Letter of the Slavic alphabet. Old Slavonic alphabet. Old Slavonic alphabet - the meaning of letters. Old Church Slavonic letters

1. Pylon of Pharaoh Nectanebo I

Everyone knows from history that in ancient Egypt there was a culture and civilization developed at that time. And some researchers of alternative history are sure that the civilization was highly developed, possessing a high level of technology, in particular stone processing technology, which in some places is not available even now.

Despite this, few people pay attention to the fact that there are objects in Giza that are clearly not completed and have unfinished surfaces. What is it connected with? If, for thousands of years of the existence of this culture, the construction has not been completed! Or did all the construction take place in much shorter time intervals than the Egyptologists tell us? Some questions.

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with examples of unfinished (not finished) elements in the buildings of Ancient Egypt.

1. Columns of Karnak temple. Either the blocks in their design were not hewn, or something more ancient was masked with this "torn" lining. This could have been done in the time of the last pharaohs

2. Pyramid of Mekerin, Giza. Some of the blocks have been processed, brought to one plane. All other blocks have remained as polygonal masonry in Peru. Single technologies for working with stone are traced.

3. Granite blocks were laid (or poured, molded), leaving the front side "torn". This hypothesis has been discussed in previous articles.

4. How and with what did the builders process this granite, giving an even plane to the entire surface? Who or what interrupted their work, why didn't they finish it?

1. The second place in this masonry is the facing of the pyramid with a treated surface. Did two teams work on different sections of the cladding?

2. I can’t imagine how it is possible to manually draw a plane in this granite masonry ... And most importantly - with what?

3. The workers still had time to apply hieroglyphs ...

4. Pyramid of Khufu. In the upper part of the blocks, unworked sections of the granite block remained. How was it leveled?

Photographs of the facing of the pyramid show "nipples" and ledges on the blocks, as, for example, in the masonry of Cuzco in South America.

1. Saqqara. Unfinished quartzite sarcophagus.

2. There are several unfinished sarcophagi in the courtyard of the Cairo Museum. First, they took out the rock inside and processed the inner faces

3. Sarcophagus found during excavations

1. Another unfinished sarcophagus in the Cairo Museum. It seems that the rock was scraped off, and not beaten off with a tool. The stone was softened and scraped off.

2. The unfinished facade of the Medinet Abu temple or is it such a reconstruction? Official information: work was stopped when Pharaoh Ramesses III was killed by conspirators.

1. Also untreated blocks in the masonry of the building near the pyramids. Some of the blocks have been processed and a common surface has been brought out.

2. Sanctuary of the boat of Philip Arrhidaeus.

1. The left upper block was not cut off on the wall. Did not make it? I wonder what actually interrupted the work of the builders?

2. Columns and blocks above them. Construction during the time of Amenhotep III with unfinished reliefs. Hieroglyphs and a bas-relief are outlined, but these works have not been completed.

1. Pylon of Pharaoh Nectanebo I

2. Relief on the wall of the temple of Mandulis on the island of Kalabsha. And the walls themselves are not processed

1. The most famous example of abandoned works in Giza is the Aswan obelisk. The official story says that they did it with diorite stones - they abraded granite. But then such bands with pronounced samples of the breed would not have turned out. And how could these stones crawl under the obelisk?

2. Karnak temple. An unfinished wall.

1. Temple of Pharaoh Seti II in the courtyard of the Karnak temple. Western wall

2. Unfinished facade and columns. I wonder how the builders achieved such a correct geometry of the columns?

It is possible that much of this unfinished work was made in the later kingdoms, when some processing secrets, including casting, were already lost. And they were already building from granite blocks hewn in quarries with their subsequent processing in masonry. They built and processed for a long time, often stopping work. But how exactly the rocks were processed - neither historians nor alternative specialists know. While some guesses and versions. An alternative version is that the builders were hindered or hindered by a cataclysm that led to the desertification of northern Africa.

Everyone knows from history that in ancient Egypt there was a culture and civilization developed at that time. And some researchers of alternative history are sure that the civilization was highly developed, possessing a high level of technology, in particular stone processing technology, which in some places is not available even now.

Despite this, few people pay attention to the fact that there are objects in Giza that are clearly not completed and have unfinished surfaces. What is it connected with? If, for thousands of years of the existence of this culture, the construction has not been completed! Or did all the construction take place in much shorter time intervals than the Egyptologists tell us? Some questions.

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with examples of unfinished (not finished) elements in the buildings of Ancient Egypt.

1. Columns of Karnak temple. Either the blocks in their design were not hewn, or something more ancient was masked with this "torn" lining. This could have been done in the time of the last pharaohs

2. Pyramid of Mekerin, Giza. Some of the blocks have been processed, brought to one plane. All other blocks have remained as polygonal masonry in Peru. Single technologies for working with stone are traced.

3. Granite blocks were laid (or poured, molded), leaving the front side "torn". This hypothesis has been discussed in previous articles.

4. How and with what did the builders process this granite, giving an even plane to the entire surface? Who or what interrupted their work, why didn't they finish it?

1. The second place in this masonry is the facing of the pyramid with a treated surface. Did two teams work on different sections of the cladding?

2. I can’t imagine how it is possible to manually draw a plane in this granite masonry ... And most importantly - with what?

3. The workers still had time to apply hieroglyphs ...

4. Pyramid of Khufu. In the upper part of the blocks, unworked sections of the granite block remained. How was it leveled?

Photographs of the facing of the pyramid show "nipples" and ledges on the blocks, as, for example, in the masonry of Cuzco in South America.

1. Saqqara. Unfinished quartzite sarcophagus.

2. There are several unfinished sarcophagi in the courtyard of the Cairo Museum. First, they took out the rock inside and processed the inner faces

3. Sarcophagus found during excavations

1. Another unfinished sarcophagus in the Cairo Museum. It seems that the rock was scraped off, and not beaten off with a tool. The stone was softened and scraped off.

2. The unfinished facade of the Medinet Abu temple or is it such a reconstruction? Official information: work was stopped when Pharaoh Ramesses III was killed by conspirators.

1. Also untreated blocks in the masonry of the building near the pyramids. Some of the blocks have been processed and a common surface has been brought out.

2. Sanctuary of the boat of Philip Arrhidaeus.

1. The left upper block was not cut off on the wall. Did not make it? I wonder what actually interrupted the work of the builders?

2. Columns and blocks above them. Construction during the time of Amenhotep III with unfinished reliefs. Hieroglyphs and a bas-relief are outlined, but these works have not been completed.

1. Pylon of Pharaoh Nectanebo I

2. Relief on the wall of the temple of Mandulis on the island of Kalabsha. And the walls themselves are not processed

1. The most famous example of abandoned works in Giza is the Aswan obelisk. The official story says that they did it with diorite stones - they abraded granite. But then such bands with pronounced samples of the breed would not have turned out. And how could these stones crawl under the obelisk?

2. Karnak temple. An unfinished wall.

1. Temple of Pharaoh Seti II in the courtyard of the Karnak temple. Western wall

2. Unfinished facade and columns. I wonder how the builders achieved such a correct geometry of the columns?

It is possible that much of this unfinished work was made in the later kingdoms, when some processing secrets, including casting, were already lost. And they were already building from granite blocks hewn in quarries with their subsequent processing in masonry. They built and processed for a long time, often stopping work. But how exactly the rocks were processed - neither historians nor alternative specialists know. While some guesses and versions. An alternative version is that the builders were hindered or hindered by a cataclysm that led to the desertification of northern Africa.

Everyone knows from history that in ancient Egypt there was a culture and civilization developed at that time. And some researchers of alternative history are sure that the civilization was highly developed, possessing a high level of technology, in particular stone processing technology, which in some places is not available even now.

Despite this, few people pay attention to the fact that there are objects in Giza that are clearly not completed and have unfinished surfaces. What is it connected with? If, for thousands of years of the existence of this culture, the construction has not been completed! Or did all the construction take place in much shorter time intervals than the Egyptologists tell us? Some questions.

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with examples of unfinished (not finished) elements in the buildings of Ancient Egypt.

1. Columns of Karnak temple. Either the blocks in their design were not hewn, or something more ancient was masked with this "torn" lining. This could have been done in the time of the last pharaohs

2. Pyramid of Mekerin, Giza. Some of the blocks have been processed, brought to one plane. All other blocks have remained as polygonal masonry in Peru. Single technologies for working with stone are traced.

3. Granite blocks were laid (or poured, molded), leaving the front side "torn". This hypothesis has been discussed in previous articles.

4. How and with what did the builders process this granite, giving an even plane to the entire surface? Who or what interrupted their work, why didn't they finish it?

1. The second place in this masonry is the facing of the pyramid with a treated surface. Did two teams work on different sections of the cladding?

2. I can’t imagine how it is possible to manually draw a plane in this granite masonry ... And most importantly - with what?

3. The workers still had time to apply hieroglyphs ...

4. Pyramid of Khufu. In the upper part of the blocks, unworked sections of the granite block remained. How was it leveled?

Photographs of the facing of the pyramid show "nipples" and ledges on the blocks, as, for example, in the masonry of Cuzco in South America.

1. Saqqara. Unfinished quartzite sarcophagus.

2. There are several unfinished sarcophagi in the courtyard of the Cairo Museum. First, they took out the rock inside and processed the inner faces

3. Sarcophagus found during excavations

1. Another unfinished sarcophagus in the Cairo Museum. It seems that the rock was scraped off, and not beaten off with a tool. The stone was softened and scraped off.

2. The unfinished facade of the Medinet Abu temple or is it such a reconstruction? Official information: work was stopped when Pharaoh Ramesses III was killed by conspirators.

1. Also untreated blocks in the masonry of the building near the pyramids. Some of the blocks have been processed and a common surface has been brought out.

