"word of honor": the sign of the cross. why do people cross themselves, when did it appear and what does it mean

Even a little enlightened person knows that Old Believers are baptized in a different way than Christians of other confessions. This sign of the cross is called " two-fingered", Because not one, not three, not four or five fingers are composed in it, but only two.

Why are Christians baptized?

The sign of the cross is placed by Christians as a sign that we confess the Lord crucified on the cross. With the sign of the Cross at the beginning of every work, we testify that everything we do takes place for the glory of the Crucified Christ.

Sign of the Cross, i.e. the custom of tracing a cross on the body by placing fingers on the forehead, percy and ramen (shoulders) is an ancient custom that appeared along with Christianity. The custom of Christians to cross themselves with the sign of the cross in the prayer of St. Basil the Great counts among those who we have received from the apostolic tradition by succession.

How to fold your fingers during the sign of the cross?

For the sign of the cross, we fold the fingers of our right hand like this: "the great with two little ones." This marks, according to the teachings of the Great Catechism, the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, not three gods, but the One God in the Trinity, which is divided by names and persons, but the Deity is one. The Father is not born, and the Son is born, not created; The Holy Spirit is neither born nor created, but is original (Great Cat.). But two fingers (forefinger and great middle), joining together, we have extended and slightly inclined - this forms two natures of Christ: Deity and humanity; with one (forefinger) finger we mean the Divine, with the other (middle), slightly bent, we mean humanity; the inclination of the fingers is interpreted by the holy fathers as an image of the incarnation of the Son of God, Who "Bow down to heaven and come down to our earth for the sake of salvation".

Having folded the fingers of the right hand in this way, we put two fingers on our forehead, i.e. forehead. By this we mean that “ God the Father is the beginning of all the Godhead, from Him first the Son was born and in the last times bow down to heaven, descended to earth and became a man". When we put our fingers on our stomach, we signify that in the womb of the Most Holy Theotokos by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit there was the seedless conception of the Son of God; from her was born and on earth from a man in profit, suffered in the flesh for our sins, was buried and on the third day he rose again and raised from hell the righteous souls who dwelt there. When we put our fingers on our right shoulder, this is interpreted as follows: first, that Christ ascended into heaven and gray at the right hand of God the Father; second, that on the day of judgment the Lord will set the righteous at His right hand (on His right hand), and sinners on His left hand. The standing of sinners on the left hand also means the position of the hand when making the sign of the cross on the left shoulder (Big Catech., Ch. 2, leaves. 5, 6).

Where did the two-finger come from?

The custom of folding our fingers in this manner was adopted by us from the Greeks, and they kept it invariably from the time of the apostles. Scientists, prof. Kapterev and Golubinsky, collected a number of testimonies that in the XI-XII century the Church knew only two-finger sign. We also find two fingers on all ancient icon images (mosaics and frescoes of the 11th-14th centuries).

Information about two-fingered fingers is also found in Old Russian literature, including the works of the Monk Maxim the Greek and the famous book "Domostroy".

Why not a three-finger?

Usually believers of other confessions, for example, new believers, ask why Old Believers do not cross themselves with three fingers, like members of other Eastern churches.

On the left is a three-fingered sign, this sign of the cross is accepted by the New Believer tradition. On the right - two-fingered, with this sign of the cross, the Old Believers overshadow themselves

The answer to this is the following:

