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

Cyril and Methodius were born into a wealthy and noble family in the city of Thessalonica (Greece). Methodius was the elder brother in the family and was the ruler in the Bulgarian principality, which at that time was part of the Byzantine Empire. Cyril (born Konstantin) is the younger brother, who from infancy demonstrated high mental abilities. While still at the Thessalonica school, he began to read the books of the Fathers of the Church. Gregory the Theologian made a special impression on the young Constantine. The gifted young man was noticed, and he was invited to Constantinople, where he studied on a par with the son of the emperor from the best scientists of his time. Among the teachers of Constantine was the famous scholar Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. A brilliant career awaited Constantine at the imperial court, but he chose a monastery cell.

At the end of his studies, he retired to a monastery on Mount Olympus to Methodius in order to "permanently pray and engage in pious reflections," as the biography says. However, Constantine's seclusion was rarely long. As a preacher and propagandist, he was often sent to neighboring states to participate in disputes. Travel undermined the strength of Constantine. At 42, he became very ill. Before his death, he took monasticism with the name Cyril and died in 869. Death overtook Cyril in Rome, where the brothers sought support from the Pope in spreading Slavic writing. The biography tells that before his death, Cyril said to his brother: “You and I, like two oxen, led the same furrow. I am exhausted, but don’t you think to leave the work of teaching and retire to your mountain again.

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

“The Tale of Bygone Years” tells about the beginning of writing in Russia in this way: once the Slavic princes Rostislav, Svyatopolk and Kotsel sent ambassadors to the Byzantine king Michael with the words: “Our land is baptized, but we don’t have a teacher who would instruct and instruct us, and explained the holy books. For we know neither Greek nor Latin; some teach us in this way, and others in another way, because of this we do not know either the outline of the letters or their meaning. And send us teachers who could tell us about book words and their meaning. Then Tsar Michael summoned two learned brothers - Constantine and Methodius, and "the king persuaded them and sent them to the Slavic land ... When these brothers arrived, they began to compose the Slavic alphabet and translated the Apostle and the Gospel."

These events date back to 863. It is with this date that the spread of writing in Russia is associated.

The Slavic alphabet also appeared. In Kyiv, Novgorod, and other cities, schools began to be created for teaching Slavic literacy. An alphabet appeared, which was called "Cyrillic" after the monastic name of Constantine. It was based on Greek, but changed to reflect the Slavonic sound system. Two alphabets were created - Glagolitic and Cyrillic.

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

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

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

Who created Slavic writing in the 9th century? It was Cyril and Methodius, and this event happened just 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 script, and not borrow the languages ​​of 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 an interesting fact that Cyril, even before he began to work on the creation of the Slavic alphabet, was in Chersonese (today it is Crimea), from where he was able to take the sacred writings of the Gospel or the Psalter, which already at that moment turned out to be written precisely in the letters of the Slavic alphabet. This fact makes one wonder: who created the Slavic script, did Cyril and Methodius really write the alphabet or did they take the finished work?

However, besides the fact that Cyril brought the finished alphabet from Chersonesos, there is other evidence that the creators of Slavic writing were other people, and they lived long before Cyril and Methodius.

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

Another, but also important fact of proving the more ancient origin of Slavic writing is the assertion of Catherine II, who during her reign wrote that the Slavs are an older people than is commonly believed, and they have had written language since the time preceding the birth 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 proof, he cited some monuments that allow us 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 script is coins that have 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 the Slavic script "missed" a little with one thing: they did not leave any books and documents written in it. However, for many scientists it is enough that the Slavic script is present on various stones, rocks, weapons and household items that were used by the ancient inhabitants in their Everyday life.

Many scientists worked on studying the historical achievements in the writing of the Slavs, however, a senior researcher named Grinevich was able to reach almost the very source, and his work made it possible to decipher any text written in Old Slavonic.

Grinevich's work in the study of Slavic writing

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

The signs of the Slavic alphabet had a different basis, and after grouping all the symbols, Grinevich singled out four categories: linear, separating symbols, pictorial and restrictive signs.

