities, Constantine the Philosopher was a professor at the University of Constantinople in the capital, very young and promising. At the age of 24 (!) He received the first important state task - to defend the truth of Christianity in the face of the Muslims of other faiths.
Missionary politician
This medieval indivisibility of spiritual, religious tasks and state affairs looks bizarre these days. But for her, you can find some analogy in the modern world order. And today the superpowers, the newest empires, base their influence not only on military and economic strength. There is always an ideological component, an ideology "exported" to other countries. For the Soviet Union, this was communism. For the United States, liberal democracy. Someone accepts the exported ideas peacefully, somewhere they have to resort to bombing.
For Byzantium, Christianity was the doctrine. Strengthening and spreading Orthodoxy was perceived by the imperial power as a primary state task. Therefore, as a modern researcher of the Cyril and Methodius heritage of A.-E. Tachiaos, "a diplomat who entered into negotiations with enemies or 'barbarians', was always accompanied by a missionary." Constantine was such a missionary. That is why it is so difficult to separate his educational activity from his political one. Just before his death, he symbolically resigned from his civil service, taking monasticism.
“I am no longer a servant either to the king or to anyone else on earth; only to God Almighty I was and will be forever ”, - will write now Cyril.
Life tells about his Arab and Khazar missions, tricky questions and witty and deep answers. The Muslims asked him about the Trinity, how Christians can worship “many gods” and why instead of not resisting evil, they strengthen the army. Khazar Jews disputed the Incarnation and blamed Christians for non-observance of the Old Testament precepts. Constantine's answers - bright, imaginative and short - if they did not convince all opponents, then, in any case, delivered a polemical victory, leading the audience to admiration.
"Nobody else"
The Khazar mission was preceded by events that greatly changed the internal structure of the Solun brothers. In the late 50s of the 9th century, both Constantine - a successful scientist and polemicist - and Methodius - shortly before that appointed archon (head) of the province, retired from the world and led a secluded ascetic lifestyle for several years. Methodius even takes monastic tonsure. From an early age the brothers were distinguished by piety, and the thought of monasticism was not alien to them; however, there were probably external reasons for such a drastic change: a change in the political situation or the personal sympathies of those in power. However, the Lives are silent about this.
But worldly vanity retreated for a short time. Already in 860, the Khazar kagan decided to arrange an "interreligious" dispute in which Christians had to defend the truth of their faith before Jews and Muslims. According to the expression of the life, the Khazars were ready to accept Christianity if the Byzantine polemicists "gained the upper hand in disputes with the Jews and Saracens." They found Constantine again, and the emperor personally admonished him with the words: “Go, Philosopher, to these people and talk about the Holy Trinity with Her help. No one else can adequately take it upon himself. " On the journey, Konstantin took his elder brother as his assistant.
The negotiations ended generally successfully, although the Khazar state did not become Christian, the kagan allowed those who wanted to be baptized. There were also political successes. We should pay attention to an important incidental incident. On the way, the Byzantine delegation stopped in the Crimea, where near modern Sevastopol (ancient Chersonesos) Constantine found the relics of the ancient Pope Clement of Rome. Subsequently, the brothers will transfer the relics of Saint Clement to Rome, which will further endear Pope Adrian to themselves. It is with Cyril and Methodius that the special veneration of St. Clement among the Slavs begins - let us recall the majestic church in his honor in Moscow not far from the Tretyakov Gallery.
Sculpture of the holy apostles Cyril and Methodius in Bohemia. Photo: pragagid.ru
The birth of writing
862 year. We have reached a historic milestone. This year, the Moravian prince Rostislav sends a letter to the Byzantine emperor with a request to send preachers capable of instructing his subjects in Christianity in the Slavic language. Great Moravia, which at that time included separate regions of modern Bohemia, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Poland, was already Christian. But it was enlightened by the German clergy, and all the divine services, holy books and theology were Latin, incomprehensible to the Slavs.
And again at the court they remember Constantine the Philosopher. If not he, then who else will be able to complete the task, the complexity of which both the emperor and the patriarch - Saint Photius - were aware of?
The Slavs did not have a written language. But the fact of the absence of letters was not the main problem. They did not have abstract concepts and richness of terminology, which usually develops in "book culture".
High Christian theology, Scripture and liturgical texts had to be translated into a language that did not have any means for that.