2. Sanctuary of the boat of Philip Arrhidaeus.

1. The left upper block was not cut off on the wall. Did not make it? I wonder what actually interrupted the work of the builders?

2. Columns and blocks above them. Construction during the time of Amenhotep III with unfinished reliefs. Hieroglyphs and a bas-relief are outlined, but these works have not been completed.

1. Pylon of Pharaoh Nectanebo I

2. Relief on the wall of the temple of Mandulis on the island of Kalabsha. And the walls themselves are not processed

1. The most famous example of abandoned works in Giza is the Aswan obelisk. The official story says that they did it with diorite stones - they abraded granite. But then such bands with pronounced samples of the breed would not have turned out. And how could these stones crawl under the obelisk?

2. Karnak temple. An unfinished wall.

1. Temple of Pharaoh Seti II in the courtyard of the Karnak temple. Western wall

2. Unfinished facade and columns. I wonder how the builders achieved such a correct geometry of the columns?

It is possible that much of this unfinished work was made in the later kingdoms, when some processing secrets, including casting, were already lost. And they were already building from granite blocks hewn in quarries with their subsequent processing in masonry. They built and processed for a long time, often stopping work. But how exactly the rocks were processed - neither historians nor alternative specialists know. While some guesses and versions. An alternative version is that the builders were hindered or hindered by a cataclysm that led to the desertification of northern Africa.

Everyone knows from history that in ancient Egypt there was a culture and civilization developed at that time. And some researchers of alternative history are sure that the civilization was highly developed, possessing a high level of technology, in particular stone processing technology, which in some places is not available even now.

Despite this, few people pay attention to the fact that there are objects in Giza that are clearly not completed and have unfinished surfaces. What is it connected with? If, for thousands of years of the existence of this culture, the construction has not been completed! Or did all the construction take place in much shorter time intervals than the Egyptologists tell us? Some questions.

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with examples of unfinished (not finished) elements in the buildings of Ancient Egypt.

1. Columns of Karnak temple. Either the blocks in their design were not hewn, or something more ancient was masked with this "torn" lining. This could have been done in the time of the last pharaohs

2. Pyramid of Mekerin, Giza. Some of the blocks have been processed, brought to one plane. All other blocks have remained as polygonal masonry in Peru. Single technologies for working with stone are traced.

3. Granite blocks were laid (or poured, molded), leaving the front side "torn". This hypothesis has been discussed in previous articles.

4. How and with what did the builders process this granite, giving an even plane to the entire surface? Who or what interrupted their work, why didn't they finish it?

1. The second place in this masonry is the facing of the pyramid with a treated surface. Did two teams work on different sections of the cladding?

2. I can’t imagine how it is possible to manually draw a plane in this granite masonry ... And most importantly - with what?

3. The workers still had time to apply hieroglyphs ...

4. Pyramid of Khufu. In the upper part of the blocks, unworked sections of the granite block remained. How was it leveled?

Photographs of the facing of the pyramid show "nipples" and ledges on the blocks, as, for example, in the masonry of Cuzco in South America.

1. Saqqara. Unfinished quartzite sarcophagus.

2. There are several unfinished sarcophagi in the courtyard of the Cairo Museum. First, they took out the rock inside and processed the inner faces

3. Sarcophagus found during excavations

1. Another unfinished sarcophagus in the Cairo Museum. It seems that the rock was scraped off, and not beaten off with a tool. The stone was softened and scraped off.

2. The unfinished facade of the Medinet Abu temple or is it such a reconstruction? Official information: work was stopped when Pharaoh Ramesses III was killed by conspirators.

1. Also untreated blocks in the masonry of the building near the pyramids. Some of the blocks have been processed and a common surface has been brought out.

2. Sanctuary of the boat of Philip Arrhidaeus.

1. The left upper block was not cut off on the wall. Did not make it? I wonder what actually interrupted the work of the builders?

2. Columns and blocks above them. Construction during the time of Amenhotep III with unfinished reliefs. Hieroglyphs and a bas-relief are outlined, but these works have not been completed.

1. Pylon of Pharaoh Nectanebo I

2. Relief on the wall of the temple of Mandulis on the island of Kalabsha. And the walls themselves are not processed

1. The most famous example of abandoned works in Giza is the Aswan obelisk. The official story says that they did it with diorite stones - they abraded granite. But then such bands with pronounced samples of the breed would not have turned out. And how could these stones crawl under the obelisk?

2. Karnak temple. An unfinished wall.

1. Temple of Pharaoh Seti II in the courtyard of the Karnak temple. Western wall

2. Unfinished facade and columns. I wonder how the builders achieved such a correct geometry of the columns?

It is possible that much of this unfinished work was made in the later kingdoms, when some processing secrets, including casting, were already lost. And they were already building from granite blocks hewn in quarries with their subsequent processing in masonry. They built and processed for a long time, often stopping work. But how exactly the rocks were processed - neither historians nor alternative specialists know. While some guesses and versions. An alternative version is that the builders were hindered or hindered by a cataclysm that led to the desertification of northern Africa.

It fully possesses such a feature as acrophony, differing significantly from Hebrew

The Russian alphabet is a completely unique phenomenon among all known methods of letter writing. The alphabet differs from other alphabets not only in the almost perfect embodiment of the principle of unambiguous graphic display "one sound - one letter". The alphabet also has content, I would even say, a whole message from the depths of centuries (sorry for the pathos), which we, if we try a little, can read literally.

To begin with, let's recall the phrase familiar from childhood “Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant is sitting” - an excellent algorithm for remembering the sequence of colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple). This is the so-called. acrophonic way: each word of the phrase begins with the same letter as the name of the color (acrophony is the formation of words from the initial letters of the original phrase. Words are not read by alphabetic letter names, but like an ordinary word).

Morse code with chants

However, acrophonic memorization is far from "toys". For example, after Morse's invention in 1838 of the famous code for telegraph messages, the problem of mass training of telegraph operators arose. Quickly memorizing Morse code turned out to be more difficult than the multiplication table. The solution was found: for the convenience of remembering, each Morse sign was opposed to a word starting with the letter that this sign conveys. For example, "dot-dash" became "watermelon" because "a" is transmitted. In short, acrophony provides a convenient memorization of the alphabet and, as a result, its fastest possible distribution.

Among the major European alphabets, three are acrophonic to some extent: Greek, Hebrew, and Cyrillic (Glagolitic). In the Latin alphabet, this feature is completely absent, so the Latin alphabet could appear only on the basis of already widespread writing, when there is no longer a need for acrophony.

Greek alphabet (bunchoffun.com )

In the Greek alphabet, remnants of this phenomenon can be traced in the names of 14 of the 27 letters: alpha, beta (more correctly - vita), gamma, etc. However, these words do not mean anything in Greek and are slightly distorted derivatives of the Hebrew words "aleph" (bull ), “bet” (house), “gimel” (camel), etc. Hebrew still retains acrophony completely, which, by the way, contributes a lot to the rapid learning of immigrants in Israel. By the way, the comparison on the basis of acrophonicity directly indicates a certain borrowing of the Hebrew script by the Greeks.

Hebrew text ( chedelat.ru )

The Proto-Slavic alphabet also fully possesses the sign of acrophony, however, it differs significantly from Hebrew, as Yaroslav Kesler, a Russian chemist, musician, author of works in the field of history and linguistics, writes in his book “ABC: a Message to the Slavs”. Among the Jews, all the names of letters are nouns in the singular and the nominative case. But among the names of 29 letters of the Slavic alphabet - at least 7 verbs. Of these, 4 are in the imperative mood: two in the singular (rtsy, tsy) and two in the plural (think, live), one verb in the indefinite form (yat), one in the third person singular (is) and one - in the past tense (lead). Moreover, among the names of letters there are pronouns (kako, shta), and adverbs (firmly, zelo), and plural nouns (people, beeches).

In a normal connected conversation, one verb falls on average into three other parts of speech. In the names of the letters of the Proto-Slavic alphabet, such a sequence is observed, which directly indicates the coherent nature of the alphabetic names.

Alphabet Message (megabook.ru )

Thus, it is a set of coding phrases that allow each sound of the language system to be given an unambiguous graphic correspondence (i.e., a letter).

And now - WARNING! Consider the first three letters of the alphabet - az, beeches, lead.

Az - "I".

Beeches (beeches) - "letters, letters."

Lead (vede) - “learned”, perfect past tense from “lead” - know, know.

Combining the acrophonic names of the first three letters of the alphabet, we get the following: “az buki vede” - “I know the letters”.

Combined into phrases and all subsequent letters of the alphabet:

A verb is a “word”, and not only spoken, but also written.

Good - "wealth, acquired wealth."

There (este) is the third person singular of the verb "to be".

We read: "the verb is good" - "the word is a property."

Live - imperative mood, plural of "to live" - ​​"to live in labor, and not vegetate."

Zelo - "zealously, with zeal" (cf. English zeal - stubborn, zealous, jealous - jealous, as well as the biblical name Zealot - "jealous").

Earth - "planet Earth and its inhabitants, earthlings."

And - the union "and".

Izhe - "those who, they are."

Kako - “like”, “like”.

Humans are "reasonable beings".

We read: "live zealously, earth, and like people" - "live, working hard, earthlings, and as befits people."

Think - imperative mood, plural of "think, comprehend with the mind."

Nash - "our" in the usual sense.

On - "one" in the meaning of "one, one".

Chambers (peace) - "the basis (of the universe)". Wed "to rest" - "to be based on something."

We read: "think of our peace" - "comprehend our universe."

Rtsy (rtsi) - imperative mood: "speak, utter, read aloud." Wed "speech".

Yat (yati) - "to comprehend, to have."