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

Grinevich, in the course of his research, found out that the history of Slavic writing is older, and the ancient Slavs used 74 signs. However, there are too many signs 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" - syllable "lo"

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

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

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

Slavic runes in the creation of Slavic writing

The one who created Slavic writing was a rather smart and courageous person, because such an idea at that time could destroy the creator due to the ignorance of all other people. But besides the letter, other options for disseminating 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 different ceramics, stone statues and other artifacts. An example is ceramic products from the village of Lepesovka, located in southern Volhynia, as well as an earthen vessel in the village of Voyskovo. In addition to evidence located on the territory of Russia, there are monuments that are located in Poland and were discovered back in 1771. They also have Slavic runes. We should not forget the temple of Radegast, located in Retra, where the walls are decorated with Slavic symbols. The last place that scientists learned about from 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 support of this, historical data are given for the corresponding period of their lives, which is described in some detail. They affect the meaning of their activities, as well as the reasons for working on the creation of new symbols.

Cyril and Methodius led to the creation of the alphabet by the conclusion that other languages ​​\u200b\u200bcannot fully reflect Slavic speech. This constraint is proved by the works of the Chernoristian Khrabr, in which it is noted that before the adoption of the Slavic alphabet for general use, baptism was carried out either in Greek or in Latin, and already in those days it became clear that they could not reflect all the sounds that filled our speech. .

Political influence on the Slavic alphabet

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

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

Those countries where the 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, instructing Cyril and Methodius to create writing, in which it will be written service and sacred texts.

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

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

Byzantium and its role

As for when work began on the creation of Slavic writing, there are quite serious disputes, because May 24 is the official date, but there is a large gap in history in history that creates a discrepancy.

After Byzantium gave this difficult task, Cyril and Methodius began the development of 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 head to Morvia. During their journey, they are engaged in writing the alphabet and translating the texts of the Gospel into Slavonic, and already upon arrival in the city, they have finished works in their hands. However, the road to Moravia does not take so much time. Perhaps this time period allows you to create an alphabet, but it is simply impossible to translate the gospel letters in such a short time, which indicates advance work on the Slavic language and translation of texts.

Cyril's illness and his departure

After three years of work in his own school of Slavic writing, Kirill 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 has begun to understand the scale of the work done and is not enthusiastic about it. The Roman Church imposes bans on translations into the Slavic language and openly demonstrates its discontent, but Methodius now has followers who help and continue his work.

Cyrillic and Glagolitic - what marked the beginning of 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 and which of the two possible Cyril had a hand in. Only one thing is known, but the most important thing is that it was the Cyrillic alphabet that became the founder of today's Russian alphabet, and only thanks to it can we write the way we write now.

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

Over time, the Cyrillic alphabet was transformed, almost constantly it was 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". Such letters at first made spelling difficult, but reflected the sounds corresponding to them.

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

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. Slavs living in Bulgaria used Glagolitic with a more rounded style for writing, while Croatians gravitated towards angular writing.

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 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 were honored for their work, which allowed the alphabet to spread and transform to its current form.

The siblings Cyril and Methodius came from a pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica (in Macedonia). They were the children of the same governor, a Bulgarian Slav by birth. Saint Methodius was the eldest of the seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril is his monastic name) was the youngest.

Saint Methodius at first served, like his father, in a military rank. The king, having learned about him as a good warrior, appointed him governor in one Slavic principality of Slavinia, which was under the Greek state. This happened at the special discretion of God and so that Methodius could better learn the Slavic language, as a future spiritual teacher and shepherd of the Slavs. Having been in the rank of governor for about 10 years and knowing the vanity of life, Methodius began to dispose his will to renounce everything earthly and direct his thoughts to the heavenly. Leaving the province and all the pleasures of the world, he became a monk on Mount Olympus.

And his brother Saint Constantine from his youth showed brilliant successes both in secular and in religious and moral education. He studied with the young emperor Michael with the best teachers of Constantinople, including Photius, the future patriarch of Constantinople. Having received a brilliant education, he perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages, he especially diligently studied the works of St. Gregory the Theologian, for which he received the title of Philosopher (wise). At the end of his teaching, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of Saint Sophia. But, neglecting all the benefits of his position, he retired to one of the monasteries near the Black Sea. Almost by force, he was returned to Constantinople and appointed as a teacher of philosophy in 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 heretic iconoclasts, Aninius, in the debate.