• Two-fingered was commanded to us by the apostles and fathers of the ancient Church, to which there is a lot of historical evidence. The three fingers, however, is a newly invented rite, the use of which has no historical justification;
• The keeping of the two-finger is protected by the church oath, which is contained in the ancient rite of acceptance from the heretics Jacobite and the decrees of the Stoglava Council of 1551: "If anyone does not bless two fingers like Christ, or does not imagine the sign of the cross, be damned";
• Two-fingered reflects the true dogma of the Christian Creed - the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, as well as two natures in Christ - the human and the Divine. Other types of the sign of the cross do not have such a dogmatic content, and the three-finger distorts this content, showing that the Trinity was crucified on the cross. And although the new believers do not contain the doctrine of the crucifixion of the Trinity, but St. the fathers categorically forbade the use of signs and symbols that have a heretical and non-Orthodox meaning.
  Thus, in polemicizing with Catholics, the holy fathers also pointed out that the mere change of the vision, the use of customs similar to the heretical ones, is in itself a heresy. Bp. Nikola Mefonsky wrote, in particular, about unleavened bread: “ The user of unleavened bread is already suspected of being in contact with these heresies out of some resemblance.". The truth of the two-fingered dogma is recognized today, albeit not publicly, by various New Believer hierarchs and theologians. So oh. Andrei Kuraev, in his book Why Orthodox Christians Are Like This, points out: “ I consider the two-finger to be a more accurate dogmatic symbol than the three-finger. After all, not the Trinity was crucified, but “one of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God» ».

Sign of the cross(Church-Slavic "sign of the cross") - in Christianity, a prayer gesture, which is an image of a cross on itself. The sign of the cross is performed on different occasions, for example, when entering and leaving a church, before or after saying a prayer, during a service, as a sign of confessing one's faith and on other occasions; also when blessing someone or something. The action of a person performing the sign of the cross is usually called “making the sign of the cross,” “making the sign of the cross,” or “being baptized” (the latter should be distinguished from the word “baptized” in the meaning of “accepting the sacrament of Baptism”). The sign of the cross is used in many Christian denominations, but it differs in the variants of the addition of the fingers (usually in this context the Church Slavonic word “fingers” is used: “folding of fingers”, “finger-making”), and the direction of movement of the hand.

Catholicism

In the West, unlike the Orthodox Church, there have never been conflicts regarding the folding of the fingers at the sign of the cross, as in the Russian Church, and even now there are various variants of it. Suffice it to say that in many Catholic prayer books, speaking of the sign of the cross, they quote only the prayer being said at the same time (In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti), without saying anything about the combination of fingers (a situation that is quite rare for Orthodox prayer books and almost impossible for Old Believers). Even Catholics-traditionalists, who are usually quite strict about the rite and its symbolism, admit the existence of various options here.

The following description of the sign of the cross is given (translated into Russian) from one American traditionalist site.

The sign of the cross is performed as follows:

* Option A. On your right hand, place your thumb and ring fingers together, and hold your index and middle fingers together in an indication of the two natures of Christ. This is the most common practice of Western Catholics.
* Option B. Hold the thumb and forefinger of your right hand together to represent the two Christ natures.
* Option C. Hold the thumb, forefinger, and middle fingers of your right hand (representing the Holy Trinity) together, with the ring finger and little finger (representing the two natures of Christ) bent to the palm of your hand. This is a typical practice for Eastern Catholics.
* Option D. Keep your right hand open with all five fingers - representing the 5 wounds of Christ - together and slightly bent, and your thumb slightly bent to the palm.

* Touch your forehead while saying (or mentally praying), "In nomine Patris" ("In the name of the Father").
* Touch the chest or upper abdomen while saying “et Filii” (“and the Son”).
* Touch the left shoulder then the right shoulder while saying “et Spiritus Sancti” (“and the Holy Spirit”).

Note that some people end the sign of the cross by crossing their thumb and forefinger and kissing their thumb, as if "kissing the Cross."

From this description, it is easy to see that option A is a slightly modified two-fingered, and option C, as indicated there, is a three-fingered. In practice, however, at least in Russia, most Catholics use Option D.

As for the direction of movement of the hand when depicting a cross, initially in the West they were baptized in the same way as in the East, that is, first the right shoulder, then the left. Later, however, in the West, the opposite practice was formed, when they first touch the left shoulder, and only then the right. This is symbolically explained in such a way that Christ, with his Cross, transferred the believers from death and condemnation (which are still designated by the left side) to the right side of those who are being saved.