“Tsy, worm, shta bra yus yati!” stands for "Dare, sharpen, worm, in order to comprehend the light of Jehovah!".

The combination of the above phrases makes up the alphabetical Message:

“Az beeches vede. The verb is good. Live green, earth, and, like some people, think of our peace. Rtsy word is firm - uk feret Kher. Tsy, worm, shta bra yus yati! And if you give this message a modern sound, it will turn out something like this:

I know letters.
The letter is a treasure.
Work hard earthlings
As befits reasonable people.
Comprehend the universe!
Carry the word with conviction:
Knowledge is a gift from God!
Dare, delve into
To comprehend the light of existence!

A fragment of an interview with Yaroslav Kesler KM TV about the origin of the Russian alphabet and the decoding of the unique message encoded in it

The Old Slavonic alphabet existed many hundreds of years ago, back in the days of Ancient Rus'. It was in this language that our ancestors spoke, and it got its name "alphabet" because of the combination of two letters "az" and "beeches", which mean the first letters of our alphabet "A" and "B".

Slavic writing was previously disclosed in the articles Letter and Slavic alphabet. Now let's look at one of the interesting facts.

The events that led to the emergence of the Slavic alphabet date back to 862, when Christianity was first talked about in Rus'. At that time, Prince Vsevolod was in power, who ordered to send his ambassadors to Byzantium to Emperor Michael, in order to ask him to send preachers of the Christian faith to Great Moravia. The reason for such a request was that the people could not independently understand the essence of Christianity, since all the Holy Scriptures were written in Latin.

In order to somehow help the Slavs, the Byzantine emperor Michael sent two brothers to Rus' - Methodius and Cyril. The second of the brothers received his name "Cyril" after he took monastic vows. The choice fell on Cyril and Methodius for a reason. The brothers were born in Sopouni (the Greek version of "Thessaloniki") in the family of a military leader. For that time they had a very good education, in addition, Cyril studied at the imperial court of Michael the Third, and spoke four languages: Arabic, Greek, Slavic and Jewish. Cyril's real name is Konstantin, and for his ability to initiate others into all the secrets of philosophy, he received the nickname Konstantin the Philosopher.

As for the second brother, Methodius, he took a different path and began his career with military service. He also tried himself as the ruler of one of the regions, which was inhabited by the Slavs. In 860, Methodius, together with his brother Cyril, went to the Khazars to spread Christianity in their lands, as well as to discuss some important agreements.

Writing in those years was very bad. In order to somehow convey the essence of Christianity to the common people, and not to teach them Latin, Cyril and his brother had to create their own written signs of the Slavic language. The Slavic version of the Holy Scriptures was simply necessary for people to understand the Christian faith. As a result, Cyril and Methodius created the first Old Slavonic alphabet in 863.

There are two versions of the alphabet - Glagolitic and Cyrillic. Even today, historians argue about which of these options belongs to Cyril, and which one appeared a little later. After creating the alphabet, Methodius and Cyril set about translating the entire Bible into Slavonic. This alphabet gave a lot to the Slavs, and its value is enormous. After its appearance, people were able not only to competently speak their own language, but also to read books, to form the literary basis of the language. Many words have survived to this day, and they can often be found in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian.

Symbol word

Even before the appearance of Cyril and Methodius in Rus', the Slavs had their own signs, with which they transmitted knowledge or messages. The Slavic alphabet contained letters that coincided with certain words. Even the word "Azbuka" itself came from a combination of two words "az" and "beeches", which mean the first two letters of the alphabet - "A" and "B".

The very first Slavic written symbols were scratched on the walls of the churches of Pereslavl, and they were depicted in the form of pictures. This event took place already in the IX century. Two hundred years later, the symbols appeared in Kyiv, on the walls of St. Sophia Cathedral. Now they tried to interpret the signs and even make a written translation.

A new stage in the formation and development of the alphabet was associated with the advent of printing. The first printed alphabet that appeared in Rus' was already in 1574. The name of the person who published it is Ivan Fedorov. The first printed alphabet was called "Old Slavic alphabet".

Christianity and writing - what is the connection?

The Old Slavonic alphabet was of great importance for the Slavs, because thanks to it they were able to penetrate deeply into the Christian faith, to know its essence and even give it their heart. Most scientists agreed that if Cyril and Methodius had not created the first written alphabet, then Christianity in Rus' would not have appeared, or at least not so quickly. The gap between the appearance of the alphabet and the adoption of Christianity is 125 years, and during these years there was a huge leap in self-knowledge. From polytheism, people came to faith in the One God, sacred books appeared in Rus', people learned to read them, thanks to which Christianity spread with great speed.

The year of the creation of the alphabet among the Slavs is 863, and Christianity in Rus' was adopted in 988. It was at that time that Grand Duke Vladimir announced to his people that now everyone would believe in the One God, and any manifestation of polytheism would be severely punished.

What secret lies in the Old Slavonic symbols?

Some scholars are inclined to believe that the ancient signs of the Old Slavonic alphabet contain a special cipher, by solving which you can get special religious and philosophical knowledge. All of them taken together represent a clearly folded complex system, which is built on logic and mathematical calculations. There is also an opinion that the Slavic alphabet is not just a set of characters and individual elements, but a single inseparable system. The Old Slavonic Cyrillic alphabet was created according to the uncial Greek writing system, and consisted of 43 letters. 24 letters were borrowed from the Greek unique, and the remaining 19 letters were created by Methodius and Cyril themselves. Coming up with new letters was difficult, but it was also a necessary measure, since most of the Slavic sounds were not similar to the Greek language. Thus, Cyril either borrowed letters from other languages, or invented them himself, choosing a more convenient form for the Slavs.

"Higher" and "Lower" part of the Old Slavonic alphabet

As mentioned earlier, each letter had its own special meaning. That is why the Cyrillic alphabet is conditionally divided into two parts: higher and lower. The upper part began with the letter "az" (A) and ended with the letter "fet" (F). their names were people-oriented, as these words were understood by everyone. The lower part began with the letter "sha" and ended with the letter "Izhitsa". This set of letters received such a definition because they were left without a cipher match, which means that in order to penetrate their deep essence, it is necessary to carefully study and analyze all the nuances. The alphabet created by Cyril and Methodius is a real book on self-improvement, because in order to understand the meaning of all the letters and penetrate into their essence, one needed great patience, a large amount of knowledge and painstaking work.

Consider the first three letters of the alphabet - Az, Buki, Vedi.

Az - "I". Beeches (beeches) - letters, letters. Lead (vede) - "learned", the perfect past tense from "lead" - know, know.

Combining the acrophonic names of the first three letters of the ABC, we get the following phrase: Az, Buki, Vedi - I know the letters. Combined into phrases and all subsequent letters of the ABC:

A verb is a "word", and not only spoken, but also written.

Good - "property, acquired wealth."

There is (naturally) - 3rd l. units hours from the verb "to be".

The verb is good: the word is wealth.

Live (instead of the second "and" the letter "yat" was previously written, it was pronounced live) - imperative mood, plural of "live" - ​​"live in labor, and not vegetate."

Zelo (transmitted the combination dz = voiced c) - "zealously, with zeal."

Earth - "planet Earth and its inhabitants, earthlings."

And -conjunction "and".

Izhe - "those that, they are."

Kako - "as", "like". Humans are "reasonable beings".

Live green, earth, and like people: live hard, earthlings, and as befits people.

Think (it was written with the letter "yat", pronounced "think", just like "live") - imperative mood, plural from "think, comprehend with the mind".

Nash - "our" in the usual sense.

On - "one" in the meaning of "one, one".

Chambers (peace) - "the basis (of the universe)". Compare "rest" - "based on ...".

Think of our peace: comprehend our universe. Rtsy (rtsi) - imperative mood: "speak, utter, read aloud." Compare "speech". The word is "transmitting knowledge". Firmly - "confidently, with conviction."

Rtsy word is firm - carry knowledge with conviction.

Uk is the basis of knowledge, doctrine. Wed science, teach, skill, custom.

Fert, f (b) rt - "fertilizes." The alphabet recorded the difference in the sounds "p" and "f", as well as their voiced counterparts "b" and "c". In the Middle Ages, South Europeans who pronounced "f" instead of " n”, in Rus' they were called friags precisely because of the peculiarities of speech: this, for example, distinguished the southern Franks from the northern Prussians, the Thracians from the Persians, etc.

Kher - "divine, given from above." Compare German Negg (lord, God), Greek "hiero-" (divine), English, hero (hero), as well as the Russian name of God - Khors.

Uk furt Kher: knowledge fertilizes the Almighty, knowledge is a gift from God.

Tsy (qi, tsti) - "sharpen, penetrate, delve into, dare."

Worm (worm) - "he who sharpens, penetrates."

Sh(t)a (Sh, Sh) - "what" in the meaning of "to".

Ъ, Ь (еръ / еръ, ъръ) - are variants of one letter, meaning an indefinite short vowel close to e.

The rolling sound “r” is pronounced with the obligatory initial aspiration (initial “b”) and echo (final “b”). , Sun. In all likelihood, "Ъръ" is one of the most ancient words of modern civilization, cf. the Egyptian Ra - the Sun, God.

The word “time” itself contains the same root, since the initial “v” developed precisely from “ъ”. Many native Russian words contain this root, for example: morning - “from the Sun” (the root ut is from there, there); evening (vek-r) - “the age of Ra, the expiring time of the Sun.” In the sense of “space, the Universe”, the Russian “frame” comes from the same root. The word “paradise” means: “many Suns” = “abode of the gods (God Ra )”. The self-name of the gypsies "rum, roma" - "free (th)", "God in me", "I am the Universe", hence the Indian Rama. In the sense of "light, luminary, source of light": the cry "Hurrah!" means - "towards the Sun!", bright - "similar to sunlight", "rainbow", etc. In the ABC, in all likelihood, the word "bp (a)" is in the genitive case with the meaning of "Existing".