Then Cyril retired to brother Methodius and for several years shared monastic deeds with him in a monastery on Olympus, where he first began to study the Slavic language. In the monasteries that were on the mountain, there were many Slavic monks from various neighboring countries, which is why Konstantin could have a permanent practice here for himself, which was especially important for him, since he, almost from childhood, spent all his time in the Greek environment. Soon the emperor summoned both holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars for the gospel sermon. On the way, they stopped for some time in the city of Korsun, preparing for a sermon.

Here the holy brothers learned that the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, were in the sea, and they miraculously found them.

In the same place in Korsun, Saint Constantine found a Gospel and a Psalter written in "Russian letters" and a man who spoke Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak his language. After that, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won the debate with the Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching.

Soon, ambassadors came to the emperor from the Moravian prince Rostislav, who was being oppressed by the German bishops, with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in their native language for the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and said to him: "You must go there, for no one can do it better than you." Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, embarked on a new feat. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples of Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelyar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavonic the books, without which Divine services could not be performed: the Gospel, the Psalter and selected services. Some chroniclers report that the first words written in the Slavic language were the words of the Apostle the Evangelist John: “In the beginning there was (there was) the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word.” This was in 863.

After the completion of the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor and began to teach Divine Liturgy in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers and filed a complaint with Rome. In 867 St. Methodius and Constantine were summoned by Pope Nicholas I to Rome for trial to resolve this issue. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome. When they arrived in Rome, Nicholas I was no longer alive; his successor Adrian II, learning that they were carrying the relics of St. Clement, met them solemnly outside the city. The Pope of Rome approved Divine services in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the Liturgy in the Slavic language.

While in Rome, Saint Constantine, informed by the Lord in a miraculous vision of the approach of death, received the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after the adoption of the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Before his death, he said to his brother: “You and I, like a friendly pair of oxen, led the same furrow; I am exhausted, but don’t you think to leave the labors of teaching and retire again to your mountain.” The Pope ordered the relics of St. Cyril to be placed in the church of St. Clement, where miracles began to happen 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 Anthrodin. At the same time, Methodius had to endure a lot of trouble from heterodox missionaries, but he continued to preach the Gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoi and his wife Lyudmila (Comm. 16 September), as well as one of the Polish princes.

In the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated into Slavonic the entire Old Testament, except for the Maccabees, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterik).

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, the capital of Moravia.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized as saints in antiquity. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners of the Slavs has been honored since the 11th century. The oldest services to the saints that have come down to our time date back to the 13th century.

The solemn celebration of the memory of the holy primates Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius was established in the Russian Church in 1863.

In the icon-painting original, under May 11, it says: “Our venerable fathers Methodius and Constantine, named Cyril, Bishops of Moravia, teachers of Slovenia. Methodius is a likeness of an old man, gray hair, a beard of duty like Vlasiev, hierarchal robes and an omophorion, in the hands of the Gospel. Konstantin - monastic vestments and in the schema, in the hands of a book, and in it the Russian alphabet A, B, C, D, D and other words (letters) are written, all in a row ... ".

By decree of the Holy Synod (1885), the celebration of the memory of Slavic teachers was classified as an average church holiday. The same decree determined: in prayers on litia, according to the Gospel at Matins before the canon, on holidays, as well as in all prayers in which the ecumenical saints of the Russian Church are commemorated, to commemorate after the name of St. Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers.

For Orthodox Russia, the celebration of Sts. to the first teachers has a special meaning: “By them, having begun the Divine Liturgy and the whole church service in the language akin to us, Slovenia, and thus an inexhaustible well of water flowing into eternal life has been given to us.”

Regional State Public Educational Institution Implementing Adapted Programs "Boarding School No. 10"

Prepared by N.V. Nesterova

2016

Explanatory note

Children about Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Slavic alphabet

And flowers, and trees, and animals, and people are God's creations. But people differ from all living beings in that they can speak. Everything in the world has a name: a cloud, a river, a carnation, a birch, wind and lightning. All signs of objects and phenomena: red, fast, warm, cold - everything is named. In a conversation, we just say: "Grandma, I missed you." But it's good to say when grandma is around. And if she is in a village, in another city? You have to somehow tell her that you miss her, you are waiting for her to visit. You can call? What if Grandma's phone broke? Write! Write a letter. A letter is more valuable than any call, a letter can be re-read, shown to neighbors: "Look, my granddaughter is writing to me, calling me to visit."