When a Catholic makes the sign of the cross for the first time, entering the temple, he first dips his fingertips in a special bowl of holy water. This gesture, which seems to be an echo of the ancient custom of washing hands before celebrating the Eucharist, was later rethought as a rite performed in remembrance of the sacrament of Baptism. Some Catholics perform this ritual at home, before starting home prayer.

The priest, blessing, uses the same sign of the sign as at the sign of the cross, and leads his hand in the same way as an Orthodox priest, that is, from left to right.

In addition to the usual, large cross, it was preserved in the Latin rite as a remnant of an ancient practice, the so-called. small cross. It is performed during Mass, before the reading of the Gospel, when the clergy and worshipers with the thumb of their right hand depict three small crosses on the forehead, lips and chest.

"... Miracles are performed by the sign of the Cross, worthy and holy faith ..."
(St. Grigor Tatevatsi).

Our ancestors, saying prayers, leaving home in the morning, attending church, falling to the icons, sowing and harvesting, when it is difficult, when diseases and dangers, starting any work, before a meal and after going on a long journey, overshadowed yourself with the sign of the cross.
The custom of being baptized comes from ancient times. This is an old Hellenic (ancient Greek) custom - during a sermon to raise up the right hand with a "two-fingered finger" (ritual addition of two fingers), which in the Greek sign language meant "attention, I say."
And in the ancient world and in the Roman Empire, the cross was a sign of inevitable death, reproach, suffering, and a person sentenced to such death was considered cursed. Christ crucified took death for us. Taking upon Himself the curse of Adam's sin, He, with His Divine power, turned the instrument of death into a symbol of eternal life.

The Power of the Cross - Christ

The Apostle Paul (Pogos) says: "For the word about the cross, for us being saved is the power of God." Making the sign of the cross over ourselves, we remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and saved us from the power of death. We ask the crucified Savior to always keep and protect us from all evil. We cross ourselves in the following way: we connect the first fingers of our right hand (thumb, index, middle), touch our forehead, speaking; “In the name of the Father”, we lower it to the chest, saying “And the Son”, we lead to the left side, saying “And the Spirit,” then to the right side, saying “Holy” and lower it to the chest, saying “Amen”.

Advice on the Sign of the Cross, According to the Teachings of the Church Fathers

When we cross ourselves by connecting the thumb, forefinger and middle fingers, we thus symbolize the Holy Trinity. The remaining two fingers (the little finger and the ring finger) together pressed to the palm symbolize Christ as a perfect God and a perfect man, and together they are a single entity (fingers are clenched together). Fingers raised to the forehead symbolize life, a hand lowered to the chest - death. The left side of the chest is earthly life, and the right side is the afterlife. Raising our hands to our foreheads, we remember that we were in heaven, lowering our hands to our hearts, we remember that we got to Earth. When we raise our hand to the left side, we point out that we were among the sinners, lifting to the right, we affirm that we want to be among the righteous. Covering ourselves with the cross, we first raise our hand up, thus saying that our mind is crucified on the cross, and let the mind of Christ guide us from now on. When we lower our hand down, we say that henceforth we are not subject to the body, but to Christ.
Crossing ourselves from left to right, we want to say that our hands were crucified on the cross and now are not fit for atrocities and sin and must do only good. Pressing an open palm to our heart, we say "Amen", that is, "Truly."
Having crossed ourselves, we want to say that Christ was in heaven, was on earth, descended into hell, rose again and sat down again at the right hand of the Father. Covering our forehead with the sign of the cross, we always think of Christ crucified on the cross, as the prophet Ezekiel says: "Put a sign on the foreheads of these people." By overshadowing the sign of the cross on the four sides of our body, we protect ourselves from four misfortunes, that is, Earthly temptations, from Satan, atheists and sins.
We overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross, because we serve the Lord Jesus, whose sign is the cross. Having been baptized, we point to the four directions of the compass and ask for the protection of God for them. The Sign of the Cross is protection from satanic influence. Having crossed ourselves, we crucify the sinful essence and rise with Christ. When we are baptized, we remember the saving sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We ask for God's help and mercy. Christians are baptized when, during the Holy Liturgy, service, rituals and other spiritual ceremonies, the clergyman baptizes, blessing with the sign of the cross in the name of the Holy Trinity. During prayer, overshadowing our face with the sign of the cross, we ask the Holy Mother of God, guardian angels, Saints for intercession for us before the Heavenly Father. Having crossed ourselves, we offer the Creator the silent prayer of our soul.

