Abstract
Manuscripts, written in common literary language of all Medieval Slavs are dated 10th –11th centuries. They are mostly either prayer books, or Lives of Saints, who suffered for Christian faith. Hundreds of martyrs and martyress were mentioned in menologies and synaxariums. Those people underwent different terrible tortures, and were sentenced to death by rulers for the refusal to abjure Christian religion. Lives of Saints contain information about not only the names, birthplaces of saints and times of the death, but also some facts about their persecutors and last moments before the penalty. It is no wonder that the texts, written in Cyril and Methodius`s language contain language units, describing cruel ingenuity of those who in terms of the offi cial status or by choice sentenced Christian preachers to death. The manuscripts depict fi rmness, courage and self-sacrifi ce of the Saints, heartless “skill” of the executioners, and reaction of the audience, eagering for a bloody performance. Although Slavs got acquainted with different kinds of sophisticated tortures and executions, described in the most ancient Cyrillic and Glagolitic texts through the agency of Byzantium after the adoption of Christianity, the language means, used for description of the prosecution, tortures and executions of Christians during the time of the early Middle Ages have common Slavic roots. The set unit съмрьтьна казнь, which we found in Codex Suprasliensis of the 11th century consists of Old Church Slavonic elements.
Keywords
Common literary language of all Slavs, manuscript, Christanity, saints, martyrs, set units
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