To write a letter, you need to know the words. And words are made up of letters. The letters are connected by alphabet. Our alphabet is now almost in the form in which it was brought to Russia by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius. They translated many books, mostly religious, from Greek into Slavonic, introduced services in the Slavic language. They suffered a lot of persecution from the Roman Catholics for this: they did not want the Slavs to have their own script. To this the brothers answered: "Does not the sun shine for all, does it not rain for all, does not the Word of God's truth come to all, and in the language that man speaks?"

On the basis of the Slavic alphabet there was an alphabetic prayer. "Az buki lead" in translation: I know (know) the letters. "Verb, good, eat, live" in translation: it's good to live kindly. "Kako, people, think" - this does not need to be translated. As well as "rtsy, the word, firmly," that is: speak the word confidently, firmly.

Of course, it is immediately noticeable that the initial letters of words just make up our "abevegedeshka", the alphabet. They used to learn the alphabet out loud, all together. There was even such a proverb: "The ABC is taught, they shout in the whole hut."

the day of the holy Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius is celebrated just on the day when the last bell rings in our schools, May 24th. This day is a holiday of Slavic writing and culture.

Children about Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Slavic alphabet.

Goals and objectives.

To acquaint children with the history of the emergence of Slavic writing, with the work of Cyril and Methodius - Slavic teachers.
- The first acquaintance with the Slavic alphabet.
- Reveal and replenish children's knowledge about the history of the Russian language.
- Show the similarities and features of the Church Slavonic and Russian languages.
- To form the concept of "sacred language". To develop a sense of love and respect for the native language and Russian culture.
- Develop speech, memory, thinking.

Preparation and equipment.
Place on the board the icon of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius.

Prepare for each student a photocopy of the Church Slavonic alphabet, which would indicate the spelling, name and pronunciation of all letters.

Prepare photocopies of the Alphabet Prayer in the "arrangement" of V.Ya.Deryagin.

For visual aids and props, you can use "ancient" scrolls, letters of the Slavic alphabet, made of cardboard. To decorate the classroom, large stylized “old” scrolls with ancient Slavic letters (for example, the words of their alphabetic prayer), posters depicting the letters of the Slavic alphabet can be prepared.

Select illustrative material: modern editions of liturgical books (Psalter, Book of Hours, etc.), as well as photographs and illustrations of ancient books, manuscripts, scrolls.

Move.
- We all read, write and speak Russian. What is language?
Children try to explain the meaning of the word "language", the teacher leads them to the correct answer.
- So we found out that language is a means of communication. How can we communicate with each other?
Students' responses.
- That is, orally. And if we are far from each other and there will be no opportunity to call, how then to report the news or find out how you are doing?
Students' responses.
- So, the language is oral and ...
Students' responses.
- But is it only necessary to communicate in a written language?
Students' responses.
- Why else do you need to be able to read and write?
Students' responses. - Guys, what do you think, have the Slavs always been able to speak?
Students' responses. - But there was a time when the Slavs did not have a written language, and this is how it appeared.
It was more than a thousand years ago, when the Slavic tribes from the darkness of paganism turned to the light of Christian teaching. But the converted Christians did not understand either the Word of God or the service, since the service was conducted in Latin. Then, in 862, an embassy from the Moravian prince Rostislav arrived at the Byzantine emperor Michael with a request to send missionaries who would conduct Christian worship in a language understandable to the Slavic people and who could explain Christian teaching in an accessible way. The emperor entrusted this matter to the brothers Cyril and Methodius, and they set off on a long journey. In order to fulfill the task assigned to them, they had to translate the Holy Scriptures and liturgical books into the Slavic language. But the Slavs did not have an alphabet. The Slavs could neither read nor write. The task turned out to be more difficult than it seemed at first glance: first it was necessary to create the Slavic alphabet, then translate the books, and even teach the Slavs how to write and read. After all, it is impossible to convey everything orally. Such a teaching is both insufficient and unreliable. Do you think it is possible to keep in memory everything that is conveyed in words?
Students' responses. Teacher : The Greek alphabet was taken as the basis of the Slavic alphabet. The first step was to create an alphabet. Guys, what is the alphabet?Students' responses. Teacher : Yes, this is a certain sequence of letters. The alphabet conveys all those sounds that are present in speech. What are the letters for?
Students' responses. - Right. In 863 the alphabet was ready, St. Cyril and Methodius above her. The alphabet began to be called Cyrillic in honor of its creator. The holy brothers created not a spoken language, not an everyday, everyday language, but a sacred liturgical language. The language in which they turn to God in the temple of God - the church. It is called Church Slavonic. Now you know that Church Slavonic is the language of communion with God. It was very important for Christians to acquire the necessary knowledge of the Church Slavonic language in order to be able to participate in divine services and understand their meaning. Without this, the life of a Christian is impossible. Do you agree?
Students' responses. Yes.
- The Slavs understood this, and therefore they took up the difficult task of teaching. Today, of course, it is much easier to learn Church Slavonic, because the Slavic language is the predecessor of Russian. Look at the alphabet!(Children take a printout with the alphabet.) Many of the letters are already familiar to you. What do you think, which alphabet has more letters, Russian or Slavic?
Students' responses.
In Slavonic.