It should also be noted that in Russia the Old Believer two-fingered, never practiced in the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the most unexpected way was declared the official “Armenian heresy”.

Any sacred object during worship or personal prayer.

Testimonies of the sign of the cross are found in the monuments of Christian literature, starting from the 2-3 century. In ancient times, blessing with the sign of the cross was part of the rite of catechesis (announcement), in the West it was called "the first sign" or "sign (seal) of the cross". After such a blessing by the clergyman, the catechuchman was given the opportunity to make the sign of the cross himself. Initially, the sign of the cross was performed (sometimes 3 times in a row) with one finger of the right hand on the forehead, as well as on the chest, lips, eyes, arms, and shoulders. After the condemnation of Monophysitism at the IV Ecumenical Council (451), the two-fingered became widespread among the Orthodox - the sign of the cross, performed with the help of the index and middle fingers connected together, which symbolize the two natures of Jesus Christ - Divine and human. Over time, in a two-fingered form, the thumb, ring fingers and little finger folded together began to be perceived as a symbol of the Trinity. The blessing hand (Jesus Christ, bishops, saints) with extended index and middle fingers (the position of the rest of the fingers could vary) is found in ancient iconography, both in the East and in the West. In the early liturgical monuments, the form of the sign of the cross with the blessing was not specified. The sign of the Cross, performed by three fingers folded together - thumb, forefinger and middle - and the ring and little finger pressed to the palm (three fingers), symbolized the Trinity (the ring and little fingers pressed to the palm did not initially carry a symbolic load).

Over time, the forms of the sign of the cross began to unify within the framework of local church traditions. The sequence of gestures remained unchanged: first - vertical (from top to bottom), then - horizontal.

During the adoption of Christianity, Russia borrowed two-fingered from Byzantium.

Apparently, in the 12-13th century in Byzantium, the three-fingered form of the sign of the cross became the generally accepted form. In Russia, they continued to adhere to the old custom until the 1650s, when, during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the two-fingered sign of the cross was replaced with a three-fingered one. The question of the form of the sign of the cross became one of the key in the polemics of the Old Believers (see Old Believers) with the ruling Church. Under the influence of these disputes, the adherents of the new rite began to interpret the connection of the ring finger and the little finger with three fingers as a symbol of the God-manhood of Jesus Christ.

In the Orthodox East, overshadowing oneself with the sign of the cross is accomplished by alternately touching the forehead, chest, right and left shoulders (horizontal movement - from right to left; Nestorians are baptized in the same way).

To bless the sign of the cross, Orthodox bishops and priests use the so-called nominative sign, which appeared probably no later than the 16th century as a derivative of two-fingered and depicting the tetragram ICXC (Jesus Christ) - an extended index finger, a bent middle finger, crossed thumb and anonymous, half-bent little finger ( moreover, the bishop blesses with two hands at the same time, and the presbyter - only with one). Deacons, monks, and lay people can bless (outside of worship) by folding their hand in the same way as to overshadow themselves. During the divine service, the deacon signs himself with the sign of the cross with the help of the orarion (part of the liturgical vestments), and also performs censing on the cross. At certain moments of the service, the priest makes the sign of the cross with the help of a censer, a cross, the Gospel, a Eucharistic cup, and the bishop blesses the people with a dikiri (two-candlestick) and a trikiriy (three-candlestick) in a cross-like manner.