And the Philosopher coped with the task. Of course, one should not imagine that he worked alone. Konstantin again called for his brother's help, and other employees were involved. It was kind scientific institute... The first alphabet, the verb, was composed on the basis of Greek cryptography. The letters correspond to the letters of the Greek alphabet, but they look different - so much so that the verb is often confused with the oriental languages. In addition, Hebrew letters were taken for sounds specific to the Slavic dialect (for example, "sh").
Then they translated the Gospel, verified the expressions and terms, translated the liturgical books. The volume of translations carried out by the holy brothers and their immediate disciples was very significant - by the time of the baptism of Rus, a whole library of Slavic books already existed.
The price of success
However, the activities of enlighteners could not be limited only to scientific and translation research. It was necessary to teach the Slavs new letters, a new book language, a new divine service. The transition to a new liturgical language was especially painful. It is not surprising that the clergy of Moravia, who had followed German practice before, took the new trends with hostility. Even dogmatic arguments were put forward against the Slavic arrangement of services, the so-called trilingual heresy, as if one could speak with God only in “sacred” languages: Greek, Hebrew and Latin.
Dogmatics intertwined with politics, canon law with diplomacy and power ambitions - and Cyril and Methodius were at the center of this tangle. The territory of Moravia was under the jurisdiction of the pope, and although the Western Church had not yet been separated from the Eastern, the initiative of the Byzantine emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople (and this was precisely the status that the mission had) was still looked upon with suspicion. The German clergy, closely associated with the secular government of Bavaria, saw in the undertakings of the brothers the implementation of Slavic separatism. Indeed, the Slavic princes, in addition to spiritual interests, pursued the state ones - their liturgical language and church independence would significantly strengthen their position. Finally, the pope was in tense relations with Bavaria, and support for the revitalization of church life in Moravia against the "trilinguals" fit well into the general direction of his policy.
Political controversy cost the missionaries dear. Because of the constant intrigues of the German clergy, Constantine and Methodius twice had to make excuses before the Roman high priest. In 869, unable to withstand the overvoltage, St. Cyril died (he was only 42 years old), and his work was continued by Methodius, who was ordained bishop in Rome shortly after. Methodius died in 885, having experienced exile, insults and imprisonment that lasted for several years.
The most valuable gift
Methodius was succeeded by Gorazd, and already during his reign the work of the holy brothers in Moravia practically died out: liturgical translations were prohibited, followers were killed or sold into slavery; many fled to neighboring countries themselves. But that was not the end. This was only the beginning of Slavic culture, and hence Russian culture too. The center of Slavic book-learning moved to Bulgaria, then to Russia. The books began to use the Cyrillic alphabet, named after the creator of the first alphabet. Writing has grown and strengthened. And today the proposals to abolish the Slavic letters and switch to Latin, which in the 1920s were actively promoted by the People's Commissar Lunacharsky, sound, thank God, unrealistic.
So next time, dotting the "e" or tormenting Russification new version photoshop, think about what wealth we have.
Artist Jan Matejko
Very few peoples have been honored to have their own alphabet. This was understood already in the distant ninth century.
“God has created and now in our years - having announced the letters for your language - that which was not given to anyone after the first times, so that you too would be numbered among the great nations who glorify God in their own language ... silver, and gold, and precious stones, and all transitory wealth, ”wrote Emperor Mikhail to Prince Rostislav.
And after that we are trying to separate Russian culture from Orthodox culture? Russian letters were invented by Orthodox monks for church books; at the very foundation of Slavic book-learning lies not just influence and borrowing, but "transplantation", "transplantation" of Byzantine church book-writing. Book language, cultural context, terminology of lofty thought were created right together with the library of books by the apostles of the Slavs, Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Greek Christian missionaries are believed to be brothers Cyril and Methodius in 863 they were invited from Byzantium by Prince Rostislav to the Great Moravian state to introduce divine services in the Slavic language.
Constantine the alphabet was created - the so-called "Glagolitic", reflecting the phonetic features of the Slavic language. The oldest surviving Glagolic inscription with an accurate date dates back to 893 and was made in the church of the Bulgarian king Simeon in Preslav.
Cyril and Methodius translated the main liturgical books from Greek into Old Church Slavonic.
Later pupils Methodius created in Bulgaria on the basis of "Glagolitic" a new alphabet, which later received the name "Cyrillic" - in honor of Cyril.