- Correctly. Over time, in the course of the development of the language, some letters were lost, but new ones were not added. Thus, the alphabet was transformed into modern Russian. Az, beeches, lead ... It is with these letters that we will begin our first acquaintance with the Church Slavonic alphabet. Each letter of the Church Slavonic language not only conveys the sound corresponding to it, but also has its own special name.
shows cards with letters:
The letter A is called Az, which means “I” in Russian. So in the sacred book of the Bible God calls Himself - Az.
The letter B is called Buki, that is, "letter".
The name of the letter B - Lead, in translation - "know."
The letter G has the name Verb, that is, "speak."
The letter D is called Dobro, in Russian it means "good."
Say these first Church Slavonic letters by their names.
students they read in unison : Az, beeches, lead, verb, good.

Do you know what we got? Know the alphabet and speak well.

This is the wish expressed by the alphabet itself to everyone who undertakes to study it. In addition, Saint Cyril wrote an alphabetical prayer. Each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a new line of prayer beginning with that letter. Listen to this prayer and you will understand how much meaning each letter of the Church Slavonic language carries.alphabet prayer A Az - I pray to God with this word:
B God, Creator of all creatures
AT Visible and invisible!
G Lord, the Living Spirit,
D Let the Word breathe into my heart!
E His Word will be the salvation of all,
F Living in Your commandments.
S Illuminated the lamp of life
3 Your law is the light of my way.
And And already looking for the gospel word
I And he asks for the gifts of You to accept the Slavic tribe.
To After all, we all turned to baptism,
L We want to be called your people,
M We want your mercy, God!
H But now give me a lengthy Word,
O Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit!
P Asking for your help,
R Stretch out your hands, repay forever
With The strength to receive and Your wisdom.
T You give strength to the worthy
Q You heal the poor
F You take away Pharaoh's malice from me,
X Cherubim's thought and mind you give me.
O , honest and Holy Trinity,
turn my sadness into joy!
C I will chastely write
H Your wonders are amazing
W Having taken the form of six-winged
I ascend in the footsteps of my Master,
following his name and following his work.
E I will reveal the gospel word,
giving praise to the Trinity in one Godhead.
YU Young and old, all wise men sing Your praise.
I The tongue gives new praise
Father and Son and Holy Spirit.
To Him be honor and glory from every creature
and every breath forever and ever.
Amen.

For such educational work, the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius began to be called Equal-to-the-Apostles. After all, they, like the apostles, enlightened the Slavic peoples, bringing them the Word of God. In ancient times, Church Slavonic writing was studied with reverence. They memorized the rules, the texts of prayers, practiced calligraphy. The latter was given particular importance. Somehow writing was not allowed, it was considered an expression of irreverence for the sacred language in which we turn to God. In ancient books, the already beautiful capital letters of the Church Slavonic language were often decorated with intricate ornaments or designs. Look here! The teacher shows illustrations of ancient books. All books were handwritten, and writing was not easy before. Therefore, the profession of a scribe was held in high esteem, a literate person was called a scientist. Books were treated with great respect. They were put on leather covers, decorated with precious stones... They were greatly appreciated, and not only because they were expensive, but also because most of them were used in worship: the Holy Scriptures, the Gospel, the Psalter. By the way, do you know that the main textbook then was the Psalter? Yes, it is this liturgical book! In the church, this attitude towards books has been preserved to this day. You may have seen the gospel in church - how beautiful it is! How solemnly the priest carries it out and reads it! We will also try to adopt this reverent attitude towards the Church Slavonic language and its study.
- Let's remember that today we learned something new and interesting, then tell me by whom and when the Church Slavonic alphabet was created?
Students' responses.
In the ninth century, St. Cyril and Methodius.
- Now let's write it down in a notebook: In the ninth century, Sts. The Slavic alphabet was created by the brothers Cyril and Methodius. Why was it necessary to create it?
Students' responses.
It was necessary to translate the service into a language understandable to people.
- Because it was necessary to translate liturgical books into Slavonic. What alphabet was taken as the basis of the Slavic alphabet?
Students' responses.
Greek.

