598

Probably, this refers to the passage from chapter 31: "... St. Dionysius calls this very oil myrrh, as a harbinger of peace" // The Writings of the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church, relating to the interpretation of Orthodox worship. T. 2. Writings of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. St. Petersburg, 1856. Pp. 66.—288.

599

218 This refers to the "Prayer for the tonsure of a child with hair, for his first shearing", which was performed, as a rule, at the age of 7 (sometimes at the age of 3 or 5) and was combined with the custom of mounting a horse. At this haircut, a special name was given to the youth. The rite of tonsure of a boy applied to all youths without distinction of their rank, position, condition, since it meant the entry of the youth into civil rights, into the number of equestrians (the youth-prince with this rank was seated on the prince's table). In this way, the Church sanctified the civil rite by the church rite. "The rite of tonsure with hair..." was published in the Moscow Service Book of 1616 and in the Moscow Potrebniki of 1625, 1636, [1639], 1654 — Nikolsky K. On the Services of the Russian Church, Which Were in the Former Printed Liturgical Books. St. Petersburg, 1885. Pp. 342—355.

In Florensky's rough materials, the text of the prayer has been preserved, written out by him from the Potrebnik of 1639.

Prayer for the tonsure of a child with hair, in the first shearing of his hair

"A mother comes with a child to church. And the priest says this prayer:

Blessed art Thou, O Lord God our Father, who sent our father Abraham to tonsure the head of the priest of Melchizedek, and bring all his beginnings into Thy holy church, having come to the blessing and tonsure of Thy holy apostles, and having given them a place of faith and words to give. And now, O Lord, Lord God, grant to this Thy servant Demetrius, who is tonsuring his head, a righteous thought, a virtuous life, that he may live according to Thy commandment, do what is pleasing before Thee, and may he be vouchsafed to stand at Thy right hand, O Lord. Grant to him who lifts up his hair the blessing which thou didst give to the righteous Simeon, who received the Lord Jesus Christ in his arms. And all the faithful who have come down here, bless them, O Lord, with a spiritual blessing.

Возглас: Яко благословися и прославися пречестное и великолепое имя Твое...

Молитва вторая, тому же

Владыко, Господи Боже наш, Иже образом Своим почет человека (писана во крещении, идеже пострижение влас младенцу).

Таже глаголет: Мир всем. Главы ваша...

Тоже глаголет молитву, возглас: Господи, Боже наш, Иже исполнения купельнаго (писана во крещении же, на пострижении власов).