Already in the XX century, the Pope John Paul II “… He emphasized more than once that, being a Slav, he felt especially strongly in his heart the call of those peoples to whom the“ apostles of unity ”- Cyril and Methodius, who took the trouble to“ expound the biblical ideas and concepts of Greek theology in the language understood in the context of a completely different historical experience and tradition ", they must be understood" by those to whom God Himself intended. "
The Pope, who was especially sensitive to any manifestation of national culture, its identity, saw the main merit of the "apostles of the Slavs" in their desire for the Word of God to "find expression in the language of any civilization", in every possible way warning against imposing authorities, languages, images on other peoples ...
The mission of the saints, which were especially dear to the Pope, he dedicated to the encyclical "Apostles of the Slavs" ("Slavorum apostoli", 1985) and the apostolic message "Go to the whole world" ("Euntes in mundum universum", 1988), written on the occasion of the Millennium of the Baptism of Kiev Rus.
“Saints Cyril and Methodius were formed in the bosom of the Byzantine Church at the time when it was in unity with Rome. Proclaiming them together with the saint Benedict patrons of Europe, I tried not only to affirm the historical truth about Christianity on the European continent, but also to put forward another important topic for the dialogue between East and West, with which so many hopes are connected in the post-conciliar period.
As in a saint Benedict, so in Saints Cyril and Methodius Europe found its spiritual origins. And therefore they must be honored together - as patrons of our past and saints to whom the Churches and peoples of Europe at the end of the second Millennium from the Nativity of Christ entrust their future. "
Elena Tverdislova, And as a sign of love - a rosary as a gift - Preface to the book: John Paul II, M., "Rudomino Book Center", 2011, p. 30-31.
“... the emergence of Slavic writing is associated with the second half of the 9th century (863), when, as a result of the initiative of the rulers of the Great Moravian principality, Greek missionaries Cyril (Constantine)and MethodiusHaving created a very perfect graphic system for one of the types of Slavic speech, they began to translate some parts of the Bible and create other liturgical texts.
The Old Slavonic language became the common literary language of the Slavs of the Middle Ages.
Among all Western Slavs, it was soon supplanted by the Latin language due to Western influence and conversion to Catholicism.
Therefore, the further use of the Old Church Slavonic language is mainly associated with the Slavic south (Bulgaria, Serbia) and the east (the Kiev state, then Muscovite Rus, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands). The use of the Old Church Slavonic language as a literary language led to the fact that this language was primarily subjected to grammatical processing ”.
Kondrashov N.A., History of linguistic doctrines, M., "Komkniga", 2006, p. 31.
The alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet, like any other alphabet, was a system of certain signs, to which a certain sound was assigned. The Slavic alphabet was formed on the territory of the peoples' residence Ancient Rus many centuries ago.
Historical events
The year 862 went down in history as the year when the first official actions to adopt Christianity were taken in Russia. Prince Vsevolod sent ambassadors to the Byzantine emperor Michael, who were to convey his request that the emperor send preachers of the Christian faith to Great Moravia. The need for preachers arose due to the fact that people themselves could not penetrate into the essence of Christian teaching, because the Holy Scriptures were only in Latin.
In response to this request, two brothers were sent to the Russian lands: Cyril and Methodius. The first of them received the name Cyril a little later, when he took monastic tonsure. This choice was carefully thought out. The brothers were born in Soluni in the family of a military leader. The Greek version is Thessaloniki. They had a very high level of education for that time. Constantine (Cyril) was trained and brought up at the court of Emperor Michael III. He could speak several languages:
- greek,
- arabic,
- slavic,
- jewish.
For his ability to initiate others into the secrets of philosophy, he received the nickname Constantine the Philosopher.
Methodius began his career with military service, tried himself as a ruler of one of the regions that was inhabited by the Slavs. In 860, they made a trip to the Khazars, their goal was to spread the Christian faith and reach some agreements with this people.
History of written signs
Konstantin had to create written signs with the active help of his brother. After all, the Holy Scriptures were only in Latin. To convey this knowledge to a large number of people, a written version of the Holy Books in the language of the Slavs was simply necessary. As a result of their painstaking work, the Slavic alphabet appeared in 863.
Two variants of the alphabet: Glagolitic and Cyrillic are ambiguous. Researchers argue about which of these two options belongs directly to Cyril, and which appeared later.
After the creation of the writing system, the brothers were engaged in translating the Bible into the language of the Slavs. The significance of this alphabet is enormous. The people were able not only to speak their own language. But also to write and to form the literary basis of the language. Some of the words of that time have come down to our time and function in Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian languages.