Yus (yus small) - "light, old Russian yas." In modern Russian, the root "yas" is preserved, for example, in the word "clear".

Yat (yati) - "to comprehend, to have." Wed withdraw, take, etc.

Tsy, worm, shta bra yus yati! It stands for: “Dare, sharpen, worm, in order to comprehend the light of existence!”

The combination of the above phrases makes up the alphabetical Message:

Az Buki Vede Verb Good Live Live Zelo Earth And Like What People Think Our He's Peace Rtsy Word Firmly Uk Furt Kher Tsy Worm Shta Ъra Yus Yati.

In modern translation it sounds like this:

Option one:

I know the letters: a letter is a treasure. Work hard
earthlings, as befits reasonable people - comprehend the universe!
Carry the word with conviction: knowledge is a gift from God!
Dare, delve into, so that the Light of Existence can be comprehended!

Another option, in my opinion more correct:

Az Buki Vedi - I know God. Az - the basis, the beginning, I. I - my world begins with me. And now I am the last letter of the alphabet. The basis of everything is the knowledge of God and one's ancestors, that is, one's parents, one's roots.

Good verb - speak, do good. Remember Pushkin: "Burn people's hearts with the verb." A verb is both a word and a deed at the same time. I speak and I do. And I do good.

Good is Life - only good creates life.

Live green earth. - live by the earth, she is our breadwinner.

And what people think - it is our peace. Those. as you people think, so is your world.

Rci word firmly. Speak the word firmly. Said - done.

I Know God.

I speak and do good.

Good Is Life.

Live by the Earth, she is our nurse.

And as we people think, so is our world.

St. Cyril and Methodius. Zachary Zograf

From the first creators of the alphabet:

Az beeches vede.

The verb is good.

Live green, earth,

And, like what people.

Think of our peace.

Rtsy word firmly.

Uk fert dick.

Tsy, worm, shta ra yus yati!, which translated into modern language means:

I know letters.

The letter is a treasure.

Work hard, earthlings!

As befits reasonable people.

Comprehend the universe.

Carry the word with confidence!

Knowledge is a gift from God.

Hold on, get in...

To comprehend the Light of Being!

The names of Cyrillic letters for a modern reader may seem "silent". Some of them, however, sound like our modern words - "good", "earth", "people". Others - "green", "rtsy", "uk" - seem obscure.

L. V. Uspensky’s book “According to the Law of the Letter” contains a list of letters with approximate translations into the language of the 20th century.

A3- personal pronoun of the first person singular. I

BUKI- letter. There were many words with such an unusual for us form of the nominative case of the singular: “kry” - blood, “bry” - an eyebrow, “lyuby” - love.

LEAD- form of the verb "to lead" - to know.

VERB- form of the verb "verb" - to speak.

GOOD- the meaning is clear.

EAT- the third person singular of the present tense from the verb "to be".

LIVE- the second person plural of the present tense from the verb "to live".

ZELO- an adverb with the meaning "very", "strongly", "very".

IL (AND OCTAL)- a pronoun meaning "that", "which". In Church Slavonic, the union is "what". This letter was called “octal” because it had the numerical value of the number 8. In connection with the name “like”, the witticism of Pushkin the lyceum student is recalled: “Blessed is the one who sits closer to the porridge.”

AND (AND DECIMAL) - was called so by its numerical value - 10. It is curious that the sign for the number 9 in Cyrillic, as in the Greek alphabet, was “fita”, which was placed in our penultimate alphabet.

HOW- interrogative adverb "how". “K.ako-he is a con, buki-erik is a bull, the verb-az is an eye” - a teaser showing the inability to read correctly in warehouses.

PEOPLE- meaning does not require explanation. “If it weren’t for buki-eras, but not people-az-la, I would have taken far away” - a proverb about something unthinkable, impracticable.

THOUGHT- form of the verb "think".

OUR- possessive pronoun.

HE- personal pronoun of the third person singular.

RTS- form of the verb "speech", to speak. It is curious that until very recently in the Navy, a flag with a white inner and two blue outer stripes, which meant the letter P and the signal “on duty ship” in the flag alphabet, and an armband of the same colors - “on duty”, were called from the time of the Peter the Great naval charter " rtsy".

WORD—the significance is beyond doubt.

FIRMLY- also does not require comments.

UK- in Old Slavonic - teaching.

FERT- the etymology of this letter name has not been reliably elucidated by scientists. From the outline of the sign came the expression "stand by the fert", that is, "hands on the hips."

DICK- it is believed that this is an abbreviation of the word "cherub", the name of one of the ranks of the angels. Since the letter is “cruciform”, the meaning of the verb “fuck” developed - to cross out, abolish, destroy.

HE IS GREAT- the Greek omega, which received our name from the letter "he".

TSY- the name is imitative.

WORM- in the Old Slavonic and Old Russian languages, the word "worm" meant "red paint", and not just "worm". The name of the letter was given acrophonic - the word "worm" began precisely with "h".

SHA, SHA- both letters are named according to the principle familiar to us: the sound signified by the letter itself plus any vowel sound before and after it.

ERA- the name of this letter is compound - "er" plus "i" was, as it were, a "description" of its form. We have already renamed it to "s" a long time ago. Seeing our current changed spelling Y, the ancestors would undoubtedly have called the letter “eri”, since we replaced “er” (“hard sign”) in its elements with “er” - “soft sign”. In Cyrillic, it consisted precisely of “era” and “and decimal”.

EP, ER- conditional names of letters that ceased to express the sounds of incomplete education and became simply "signs".

YAT- it is believed that the name of the letter "yat" can be associated with "yad" - food, food.

Yu, I- these letters were called according to their sound: "yu", "ya", as well as the letter "ye", meaning "iotized e".

YUS— the origin of the name is unclear. They tried to derive it from the word "mustache", which in the Old Bulgarian language sounded with a nasal sound at the beginning, or from the word "yusenitsa" - a caterpillar. The explanations do not seem indisputable.

FITA- in this form, the name of the Greek letter Θ passed to Rus', which was called there at different times either “theta” or “fita” and, accordingly, meant either a sound close to “f” or the sound that Western alphabets now convey with the letters TN. We hear it close to our "g". The Slavs adopted "fita" at a time when it was read as "f". That is why, for example, the word "library" we wrote "vivliofika" until the 18th century.

Izhitsa- the Greek "upsilon", which conveyed the sound, as if standing between our "and" and "yu" in the name "Hugo". Initially, this sound was transmitted in different ways, imitating the Greeks, and the Slavs.

E. Proydakov offers this option for decoding the first alphabet:

He's writing:

Az Buki Vedi - I know God. Az is the basis, the beginning, I. I - my world begins with me. And now I am the last letter of the alphabet. The basis of everything is the knowledge of God and one's ancestors, that is, one's parents, one's roots.

Verb Good - speak, do good. Remember Pushkin: "Burn people's hearts with the verb." A verb is both a word and a deed at the same time. I say, I do. And I do good.

Good is Life - only good creates life.

Live green earth. - live by the earth, she is our nurse.

And what people think - it is our peace. Those. as you people think, so is your world.

Rci word firmly. Speak the word firmly. Said - done.

The brothers Cyril (in the world Constantine) and Methodius were born into the family of a noble military leader named Leo in Thessaloniki (in Slavic Solun), the center of the Byzantine province on the territory of the Macedonian Slavs. Methodius was the eldest of the seven brothers, and Constantine was the youngest.

Methodius (worldly name unknown, born c. 815 - d. 6.4.885), following the example of his father, entered the military service early. For ten years he was the ruler of one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs. Then he left the service and retired to the Polychron Monastery on the Asian coast of the Sea of ​​​​Marmara.

Constantine (born c. 827 - d. 14.2.869) in childhood was given to the "learning of the book", where his outstanding abilities soon showed up, which became known to Emperor Theophilus in Constantinople. The young philosopher was called to the capital and appointed as a tutor to the young Emperor Michael III , who was 5-6 years younger than Konstantin. In Constantinople, a young mentor, studying with the best teachers (Patriarch John the Grammarian, a connoisseur of mathematics, astronomy and technical sciences Levon, an outstanding theologian and future patriarch Photios, a philosopher Fet, an astronomer Bagrat-Pankratios, Vard Mimikonyan, etc.) at the University of Magnavre, mastered grammar, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, rhetoric, dialectics, philosophy and other sciences. In addition to Slavic and Greek, he studied Latin, Armenian, Hebrew and Arabic. At the end of his studies, Konstantin accepted the rank of priest, but refused the administrative career offered to him and became the custodian of the patriarchal library at the church of St. Sophia, and soon left the capital and secretly went to the monastery. Searched there and returned to Constantinople, he was appointed a teacher at the higher school of Constantinople, where he taught theology and philosophy, for which he received the nickname Philosopher (Wise). The teaching of philosophy involved philosophical disputes, in which his gift as a polemist was revealed. Some classes were attended by the young emperor, the patriarch and senior officials. In the 1940s, Constantine was sent to argue with the head of the iconoclasts, Annius, the deposed Patriarch John Grammaticus, since in 843 icon veneration was restored by the new Patriarch Methodius (d. 06/14/847) with the support of Empress Dowager Theodora, mother of Michael III. In the 50s, Constantine was in Syria, where he won the debate about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims). Returning, Constantine retired to the monastery to his brother Methodius, spending time in prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers. Later, he was again called to the capital and especially distinguished himself in a religious discussion at a meeting with Jewish and Muslim sages in Khazaria.