- The Greek alphabet was taken as the basis.
What is the difference between the letters of the Church Slavonic language and the letters of the Russian language?
Students' responses.
The letters of the Slavic language have names.
Summarizing:
Today we learned the history of the creation of Slavic writing, got acquainted with Slavic letters, made a whole journey into the history of the Russian language.

Invite the children to draw any letter they like, decorating it with a beautiful ornament or making a beautiful cover similar to ancient covers.

Bibliography

1) Istrin V.A. 1100 years of the Slavic alphabet. M., 1988.

2) Remneva M.L. Az Buki Vedi, M., 1980.

Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius

In the friendly and happy family of the noble commander Leo, who lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, there were seven children. All of them were distinguished by diligence and zeal for learning. All of them, except for their native Greek, spoke excellent Slavonic, communicating with their Slavic peers. At that time, many Slavs lived in Thessaloniki, former prisoners and slaves captured by the Greeks in constant wars.

When the youngest of Leo's children, Konstantin, had just learned to read, the eldest, Methodius, had already left his father's house, going to public service. He was appointed governor of Macedonia by the emperor, thanks to his knowledge of the Slavic language.

The younger Konstantin was distinguished from other children by both poor health and outstanding mental abilities. By the age of fifteen, he was fluent in philosophical and theological treatises, not only in Greek, but also in Latin. A capable boy was taken to court. Together with the children of the emperor, he began to study at the highest imperial school. Here Konstantin studied literature, dialectics, astronomy, Hebrew and Arabic, music and other sciences. His mentors were the best teachers of the empire, including the famous Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. For his love of philosophy, Konstantin received the nickname "philosopher", which remained with him for the rest of his life.

The elder brother of Constantine Methodius, having served as governor for about ten years, leaves the service and goes to the monastery. Soon, his younger brother also comes to him, having abandoned a brilliant career at court and a profitable marriage.

Knowing the brothers' education, their devotion to the Church and Fatherland, the emperor sends them to Khazaria to establish diplomatic relations with the neighboring state. It included many nationalities, including the Slavs. For their sake, Constantine and Methodius created their famous Slavic alphabet in order to translate sacred books into Slavic. After all, preaching only orally, according to Constantine, is the same as “writing with your finger on the water.” The chronicler reports that 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.”

The trip turned out to be successful. The brothers managed to establish friendly relations with the Khazars, obtain permission for Christians to have their own churches, and converted about two hundred families to Christianity. After that, several more trips took place to the southern Slavs, including the recently baptized Bulgarians. During these journeys, Konstantin tore his already poor health.

In 862, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav came to Constantinople with a request to send Christian Slavic teachers to them. Emperor Michael had no better candidates than Constantine and Methodius. Knowing Konstantin's poor health, he turned to him not as an emperor, but as a former schoolmate: “Konstantin, my philosopher, I know you are sick, you are tired, but your work is so needed! Prince Rostislav of Moravia asks us to send him Christian missionaries. How can I refuse him? No one can do this job the way you do it!” To this request of his comrade, the sick and weak Konstantin selflessly answered: “I will gladly go there!”