Word symbols
The letters of the ancient alphabet had names that coincide with words. The word "alphabet" itself comes from the first letters of the alphabet: "az" and "beeches". They were the modern letters "A" and "B".
The first written symbols in the Slavic lands were scratched on the walls of the churches of Pereslavl in the form of pictures. It was in the 9th century. In the 11th century, this alphabet appeared in Kiev, in the St. Sophia Cathedral, where the signs were interpreted, written translations were made.
A new stage in the formation of the alphabet is associated with the emergence of printing. 1574 brought the first alphabet to the Russian lands, which was printed. It was called "Old Slavonic Alphabet". The name of the person who released it went down in centuries - Ivan Fedorov.
The connection between the emergence of writing and the spread of Christianity
The Old Church Slavonic alphabet was more than a simple set of symbols. Its appearance made it possible for a large number of people to get acquainted with the Christian faith, penetrate into its essence, and give it their heart. All scientists agree that without the appearance of writing, Christianity on the Russian lands would not have appeared so quickly. Between the creation of letters and the adoption of Christianity - 125 years, during which there was a huge leap in the consciousness of the people. From deep beliefs and customs, people came to faith in the One God. It was the Sacred Books that spread across the territory of Russia, and the ability to read them, that became the basis for the spread of Christian knowledge.
863 is the year of the creation of the alphabet, 988 is the date of the adoption of Christianity in Russia. This year, Prince Vladimir announced that a new faith was being introduced in the principality and the struggle against all manifestations of polytheism was beginning.
The mystery of written symbols
Some scientists believe that the symbols of the Slavic alphabet are secret signs in which religious and philosophical knowledge is encrypted. Together they represent a complex system based on clear logic and mathematical connections. There is an opinion that all letters in this alphabet are an integral, indissoluble system, and that the alphabet was created as a system, and not as separate elements and signs.
The first such signs were something in between numbers and letters. The Old Church Slavonic alphabet was based on the Greek uncial writing system. The Slavic Cyrillic alphabet consisted of 43 letters. The brothers took 24 letters from the Greek unial, and the remaining 19 they invented themselves. The need to invent new sounds arose due to the fact that the Slavic language contained sounds that were not typical for Greek pronunciation. Accordingly, there were no such letters. Constantine either took these symbols from other systems, or invented himself.
"Higher" and "lower" part
The entire system can be divided into two distinct parts. Conditionally they received the names "higher" and "lower". The first part includes letters from "a" to "f" ("az" - "fet"). Each letter is a word symbol. This name was completely focused on people, because these words were clear to everyone. The lower part went from "sha" to the letter "Izhitsa". These symbols were left without digital correspondence, were filled with negative connotations. “To penetrate into the essence of the secret writing of these symbols, they must be carefully studied, all the nuances must be analyzed. After all, each of them has a meaning inherent in the creator. "
Researchers also find the meaning of the triad in these symbols. A person, comprehending this knowledge, must attain a higher level of spiritual perfection. Thus, the alphabet is the creation of Cyril and Methodius, leading to the self-improvement of people.
Not all people know what May 24 is famous for, but it is even impossible to imagine what would have happened to us if this day in 863 turned out to be completely different and the creators of writing abandoned their works.
Who created Slavic writing in the 9th century? They were Cyril and Methodius, and this event happened on May 24, 863, which led to the celebration of one of the most important events in the history of mankind. Now the Slavic peoples could use their own writing, and not borrow the languages \u200b\u200bof other peoples.
The creators of Slavic writing - Cyril and Methodius?
The history of the development of Slavic writing is not as "transparent" as it might seem at first glance, there are different opinions about its creators. there is interesting factthat Cyril, even before he began to work on the creation of the Slavic alphabet, was in Chersonesos (today it is Crimea), from where he could get the sacred scriptures of the Gospel or the Psalter, which already at that moment turned out to be written in the letters of the Slavic alphabet. This fact makes one wonder: who created the Slavic writing system, Cyril and Methodius really wrote the alphabet or took a finished work?
However, in addition to the fact that Cyril brought the ready-made alphabet from Chersonesos, there is other evidence that the creators of the Slavic writing were other people, and who lived long before Cyril and Methodius.
Arab sources of historical events say that 23 years before Cyril and Methodius created the Slavic alphabet, namely in the 40s of the IX century, there were baptized people who had books written in the Slavic language in their hands. There is also another serious fact proving that the creation of the Slavic writing took place even earlier than the announced date. The bottom line is that Pope Leo IV had a diploma issued before 863, which consisted precisely of the letters of the Slavic alphabet, and this figure was on the throne in the interval from 847 to 855 years of the IX century.