Khazar mission

Between 858-860 to the Greek Emperor Michael III (r. c. 832 or 833 - d. 867) Khazar ambassadors arrived with a request: “From the beginning we believe in the One God and pray to Him, worshiping to the east, but we contain some shameful customs. And so the Jews (Jews) began to convince us that we should accept their faith, which many of ours have already followed, and the Saracens (Arabs) bow to theirs, claiming that it is the best of all existing on earth. In such circumstances, out of old friendship with you, we have come to ask you for useful advice and assistance: send us some learned man who would be able to compete with the Jews and Saracens. And if he shames them, then we will accept your faith.” As it turned out later, the kagan only followed his political interests and did not think about changing the religion of his ancestors, even at the beginning IX century declared by Hagan Obadiah the state. Emperor and Patriarch Photius (Patriarch of Constantinople in 858-867 and 877-886) chose for this important task Constantine the Philosopher, famous for his learning and wisdom, who shortly before that had already gone to the Saracens for similar competitions. They called Konstantin to them and said: “You need to go there, because no one can do it better than you.” The wise Constantine invited his elder brother Methodius with him for this work.

The Khazar mission with Constantine and Methodius set sail from Constantinople in the first days of January 861, heading for Tauric Chersonese (Korsun in Russian), the center of Byzantine possessions in the Crimea, on the fastest Byzantine ship - the dromon (in Rus' it was called a kubara). The embassy chose a slow, but reliable and safe way of travel - along the western coast of Pontus Euxinus. With a favorable wind, the dromon arrived in Chersonese by noon the next day. The mission stayed here for two weeks or a month. In Chersonese, Constantine found a Gospel and a Psalter written in Russian (Slavic) characters, as well as a man speaking the same language. Conversations with him helped Konstantin to compare his dialect with his own and to study unknown scripts. This is possible only for languages ​​close in composition and origin, which speaks in favor of the Slavic or semi-Slavic origin of Constantine himself. This became known from the "Life of Cyril", and in the "Life of Methodius" it is said that Cyril found and read Russian letters and books. In the oldest Russian chronicle XI century, the record of events begins in 852, which means that there were earlier historical records, i.e. the beginning of Russian chronicle refers at least to the middle IX century. The Kyiv chronicler wrote in 898: "The Slovenian language and the Russian language are one." Consequently, the writings read by Konstantin were a record of Russian-Slavonic speech. This writing helped Konstantin in the future in compiling the Slavic alphabet and developing the grammar of the literary language.

Further, their path lay past Foros, near which the famous Bishop Clement was executed in 101 (starting with the Apostle Peter, he is considered the fourth pope: 88-97), exiled for preaching Christianity in Chersonesos during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117 years). .). Clement, working in the Crimean mines, continued his preaching activities, for which he was executed in the barbaric Taurus way - he was thrown into the sea with an anchor around his neck (the Tauris threw their victims off a cliff). Constantine determined the place where Clement was buried and found his holy relics and anchor on January 30, 861. At the site of the death of Clement, instead of the Taurus sanctuary, a beautiful chapel was later built. Since ancient times, the level of the Black Sea has risen by 5 meters. In the 30s of the 20th century, only a tiny island with this chapel remained opposite Foros, and in Soviet times the island was blown up. But then, in 861, the holy relics of Clement were solemnly placed in the city cathedral. Constantine took some of these relics with him and later took them to Moravia and Rome. It is to Constantine that the papacy is indebted for the renewal of the cult of Saint Clement. Later, after a campaign in Korsun, Prince Vladimir brought the holy relics with honor to Kyiv. They were placed in the Church of the Tithes. In ancient Rus', Saint Clement was perceived as the protector of the Russian land, later the idea of ​​the church autonomy of Rus' was associated with his name.

Further, the path of the mission lay through Tamatarkha (ancient Russian Tmutarakan, modern Taman) - a Byzantine city with an episcopal chair - to the Kerch Strait and the Cimmerian Bosporus, the center of the bishopric, and through Phanagoria, which also had a Christian community, along the ancient caravan route from the Black Sea to the Caspian to Semender (residence of the kagan). Here the mission spent the entire summer of 861. At that time, the Khaganate, weakened by the campaigns of the Arabs and internal strife, was looking for a powerful patron. Byzantium, after the campaign of the Rus and Varangians against Constantinople in 860, was also looking for an ally. The purpose of the mission was to reconcile Byzantium with the Khaganate and get its protection against Rus'. The kagan replied to the emperor: “We are all friends and acquaintances of your kingdom and are ready to go to your service wherever you want.” He invited zealots of Judaism and Islam for religious disputes with Christian missionaries, wanting to choose the "best" religion. After repeated heated debates about faith with the Khazars, Saracens and Jews, which Constantine held in the presence of the kagan himself and which Methodius later wrote down, dividing into eight words (chapters), the Christian apostles defeated their rivals "by verbal power from God's grace, burning like a flame ". The elder brother (Methodius) "with prayer, and the philosopher (Konstantin) with words took over those and put them to shame." The Khazar aristocracy seemed to have agreed to be baptized, allowing those who wanted to be baptized of their own free will, and promised to drive out adherents of Judaism and the "Saracenic faith" by threatening them with death. It is reported that about two hundred people were immediately baptized (perhaps these were the Slavs and Alans who served the kagan). Leaving with them for further success the gospel of the priests who had come from Chersonesus, Constantine and Methodius, accompanied by many Byzantine citizens released at their request from the Khazar captivity, returned to Constantinople with a letter of thanks from the kagan. After his return, Constantine remained in the capital, and Saint Methodius, refusing the rank of archbishop offered to him, received hegumenship in the small monastery of Polychron, on the Asian coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had asceticised before.

Although it is written in his life that Constantine defeated a Jewish rabbi and a Muslim qadi, the kagan did not change his religion. In later Arabic sources and correspondence of the Khazar Khagan in the middle X century of Joseph with Hasdai Ibn-Shafrut, a Jew by nationality and courtier of the Cordoba caliph Abdarrahman III , it is said that then in Khazaria, the rabbi managed by cunning to push Konstantin against the qadi, put both in a disadvantageous position and thereby defeat both, convincing the kagan of the truth and nobility of his religion. But the kagan needed an alliance with Byzantium, and therefore he pretended to be convinced of the correctness of the Christian faith and became more tolerant of Christianity. And although the union of Byzantium with the Khazars did not last long, this mission, which brought the Gospel teaching to the camp of the enemy, is considered the Christian feat of Cyril and Methodius. The books found in Chersonese prompted Cyril to create a unified Slavic alphabet, which he compiled by 863.

Moravian mission

Christianity appeared in Moravia long before the arrival of the Byzantine mission of Cyril and Methodius. German missionaries from the neighboring Frankish state acted here with the support of the Pope. Prince Rostislav, with his wise policy, achieved the independence of the Moravian state and expelled the Frankish missionaries. He wanted to create an independent church organization and sent a deputation to Rome in 860 or 861 with a request to create a Moravian bishopric. The then Pope Nicholas I , who stood on the side of the Frankish king, rejected this request. Then Rostislav in 862 sent a deputation to the Byzantine emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople with a request to send a teacher who would teach the Moravians to read divine books in their native language. The preparation and organization of the Byzantine mission was entrusted to Constantine the Philosopher, who, with the help of brother Methodius, translated from Greek into Church Slavonic several necessary liturgical books (selected readings from the Gospel, apostolic epistles, a psalter, etc.). In Moravia at the beginning of 863, he arrived with a new Slavic alphabet (early Cyrillic or Glagolitic). It is there, it is believed, that the foundations of Slavic worship were laid. The Slavic word turned out to be more intelligible than the Latin. This caused the fierce hatred of the Roman Catholic Church, which declared the Byzantine missionaries to be heresy, because in the opinion of its bishops, it was possible to preach Christianity only in those languages ​​in which the inscription was made on the cross on which Christ was crucified, i.e. in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages ​​worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries out: 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 teach all languages ​​... ". The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint with Rome. In 866 (867) Cyril and Methodius received news from Constantinople about a palace coup and the deposition of their patron, Patriarch Photius. Left without patriarchal support, they were forced to go to Rome at the request of Pope Nicholas I th, leaving here many books necessary for performing divine services in the Slavic language. Along the way, they visited the Slavic Blaten Principality (Pannonia), where they also distributed Slavic letters and Slavic liturgical rites. In Rome, Cyril and Methodius no longer found Pope Nicholas alive I th, and were met by his successor Adrian II, who ascended the holy throne on December 14, 867. Upon learning that the Slavic apostles were carrying holy relics, Pope Adrian II received them with honor, going out himself with the clergy to meet them. Then he received the relics of St. Clement with honor, listened attentively to the arguments of the brothers, looked through their books in the Slavic language. Then, having repeatedly listened to the church service performed by them together with the students in Latin and Slavic, he fully approved their activities, and the books translated by the brothers "ordered to put in Roman churches and celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language." In discussions with the Roman Catholic bishops, Cyril and Methodius were asked many questions, to which the brothers answered with honor and dignity. For example, the future Pope John VIII, then still a bishop who participated in the discussions, later wrote that when he asked Methodius in the presence of other bishops, “does he believe the Creed of the Christian faith and sing it at the liturgy, as the Roman Church teaches and as approved at the six Ecumenical Councils,” he received an affirmative and convincing answer. Later, already being Pope John VIII (872-882), he wrote in a letter to the Moravian prince Svatopluk: “Nothing prevents either sound faith or sound teaching from singing the liturgy in the Slavic language or reading the Holy Gospel or divine readings from the New and the Old Testament." But even then, in 868, Pope Adrian II, in a special message, allowed Cyril and Methodius to distribute Slavic books and Slavic worship. Unfortunately, all the excitement and the long journey had a strong effect on Konstantin. In Rome, he fell seriously ill and, "in a miraculous vision, informed by the Lord about the approach of death, he accepted the schema with the name Cyril." 50 days after the adoption of the schema, on February 14, 869, at the age of 42, he died. "Departing to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common work - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of the true faith." By order of the pope, he was solemnly buried. Although Methodius asked Pope Adrian to allow the body of his brother to be taken away for burial in his native land, Adrian II ordered that the relics of St. Cyril be placed in the church of St. Clement, where, as they say, miracles began to work from them. The Pope of Rome, following the request of the Slavic-Pannonian prince Kotsel, decided to send Methodius to Pannonia, to the ancient throne of the holy Apostle Andronicus. So Methodius was consecrated archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia and in 870 returned from Rome to Pannonia, whose capital at that time was the city of Blaten. The Pannonian Life of Saint Methodius says that in a letter to the Pannonian and Moravian princes, the Pope wrote: “We decided to send Methodius to your countries so that you learn, as you yourself asked, to read church books in your own language in order to perform Christian rites throughout the church. rank." In Pannonia, he and his students continued to distribute worship, writing and books in the Slavic language. After returning from Blatengrad to Moravia, the German clergy, who sought to deal with Methodius, achieved his imprisonment through intrigues. He was placed in front of a meeting of hostile bishops, among whom the bishop of the city of Passau Germanaric behaved especially cruelly, brandishing a whip at Methodius. Then he was imprisoned in a dungeon in Swabia. There, for two and a half years, he endured many sufferings, being subjected to severe torture: they even dragged him through the snow in severe frost from one prison to another, used all means of physical and mental pressure to force him to abandon his high spiritual dignity and return to his diocese. Bishops Adalvin of Salzburg, Anno of Friesing and Germanarich of Passau were distinguished by boundless hatred towards Methodius and the Slavic liturgy. However, the enemies of Methodius failed to carry out their intentions. Released in 874 by order of Pope John VIII and restored to the rights of an archbishop, Methodius finally returned to his diocese, where he was received with honor by Rostislav's nephew Svatopluk (Svyatopolk), who managed to get rid of his uncle during Methodius's absence, treacherously betraying him to an East Frankish King Carloman. During a show trial in the Bavarian city of Regensburg, Prince Rostislav, chained, was sentenced to death. Out of mercy, he was "only" blinded and kept in one of the Bavarian monasteries for the rest of his life.