In 863 the brothers went to Moravia. There they preached Christianity with great success, performing divine services in the Slavic language. Missionaries from Germany also came to Moravia, who were not accustomed to hearing Slavic worship. Liturgy in the Slavic language seemed to them blasphemy. In the West it has become customary to read the Bible and worship only in three languages ​​- Hebrew, Greek and Latin. German preachers complained about the two brothers to Pope Nicholas. The Pope wished to see Slavic evangelists. Hoping to find protection and understanding from him, the brothers went to Rome. Arriving there, they did not find Pope Nicholas alive. His successor, Pope Adrian, received the brothers with great honour. He went out to meet them outside the city, accompanied by the clergy and a multitude of people. He consecrated the Slavic books brought to him and approved of the brothers' work in translating the liturgy and Holy Scripture into Slavonic. Pope Adrian even allowed to celebrate the liturgy in several Roman churches in the Slavic language.

Shortly after arriving in Rome, in poor health, Constantine fell ill and, having taken monastic tonsure with the name Cyril, died on February 14, 869. His brother Methodius was ordained archbishop of Moravia by Pope Adrian, with permission to serve in the diocese in the Slavic language. Another fifteen years before his death, Methodius worked on the enlightenment of the Slavs. From Moravia, Christianity, even during the life of Methodius, penetrated into the Czech Republic, and then into Poland.

The activities of the Solun brothers were further developed by the southern Slavs - Serbs and Bulgarians, where their students also went.From there, the Slavic alphabet came to Kievan Rus. Today in the modern world more than 70 national languages ​​are built on the Cyrillic alphabet.

Great Moravia, religious sermons were distributed in Latin. For the people, this language was incomprehensible. Therefore, the prince of the state, Rostislav, turned to Michael, the emperor of Byzantium. He asked to send preachers to him in the state who would spread Christianity in the Slavonic language. And Emperor Michael sent two Greeks - Constantine the Philosopher, who later received the name Cyril, and Methodius, his older brother.

Cyril and Methodius were born and brought up in the city of Thessalonica in Byzantium. There were seven children in the family, Methodius was the eldest, and Konstantin (Cyril) the youngest. Their father was a military leader. From childhood, they knew one of the Slavic languages, since the Slavic population, quite large in number, lived in the vicinity of the city. Methodius was in military service, after the service he ruled the Byzantine principality, which was inhabited by the Slavs. And soon, after 10 years of reign, he went to the monastery and became a monk. Cyril, since he showed great interest in linguistics, studied science at the court of the Byzantine emperor with the best scientists of that time. He knew several languages ​​- Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, Slavic, Greek, and also taught philosophy - hence he got his nickname Philosopher. And the name Cyril was received by Constantine when he became a monk in 869 after his severe and prolonged illness.

Already in 860, the brothers twice went on a missionary mission to the Khazars, then Emperor Michael III sent Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. And the Moravian prince Rostislav called on the brothers for help, as he sought to limit the growing influence on the part of the German clergy. He wanted Christianity to be preached in Slavonic, not Latin.

The Holy Scriptures had to be translated from Greek in order for Christianity to be preached in the Slavic language. But there was one catch - there was no alphabet that could convey Slavic speech. And then the brothers set about creating the alphabet. Methodius made a special contribution - he knew the Slavic language perfectly. And thus, in 863, the Slavic alphabet appeared. And Methodius soon translated many liturgical books, including the Gospel, the Psalter and the Apostle, into the Slavic language. The Slavs had their own alphabet and language, now they could write and read freely. So Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Slavic alphabet, made a huge contribution to the culture of the Slavic people, because until now many words from the Slavic language live in the Ukrainian, Russian and Bulgarian languages. Konstantin (Cyril) created the Glagolitic alphabet, which reflected the phonetic features of the language. But until now, scientists cannot agree on a common opinion, whether the Glagolitic alphabet or Cyrillic alphabet were created by Methodius.

But among the Western Slavs - Poles and Czechs - the Slavic alphabet and writing did not take root, and they still use the Latin alphabet. After the death of Cyril, Methodius continued their activities. And when he also died, their disciples were expelled from Moravia in 886 and Slavic writing was banned there, but they continued to spread Slavic letters in the countries of the Eastern and Southern Slavs. Bulgaria and Croatia became their refuge.

These events took place in the 9th century, and writing appeared in Russia only in the 10th century. And there is an opinion that in Bulgaria, on the basis of the “Glagolitic”, the Cyrillic alphabet was created by the students of Methodius, in honor of Cyril.

In Russian Orthodoxy, Cyril and Methodius are called Saints. February 14 is the day of memory of Cyril, and April 6 - Methodius. The dates were not chosen by chance, Saints Cyril and Methodius died on these days.