Another, but also important fact of proving the more ancient origin of Slavic writing is in the statement of Catherine II, who, during her reign, wrote that the Slavs were more ancient peoplethan it is commonly believed, and they have written language since the times preceding the Nativity of Christ.
Evidence of antiquity among other peoples
The creation of Slavic writing before 863 can be proved by other facts that are present in the documents of other peoples who lived in ancient times and used other types of writing in their time. There are quite a few such sources, and they are found in the Persian historian named Ibn Fodlan, in El Massoudi, as well as in slightly later creators in fairly well-known works, which say that Slavic writing was formed before the Slavs had books.
The historian, who lived on the border of the 9th and 10th centuries, argued that the Slavic people are more ancient and more developed than the Romans, and as evidence he cited some monuments that allow one to determine the antiquity of the origin of the Slavic people and their writing.
And the last fact that can seriously affect the train of thought of people in search of an answer to the question of who created the Slavic writing is coins with different letters of the Russian alphabet, dated earlier than 863, and located in the territories of such European countries like England, Scandinavia, Denmark and others.
Refutation of the ancient origin of Slavic writing
The alleged creators of Slavic writing "missed" a little with one thing: they did not leave any books and documents written on this. However, for many scientists it is enough that the Slavic writing is present on various stones, rocks, weapons and household items that were used by the ancient inhabitants in their Everyday life.
Many scientists worked on the study of historical achievements in the writing of the Slavs, however, a senior researcher by the name of Grinevich was able to reach almost the very source, and his work made it possible to decipher any text written in the Old Slavic language.
Grinevich's work in the study of Slavic writing
In order to understand the writing of the ancient Slavs, Grinevich had to do a great job, during which he discovered that it was not based on letters, but had a more complex system that worked at the expense of syllables. The scientist himself absolutely seriously believed that the formation of the Slavic alphabet began 7,000 years ago.
The signs of the Slavic alphabet had a different basis, and after grouping all the symbols, Grinevich identified four categories: linear, separating symbols, drawing and limiting signs.
For his research, Grinevich used about 150 different inscriptions that were present on all kinds of objects, and all his achievements were based on decoding these particular symbols.
Grinevich, in the course of research, found out that the history of Slavic writing is older, and the ancient Slavs used 74 characters. However, there are too many characters for the alphabet, and if we talk about whole words, then there cannot be only 74 of them in the language. These reflections led the researcher to the idea that the Slavs used syllables instead of letters in the alphabet.
Example: "horse" - the syllable "lo"
His approach made it possible to decipher the inscriptions that many scientists fought over and could not understand what they mean. But it turned out that everything is quite simple:
- The pot, which was found near Ryazan, had an inscription - instructions, which said that it must be put into the oven and closed.
- The sinker, which was found near Trinity Town, had a simple inscription: "Weighs 2 ounces."
All of the above evidence fully refutes the fact that the creators of Slavic writing are Cyril and Methodius, and they prove the antiquity of our language.
Slavic runes in the creation of Slavic writing
The one who created the Slavic writing was a rather smart and courageous person, because such an idea at that time could ruin the creator due to the ignorance of all other people. But besides the letter, other options for spreading information to people were invented - Slavic runes.
In total, 18 runes have been found in the world, which are present on a large number of various ceramics, stone statues and other artifacts. An example is pottery from the village of Lepesovka, located in southern Volyn, as well as earthen vessel in the village of Voiskovo. In addition to the evidence located on the territory of Russia, there are monuments that are in Poland and were discovered back in 1771. They also have Slavic runes. We should not forget the Temple of Radegast, located in Retra, where the walls are decorated with precisely Slavic symbols. The last place, which scientists learned about from Titmar of Merseburg, is a fortress-temple and is located on an island called Rügen. There are a large number of idols, whose names are written using runes of Slavic origin.
Slavic writing. Cyril and Methodius as creators
The creation of writing is attributed to Cyril and Methodius, and in confirmation of this, historical data are given for the corresponding period of their life, which is described in some detail. They touch upon the meaning of their activities, as well as the reasons for working on the creation of new symbols.
Cyril and Methodius to the creation of the alphabet led to the conclusion that other languages \u200b\u200bcan not fully reflect the Slavic speech. This constraint is proved by the works of the monk Brave, in which it is noted that before the adoption of the Slavic alphabet for general use, baptism was carried out either in Greek or in Latin, and already at that time it became clear that they could not reflect all the sounds that fill our speech ...