After his release from prison, Methodius continued his activities in Moravia and among other Slavs in the Slavic language, despite the fact that Pope John VIII banned Slavic worship (the ban was formally lifted only in 880). He also baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila (Comm. 29 September NS), as well as one of the Polish princes. For the third time, the German bishops persecuted 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, keeping the Orthodox teaching pure, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia, Velehrad. Then, in 882-884, he lived in Byzantium, where, of course, he told the reinstated Patriarch Photius about everything. In the middle of 884 he returned to Moravia again and was engaged in translating the Bible into Slavonic. Here, 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 Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon and Paterik. Thus, Methodius devoted the last 24 years of his life to Slavic enlightenment.

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

Disciples and followers

After the death of Saint Methodius, Gorazd, who knew the Slavic, Greek and Latin languages, was bishop for some time, while Clement, Naum, Angelyar and Savva were presbyters. But soon the Slavic liturgy of Moravia and its supporters fell on hard times. The Slavic enlighteners were opposed by a strong Latin-Germanic group of missionaries, who relied on the support of the pope and the patronage of the Moravian prince Svyatopolk. The dominant position was achieved by the German Bishop Vihing of Nitra, who openly opposed the Slavic liturgy and, in the end, it was banned by the bull of Pope Stephen V . This also sealed the fate of Methodius' disciples: they began to be severely persecuted, while Wiching's arbitrariness knew no bounds. The unbridled supporters of the trilingual heresy, which doomed the Slavic people to oblivion of the language of their ancestors, with the help of princely power, brought to trial the disciples of St. Methodius. They were subjected to cruel tortures: they dragged them naked through thorn bushes, kept them in prison for a long time, just as before their spiritual father, Saint Methodius. In 886, young prisoners were sold to Jewish slave traders and they ended up in the Venetian market, where they were ransomed by the envoy of the Byzantine emperor. Other older Slavic confessors were exiled. In the winter of 887, about 200 people were expelled from Moravia in the cold without clothes by German mercenaries, who threatened them with swords and spears along the way. Most of them made it to Bulgaria, where they developed Slavic writing and culture extensively. By the end of the reign of Svyatopolk, who died in 894, and under his successor Moymir II , who tried to renew an independent church organization, the Latin liturgy was introduced in the Great Moravian state, which was served by German priests. Despite the fact that the Great Moravian state was often forced to defend and resist the troops of the Frankish kingdom, its power expanded to neighboring lands. The central part, which occupied the region of present-day Moravia and Western Slovakia, remained economically strong and was at a high cultural level. The mission of Cyril and Methodius, who stood on the side of Prince Rostislav in his struggle with the Frankish kingdom for the independence of the Great Moravian state, for its national and Slavic church organization, had a great influence on the development of education and spiritual culture of the Moravans, Czechs and Slovaks. Their educational activities laid the foundations of Slavic writing in all Slavic states. Their students, assistants and followers (Clement, Naum, Angelyar, Gorazd, Savva, Erasmus, Vyacheslav, Prokop, etc.) saved the new Slavic alphabet from the persecution of the enraged German Catholic clergy and continued the work of their teachers. Few people know that the Slavic alphabet created by Cyril in Bulgaria and other Slavic states was changed and improved for a long time by his students and followers, bringing the Slavic letter closer to the Byzantine charter. And to this day they, like Saints Cyril and Methodius, are known in Bulgaria under the name of the Bulgarian scribes.

We do not know where Saint Gorazd went at first and where Saint Savva found shelter. And Clement, Angelyar and Naum, after being expelled from Moravia, arrived in Bulgaria, where they were greeted with honor and asked to introduce worship in the Slavic language. The Bulgarian prince Boris "with great zeal sought" such people as the disciples of St. Methodius. Enlighteners immediately began to study the Slavic books collected by the Bulgarian nobility. Soon Angelyar (Angelary) died, and Clement (born c. 840 - d. 916) organized a school at the princely court, which reached a high level in the reign of Simeon. Later, Clement of Ohrid (Velitsky or Slovenian) was appointed to teach in Kutmicivice in southwestern Macedonia and served as a teacher until 893. Saint Naum (Bulgarian by birth) remained in the then capital, the city of Pliska. Saint Clement set up separate schools for adults and children in southwestern Macedonia, and he himself taught children to read and write. The total number of his disciples was enormous: 3,500 people are known only for the elect, who belonged to the clergy. Together with St. Naum, he set up a scriptorium, where many of their students were engaged in translations and worked on rewriting books in Slavic graphics for other Slavs. In 893, Clement was elevated to the rank of the first Slavic bishop of Velitsa, and Naum took his place. Saint Clement was the first of the Bulgarian hierarchs to serve, preach and write in the Slavic language and trained clerics from among the Slavs. He was the author of many instructive and laudatory words (including Cyril), church hymns, lives, etc., the content of which often had a secular character: citizenship, patriotism, and the formulation of philosophical problems. Clement also wrote in Slavonic: a) words for all holidays; b) praises and stories about the miracles of the immaculate Mother of God on the days of her festivities; c) praise of John the Baptist; d) the lives of the prophets and apostles; e) about the struggle of the martyrs and the immaculate life of the holy fathers. He labored for the glory of God until a ripe old age, performing both the episcopal ministry and continuing his translation activities. Weakened to such an extent that he could no longer deal with the affairs of the department, the Saint turned to Tsar Simeon with a request for dismissal. The king persuaded the saint not to leave the cathedra, and Clement decided to continue his episcopal service. After this conversation, he went to rest in Ohrid, in the monastery he had created. There the Saint continued his translation activities and translated a significant part of the Colored Triodion. Soon the holy bishop fell seriously ill and peacefully reposed in the Lord in the year 916 (Comm. ) The body of Clement was placed in a coffin made by his own hands, and buried in the Ohrid Monastery named after the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, founded by him. Now his relics are in the church, which was originally dedicated to the Mother of God, and later began to bear his name. Church ministers say that "he performed miracles both during his lifetime and after his death, and performs them until now." St. Clement is considered the first Slavic Christian writer, because. he not only continued the translation work begun by Cyril and Methodius, but also left his writings - the first examples of Slavic spiritual literature. Many words and teachings of Clement passed to Rus', where they were read and copied with love by Russian pious Christians. Thus, his work played a significant role in the development of ancient Slavic literature. Subsequently, Saint Naum of Ohrid became the successor of Saint Clement in a monastery on the shores of Lake Ohrid, where he labored for ten years. The Monk Nahum reposed on December 23, 910, and was buried in the monastery named after him, near Lake Ohrid (Comm. July 3, CE). His relics became famous for miraculous healings, especially for the mentally ill. The relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelyar rest near Berat in present-day Albania. The common memory of Clement, Naum, Angelyar, Gorazd and Savva is celebrated on the same day - August 9, according to the new style.

Bulgarian Mission and Church Slavonic

According to numerous reports, having gone to Moravia, Cyril and Methodius on their way first converted the Macedonian-Bulgarian Slavs to Christianity (at that time most of Macedonia was part of the First Bulgarian Kingdom). There is evidence that the very first place of the apostolic ministry of Cyril and Methodius among the Slavs was a country located at a distance of only a few days from Solun along the Bregalnitsa River in Macedonian Bulgaria (a tributary of the Vardar River, now in Yugoslav Macedonia). Here they and their followers, using the liturgical books they had already written in Slavonic, converted about 4,050 people to the Orthodox faith.

