When it is said
A priest says it over the head of a child who finds learning hard, in a short service from the Book of Needs.
A parent might also pray it at home over a son or daughter.
Where it comes from
No author known
A service for children who find learning hard
The Book of Needs holds the Church’s services for particular needs. Among them is a short service for children who learn with difficulty. One of its hymns recalls that Christ’s Holy Spirit made the disciples, unschooled men, into teachers. Then the priest says two prayers over the child’s head, and this is the first of them.
In the Greek books
A Greek service book printed in Paris in 1647 already has the service, and so does one printed in Venice in 1862. The Greek ends the prayer by asking the prayers of Christ’s Mother and all the saints, where the Slavonic ends “now and always, and for ever and ever.”
Euchologion sive Rituale Graecorum (Paris, 1647); Euchologion to mega (Venice, 1862)
In the prayer book
The Russian prayer book prints this first prayer for use at home, with a space for the child’s name. It appears twice, among the prayers of a student and among the prayers for the growth of a child’s mind.
Azbyka.ru prayer book, “Prayers of a student”; Azbyka.ru prayer book, “Prayers for the development of the mind in children”
What the words mean
“The sacred letters”
Where the Slavonic says “the Holy Scriptures”, the Greek asks God to plant “the sacred letters” in the ears of the child’s heart. Paul used the same Greek words for the Scriptures Timothy had known since he was a small child.
The Scripture in it
They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Church Slavonic
Го́споди Иису́се Христе́ Бо́же наш,
всели́выйся в сердца́ двунадеся́тых апо́столов нелицеме́рно,
благода́тию Всесвята́го Ду́ха, соше́дшаго в ви́де о́гненных язы́к,
и сих устне́ отве́рзый, и нача́ша глаго́лати ины́ми языки́:
Сам Го́споди Иису́се Христе́ Бо́же наш,
ниспосли́ Того́ Ду́ха Твоего́ Свята́го на отроча́ сие́ (имя):
и насади́ во ушеса́ се́рдца его́ Свяще́нныя Писа́ния,
я́же рука́ Твоя́ пречи́стая на скрижа́лех начерта́ законополо́жнику Моисе́ю,
ны́не и при́сно и во ве́ки веко́в. Ами́нь.
From the Russian prayer book on azbyka.ru, “Prayers of a student”, from the Great Book of Needs.