Political influence on the Slavic alphabet
Politics began its impact on society from the very beginning of the birth of countries and religions, and it also had its hand in as well as other aspects of human life.
As described above, the baptismal services of the Slavs were conducted either in Greek or in Latin, which allowed other churches to influence the minds and strengthen the thought of their leading role in the minds of the Slavs.
Those countries where liturgies were held not in Greek, but in Latin, received an increase in the influence of German priests on the faith of people, and for the Byzantine Church this was unacceptable, and she took a retaliatory step, entrusting Cyril and Methodius to create a writing system in which it will be written service and sacred texts.
The Byzantine Church reasoned correctly at that moment, and its intentions were such that the one who created the Slavic writing based on the Greek alphabet would help weaken the influence of the German Church on all Slavic countries at the same time and at the same time help bring the people closer to Byzantium. These actions can also be viewed as motivated by self-interest.
Who created the Slavic writing based on the Greek alphabet? Cyril and Methodius were created, and for this work they were not chosen by the Byzantine Church by chance. Cyril grew up in the city of Soluni, which, although it was Greek, but about half of its inhabitants spoke Slavic fluently, and Cyril himself was well versed in it, and also had an excellent memory.
Byzantium and its role
There are quite serious disputes about when work began on the creation of the Slavic writing system, because May 24 is an official date, but there is a large gap in history that creates a discrepancy.
After Byzantium gave this difficult task, Cyril and Methodius began to develop Slavic writing and in 864 arrived in Moravia with a ready-made Slavic alphabet and a fully translated Gospel, where they recruited students for the school.
After receiving an assignment from the Byzantine Church, Cyril and Methodius go to Morvia. During their journey, they are engaged in writing the alphabet and translating the texts of the Gospel into the Slavic language, and already upon arrival in the city they have the finished works in their hands. However, the road to Moravia does not take that long. Perhaps this time period allows creating the alphabet, but it is simply impossible to translate the letters of the Gospel in such a short time, which indicates the advance work on the Slavic language and the translation of texts.
Cyril's disease and his departure
After three years of work in his own school of Slavic writing, Cyril abandons this business and leaves for Rome. This turn of events was caused by the disease. Cyril left everything for a quiet death in Rome. Methodius, finding himself alone, continues to pursue his goal and does not step back, although now it has become more difficult for him, because the Catholic Church began to understand the scale of the work done and is not delighted with it. The Roman Church imposes bans on translations into the Slavic language and openly demonstrates its displeasure, however, Methodius now has followers who help and continue his work.
Cyrillic and Glagolitic - what laid the foundation for modern writing?
There are no confirmed facts that can prove which of the scripts originated earlier, and there is no exact information about who created the Slavic one and to which of the two possible Kirill had his hand. Only one thing is known, but the most important thing is that it was the Cyrillic alphabet that became the founder of today's Russian alphabet, and only thanks to it we can write as we write now.
The Cyrillic alphabet has 43 letters in its composition, and the fact that its creator is Cyril proves the presence of 24 in it, while the other 19 the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet based on the Greek alphabet included only to reflect complex sounds that were present only among peoples who used the Slavic language for communication.
Over time, the Cyrillic alphabet has been transformed, almost constantly influenced in order to simplify and improve. However, there were moments that at first made it difficult to write, for example, the letter "e", which is an analogue of "e", the letter "y" is an analogue of "and". These letters made spelling difficult at first, but reflected the corresponding sounds.
Glagolitic, in fact, was an analogue of the Cyrillic alphabet and used 40 letters, and 39 of them were taken from the Cyrillic alphabet. The main difference between the Glagolitic alphabet is that it has a more rounded writing style and is not angular, unlike the Cyrillic one.
The disappeared alphabet (Glagolitic), although it did not take root, was intensively used by the Slavs living in the southern and western latitudes, and, depending on the location of the inhabitants, it had its own writing styles. The Slavs living in Bulgaria used a more rounded verb for writing, while the Croatians tended to write more angularly.
Despite the number of hypotheses and even the absurdity of some of them, each is worthy of attention, and it is impossible to answer exactly who the creators of the Slavic writing are. The answers will be vague, with many flaws and shortcomings. And although there are many facts that refute the creation of writing by Cyril and Methodius, they are honored for their labors, which allowed the alphabet to spread and transform to its present form.