The Bulgarian Tsar Boris (Bogoris) is called a supporter, disciple and follower of Cyril and Methodius in the enlightenment of the Slavs. It is believed that the Equal-to-the-Apostles feat was predicted to Boris by his uncle, the Holy Martyr Prince Boyan, who suffered for the faith of Christ from his brother Prince Malomir around the year 830. Before his martyrdom, the holy prince prophetically said: “The faith for which I am dying will spread throughout the entire Bulgarian land. In vain they hope to stop her by my death. Temples will be erected to the True God, and service to Him will not cease, and idols and filthy altars will disappear.” In the first years of his reign, the Bulgarian prince Boris (reigned 852-889), the son of Prince Presian (the elder brother of Boyan and Malomir, who ruled 836-852), often had to fight with his neighbors. The country was tormented by famine and pestilence. The most difficult was the year 860. Having finally concluded peace with Byzantium, Boris, after the exchange of prisoners, met with his sister, who had converted to Christianity during the captivity. And the Byzantine Christian nobleman Theodore Kufara returned to Byzantium from Bulgaria. Apparently it was the communication with him and the sister's Christianity that convinced Boris of choosing the Christian faith. Saint Methodius (about 865) arrived in Bulgaria and baptized Boris, his family and many boyars. Opponents of Christianity who were not baptized with them tried to overthrow Boris for this, but their rebellion was suppressed. The Bulgarians, deprived of rebellious leaders, voluntarily accepted holy baptism. After that, a long-term peace was concluded between Byzantium and Bulgaria, based on the unity of faith, which was not violated until the end of Boris's reign. In 867 there was a gap between Patriarch Photius of Constantinople and Pope Nicholas I , because of the claims of both to the primacy of the Bulgarian Church and the different understanding of some church dogmas. At the same time, preachers from Rome arrived in Bulgaria, bringing discord among Bulgarian Christians into the country for three years. The Council of Constantinople in 869 put an end to this and on March 3, 870, Bulgaria finally joined the Eastern Christian Church (the Bulgarian Church was directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople). The faithful Tsar Boris adorned the country with temples all his life and in every possible way contributed to the establishment of Orthodoxy. During his reign, the disciples of Cyril and Methodius became especially famous in Bulgaria: the saints Gorazd and Clement of Ohrid (both of them have a memory of August 9, according to New Style). In his declining years in 889, Boris retired to a monastery, leaving the throne to his sons Vladimir and Simeon. Already living in a monastery, he learned about Vladimir's apostasy from Christianity. Once again dressed in royal clothes, Boris severely punished his son and, depriving him of his sight, put him in prison. Then, entrusting the throne to his younger son Simeon, Boris returned to the monastery in 893. And only once did he come out of it to repel the invasion of the Hungarians-Magyars. Boris reposed, in holy baptism Michael, on May 2, 907 (Comm. 15 May NS). Prince Simeon (king from 919) during his reign (893 - 27.05.927), as a result of long wars with Byzantium, significantly expanded the territory of the First Bulgarian Kingdom, which then reached its greatest power and cultural upsurge (the activities of the writers Clement of Ohrid, John the Exarch , Konstantin Preslavsky, Chernorizets Brave and others, the construction of outstanding architectural monuments). In 893 the capital of the Bulgarian kingdom was transferred from Pliska (st. 680-893) to Preslav (st. 893-971). In 894, Slavic writing was finally established in Bulgaria, created at first by Cyril and Methodius, and then developed by their students and followers. The Slavic-Bulgarian language became the language of the church and the state, the foundation was laid for the original Bulgarian literature, which influenced other Slavic countries, including Ancient Rus'.

In the VIII and IX centuries. the country, later called Bulgaria, had two names - Slavinia (according to its ancient inhabitants) and Bulgaria (according to new settlers), therefore, the language of Bulgaria could be called and indeed was called both Bulgarian and Slavic. Exarch Bulgarian John, who translated the Theology of St. John of Damascus into his native dialect, in the preface to this translation several times calls his language Slavic and at the same time his native language. It is not known whether John knew Saint Methodius personally, but it is known that he lived during the time of Prince Simeon, i.e. in 888-927.

Most likely, according to Metropolitan Macarius, from the books of Holy Scripture then used during worship, Saints Cyril and Methodius were first translated from Greek into Slavonic:

1) Gospel and Apostle (selected readings);

2) Missal together with Trebnik;

3) Book of Hours together with the Psalter;

5) General Menaion;

6) Paremeinik or Collection of Readings from the Old and New Testaments;

7) The Early Rule or the General Order of Orthodox Divine Liturgy for the whole year.

Thus, the Gospel was the first book with which, back in Constantinople, Cyril and Methodius began their great work, and the first Gospel word that sounded through their lips in the Slavonic language and sanctified our language was the word about the eternal Word: “From the beginning is the Word, and The Word was from God, and God was the Word” (In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was from God, and the Word was God).

After the death of Cyril, the translation of all the remaining books had to be completed by Methodius alone, who, ruling the Pannonian Church, for several years translated all the previously untranslated books of Holy Scripture, including the Canons of the Holy Fathers (Nomocanon) and the Holy Fathers (Paterik). Writing down the translation in draft and hastily, he "transfer all 60 books of the Old and New Testament from Greek to Slovene." Then, according to the Pannonian Life of St. Methodius, he sent two pupils who were cursive writers, who, alternating, rewrote completely for six months everything that he wrote or dictated. The life writer of Clement, Archbishop of Bulgaria, who lived in the 10th century, directly says that this translation was made into the Slavic-Bulgarian language. This evidence is all the more important because the biographer was a student of Clement, which means that he lived with him in Bulgaria itself and, therefore, could unmistakably recognize or even judge for himself the language of the translation of the Thessalonica brothers: “Because the Slavic people, or Bulgarian, did not understand Scripture in Greek language, then the saints ... (Cyril and Methodius) prayed to the Comforter ... to send them the ability to invent letters that would be consistent with the rudeness of the Bulgarian language; their prayer was heard, and having invented Slavic letters, they translated the God-given Scriptures from Greek into Bulgarian.” And here is what evidence Metropolitan Macarius cited in favor of the Slavic-Bulgarian language, which formed the basis of the Church Slavonic language:

“1) The language of our Bible and liturgical books bears a striking resemblance to that used in Bulgaria in the 10th century, as can be seen from the translations of John, Exarch of Bulgaria.

2) Even the language of today's Bulgarians, despite all the outside influences that it has suffered over the centuries, is quite close to our liturgical language and the language of Holy Scripture; This can be verified by comparing the Gospel used by our Church with the Gospel recently translated into the new Bulgarian language.

3) And not only in the book, but also in the spoken language of real Bulgarians, we still hear words and expressions of ancient Slavic, church and biblical; Bulgarians still say: az, seven, be, eat, esma, este, essence, belly (instead of “life”), hail, gold, sons, one-tenth, twelve-tenth (instead of “twelfth”) and so on.

4) The letter "yus", which characterizes the ancient Church Slavonic manuscripts, is not found in living pronunciation now among any of the Slavic tribes, except for the Bulgarians.

Finally, in one Bulgarian legend even the names of some former assistants of the Slavic apostles in the translation of sacred books were preserved: Klim (Clement), Naum, Savva, Angelary and Erasmus. Thus, it becomes clear why they and Saints Cyril and Methodius are still known in Bulgaria under the name of the Bulgarian scribes.

Perhaps at that time the Slavic language, common in Bulgaria, Moesia and Macedonia, was one of the most educated Slavic dialects and, moreover, was the language that the Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius knew from birth. But, nevertheless, taking it as a basis, the holy translators, in order to better express the new, lofty and diverse truths of the Revelation, sometimes had to use words from other Slavic dialects (for example, Moravian), compose new words based on ancient Slavic roots, and sometimes resort to terms, turns and forms of the Greek language. Therefore, all other Slavs could easily use and understand their translation, except for the Bulgarians, because. Slavic dialects at that time did not yet have such a difference among themselves, which is manifested today.

Thus, in the translation of the Slavic apostles, the simple language of the people of Bulgaria and Macedonia received a new artificial development as a part and since then became the common Church Slavonic language, and later also the bookish and learned language, i.e. different from common Slavic dialects. Being in constant interaction with them, he was influenced by them and also had his own influence on them. In relation to the Russian language, we find full confirmation of this in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by V.I. Dahl.

Russian mission and the first baptism of Rus'

Long before the events described, the ubiquitous Roman Catholic and Byzantine missionaries who came to our fatherland tried to convert our ancestors to Christianity. But their attempts to spread their religion and power did not have any success with us. The Slavs did not understand the gospel sermon in foreign languages ​​and did not agree to accept it. And if they accepted it, they could not properly assimilate it, more adhering to their previous beliefs and rituals. Thus passed centuries after centuries, until the western and southern Slavs "thought of asking themselves teachers from Byzantium who would explain the Gospel to them in a speech that they could understand." Having received from Cyril and Methodius a translation of the Bible and liturgical books in their own language, the Slavs understood the foundations of the Christian faith, “saw the superiority of its divine truths over their gross superstitions and met it everywhere with readiness and love. In a few decades, it spread among them much more than before in whole centuries. In the clothes of the Slavic word, she seemed to everyone something of her own and not alien, she was accepted with joy and became a necessary element of Slavic life. But the “consequences of the great work of the Slavic apostles” between the Western Slavs did not last long - the struggle for power and the strong Roman Catholic influence did not allow “these most beneficial consequences to be revealed in all their strength.” But under other, more favorable circumstances, they opened up in another country, just as Slavic, where they soon penetrated ...

In Ancient Rus' in the second half of the 9th century, they also heard about Byzantine missionaries preaching Christianity in the Slavic language. Cyril and Methodius, who were then engaged in the conversion of the Bulgarians and Moravians, sent missionaries to other Slavs as well. The Polish historian Stredovsky reported one ancient legend that a certain Navrok was sent to Rus', apparently not without the consent of the Byzantine Patriarch Photius. The time of departure of Navrok to us coincides with the time of the baptism of the Russians under the princes Askold and Dir (or only Askold). Patriarch Photius left a testimony that "they accepted the bishop and presbyter and all Christian rites." The embassy of Navrok is attributed not to Methodius alone, but to both brothers and, therefore, occurred no later than the second half of 866, i.e. before their departure to Rome, where, as is known, St. Cyril died. Just at that time, the Slav Basil the Macedonian was appointed co-emperor to Michael III, who apparently also made sure that preachers familiar with the Slavic language were sent to the Slavs. No wonder Patriarch Photius later wrote, that "the Russians accepted the Christian service with great zeal and diligence", apparently because they heard the service in their native or very close language. Later, the first Russian Christians erected the church of St. Nicholas over the grave of Prince Askold. It is very likely that Askold was named Nicholas in baptism, because earlier there was a custom to build churches over the graves of princes in honor of the saints named after them. The words of the Joachim Chronicle, calling Askold blessed , can serve as a new proof of his baptism for those who recognize the authenticity of this chronicle. Askold and Dir (or only Askold), after they accepted the holy faith, still lived and ruled Kyiv for about fifteen years. In such a period, under their patronage, it could establish itself and spread not only in Kyiv, but also in its environs through the work of the bishop and pastor, whom the Kievan Rus received from the patriarch, and with the assistance, perhaps, of other preachers who came from Byzantium or Bulgaria. But after the death of Askold and Dir, who died in 882 (perhaps as martyrs for the holy faith), the Russian-Varangian prince Oleg ruled in Kyiv. History has not preserved the true circumstances of their death, and the church is silent. It is most likely that they fell victim to a conspiracy of militant people from their inner circle, dissatisfied with the new peace-loving and God-obedient policy of Askold and Dir. Therefore, for the reign, the non-Christian Oleg was invited, who resumed campaigns against the surrounding neighbors and Constantinople. Under Oleg’s agreement with the Greeks in 911, not a single Christian is seen among the Russian ambassadors, and both Oleg himself and his husbands swear by their weapons and Slavic gods - Perun and Volos (Veles) to confirm the terms of the agreement. But it does not follow from this that there were no Christians among all Oleg's subjects. The faith of Christ, which preaches humility and self-sacrifice, was at first accepted mainly by civilians, and during the reign of a non-Christian prince, by simple prudence, they could keep it in silence and even secretly. The warriors who made up the retinue and retinue of the prince, for the most part, were from the newcomer Varangians and militant Russians, then still averse to the Christian faith, which clearly contradicted their desires and habits. This is confirmed by the subsequent history of the life and work of the Grand Duke Svyatoslav. In the charter of Emperor Leo the Wise (886-912), who was a contemporary of Prince Oleg, among the metropolises subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Russian Metropolis is mentioned in the 60th place. In the days of Oleg's successor, Prince Igor (912-945), Christianity spread even more widely. Since the time of the Askold treaty, there was a constant connection with Byzantium, and many of the Kievan Russ served in the Greek fleet. But after the Treaty of Oleg and with the accession of Igor, this connection intensified. Entire trade caravans began to travel from Rus' along the Dnieper and the Black Sea to Constantinople, Russian merchants lived at the monastery of St. The Greeks, no doubt, did not miss the opportunity to acquaint them with the Christian faith, as they did with the ambassadors Olegov at the conclusion of peace. There were even written communications between emperors and Russian princes. Many Russians who served at the Greek court actually accepted Christianity there, and some of them, later returning to their homeland, could tell their neighbors about it. Be that as it may, only towards the end of Igor's reign, under a new agreement with the Greeks in 944, the Rusichs in the articles of the agreement are divided into baptized and unbaptized, and the baptized are already everywhere put in the first place. The Russian chronicler, speaking about the oath of the grand ducal squad on the occasion of this treaty, notes that many residents of Kyiv were already Christians. In the same place, the chronicle speaks of the Kyiv Cathedral Church of St. Ilya Ostromyslensky, where Christian Rus' took the oath. This suggests that there were other churches in Kyiv at that time, among which the church of St. Elijah was considered the main, or cathedral. The German chronicler Ditmar, a contemporary of Prince Vladimir, testifies that in his time there were already more than four hundred churches in Kyiv. But, apparently on someone's orders, the Russian chronicler Rev. Nestor speaks extremely briefly about the first times of our history and is silent about such important events that undoubtedly took place in the history of Rus', such as, for example, the baptism of the Russians under Askold and Dir (or only Askold).

It is known that at the same time the Mohammedan teaching made very rapid progress along our southeastern border between the Volga Bulgars, Khazars and Burtases, where, among other tribes, it was accepted by some Slavs who lived there. With all these peoples, the inhabitants of the inner regions of Russia were then in close trade relations, especially in Atel (Itil), Bulgar and Burtas. The religion of Mohammed, flattering human sensuality to the extreme, could easily seduce our ancestors, as the experience of Prince Vladimir, who had long chosen faith, showed later. And if the followers of Mahomet in the dissemination of his teachings in Russia were “natural Slavs” who came from Volga Bulgaria, then a great danger would then threaten our ancestors, and through them all their offspring. But thanks be to the Lord, who counseled good things about us!”

In a word, the history of Russian Orthodoxy and Russia would have had a completely different look if, at their foundation, a Slavic translation of the sacred Christian books and a new Slavic alphabet had not been made and delivered to Russia.

Afterword

There is no unanimous opinion among scientists and independent researchers about what kind of alphabet Konstantin created - Cyrillic or Glagolitic. The majority, referring to the Moravian-Pannonian and Ohrid Glagolitic traditions associated with the activities of Cyril and Methodius, to the great archaism of many Glagolitic monuments and to the Novgorod written monument XI century, in which the Glagolitic script is called Cyrillic, it is believed that Cyril created the Glagolitic alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet was compiled by his students and followers in Preslav (Eastern Bulgaria) at the end IX th century to bring the Slavic writing closer to the solemn Byzantine. It is very possible that the Glagolitic alphabet (aka the initial letter) nevertheless preceded the Cyrillic alphabet. About the features, cuts and in general the ancient Slavic writings that were in use among the Slavs even before the adoption of Christianity, mention Ditmar (XI century, see above), Chernorizets Brave and after him the Russian chronicler of the XIV century. Little is known about the Bulgarian monk Chernorizets the Brave. The oldest copy of his work “On Letters” has been preserved in a Bulgarian manuscript of 1348 and, apparently, dates back to the 10th century. He also reports on the use of the Greek and Latin alphabet by the Slavs after the adoption of Christianity. This message is confirmed by the Freisingen manuscript discovered by Koeppen and dating back to the 10th or even 9th century, in which two formulas of confession and a lesson composed in Slavic are written in Latin characters. Therefore, this version seems to us the most plausible: Cyril created his own special Glagolitic alphabet (early Cyrillic - Lititsa) based on the Slavic language of his native province, using South Slavic (several different!) And Old Russian initial letters, Armenian and Greek alphabets. This is almost evidenced by Chernorizets the Brave, who reports that Cyril completed work on the new Slavic alphabet already in Constantinople and that this alphabet consisted of 36 letters (almost like the Armenian of that time, consisting of 36 or 37 letters), and not from 40 or 43 letters (like late Glagolitic and Cyrillic), or 24 letters (like Greek). In addition, some letters of the Glagolitic alphabet are very similar to the Armenian letters of that time, which most likely indicates its earlier appearance than that of the Cyrillic alphabet. Cyrillic glagolitic letters of various compositions are found in various sources. In the earliest, it seems, there were only 32 letters: az, beeches (god), lead (saw), verb (verb), good, eat (eat), live (live), zelo, earth, ilk, th, iota, how, people, think (think), our, he, peace, rtsy (rets), word, firmly, uk, fert, dick, omega (from), shcha, tsy, worm, sha, er, er (s, poison ), Yu. According to these letters, a certain parting phrase is read (according to the ancient “parting word”), very similar to a lesson and a warning. The digital value at first could be as follows: az-earth=1-9; lower-rest=10-90; rci-worm=100-1000. In his alphabet, Cyril retained that ancient and different from the Greek alphabetical order, which was familiar to him from the ancient Slavic writings that preceded and studied by him. Apparently later in Bulgaria, the students and followers of Cyril and Methodius, more often using cursive, somewhat modified the early Cyrillic alphabet, changing its composition, order, spelling and more adding it to the recording of their Slavic (Slavic-Bulgarian) speech, and it is this altered alphabet that we now called Cyrillic. By the time of Chernorizets Khrabr, the Cyrillic alphabet could already have a completely different look and contain 36 letters, as he testified. Before XI-XII For centuries, both alphabets were used in parallel, but later the late Cyrillic alphabet nevertheless replaced all variants of the Glagolitic alphabet that remained longer in Ancient Rus', Croatia and Dalmatia. The composition and shape of the Cyrillic letters and then constantly changed. The original statute was superseded in XIV century semi-ustav, which formed the basis of the first Russian printed fonts. At the end XIV th century, cursive writing appeared in household and business correspondence, and ornamental script appeared in book titles. In 1708-10, Peter the Great introduced a "civil font" close to the modern one instead of a semi-ustav, changes were also made to the lettering, and some of them were excluded from the alphabet. Since that time, the new alphabet has become simpler and better adapted to the printing of civil business papers. AT XVIII century, the letter "ё" was added to the Russian alphabet. In 1918, a new reform of the Russian alphabet was carried out and the Cyrillic alphabet lost four more letters: yat, and ( i