In the West, in the Middle Ages, different ways of making the sign of the cross coexisted (including with three fingers and from right to left), but after the Council of Trent, a single form of the sign of the cross was established: from left to right (they are also baptized in Monophysite churches). In modern Catholic practice, overshadowing oneself with the sign of the cross can be done in different ways: with the thumb (the so-called small sign of the cross - the sign of the cross is drawn alternately on the forehead, lips and chest; this is the most ancient form), connected by the thumb and nameless with the index and middle fingers extended together , connected by the thumb and forefinger, an open hand with outstretched fingers (the hand alternately touches the forehead, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder).

Lit .: Golubinsky E.E. To our polemic with the Old Believers. 2nd ed. M., 1905.S. 158-159; Kapterev N.F. Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Sergiev Posad, 1909. T. 1. M., 1996. T. 1. S. 187-188; Golubtsov A.P. From readings on church archeology and liturgy. Sergiev Posad, 1917. Part 1. SPb., 1995. Part 1; Dölger J. Beiträge zur Geschichte des Kreuzzeichens // Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum. 1959. Bd 1; Uspensky B. A. On the history of three fingers in Russia // Uspensky B. A. Studies on Russian history. SPb., 2002; he is. Cross and circle: from the history of Christian symbolism. M., 2006; Righetti M. Manuale di storia liturgica. Mil., 2005. Vol. one.

For the sign of the cross, we fold the fingers of our right hand like this: we put the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with their ends exactly, and the last two (ring and little fingers) we bend to the palm ...

The first three fingers folded together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are Divine and Human.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross without haste: put it on the forehead (1), on the stomach (2), on the right shoulder (3) and then on the left (4). Lowering your right hand, you can bow to the ground or to the ground.

Covering ourselves with the sign of the cross, we touch with three fingers folded together to the forehead - to sanctify our mind, to the stomach - to sanctify our inner feelings (heart), then to the right, then to the left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily forces.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, as well as when approaching all that is holy: when we enter the temple, when we kiss the cross, to the icon, etc. and in all important cases of our life: in danger, in sorrow, in joy, etc.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen,” expressing our faith in the Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God.

The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

HWhat should a Christian realize and experience when he signs himself with the sign of the cross?

Unfortunately, we do many things in the temple mechanically or stupidly, forgetting that this is the highest means of changing spiritual life.

The sign of the cross is our weapon. In a solemn, victorious prayer to the Cross - "May God rise and scatter against Him ..." - it is said that the Cross was given to us "to drive out any adversary." What kind of adversary are we talking about? The Apostle Paul in the Epistle to Ephesians (6: 11-13) writes: Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the age this, against the spirits of evil in high places. For this, accept the whole armor of God, so that you can withstand on the wicked day and, having overcome everything, stand.
The peace that the Lord has given us, in which He has given us to live, is, of course, beautiful. But immersed in sin. And we ourselves are damaged by sin, our nature is distorted by it, and this allows the fallen spirits to tempt us, torment us, lead us along the path of destruction. A person leading a spiritual life, as a rule, understands that he cannot change himself - he needs to seek help from Christ. When we make the sign of the cross, we first of all call on Him to help us.

Of course, the sign of the sign of the cross should not be understood as a kind of magical gesture that provides a result. The Cross marks the Sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ, made in the name of love for us. By overshadowing ourselves with the cross, we testify that His sacrifice was made for us, and that He is the main thing for us in our life. In this case, bodily, physical movement is the prayer of the body, the communion of the body as a component of our human being in this life in Him: Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you have been bought [at] a price. Therefore, glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are the essence of God. This is also the Apostle Paul, First Epistle to the Corinthians (6: 19–20). The body has been redeemed by the Sacrifice of the Cross as well as the soul. With the sign of the cross, we are trying to crucify the lusts of the soul and the lusts of the body. And it is a misfortune that, through our negligence, the sign of the cross becomes too familiar to us and is performed by us without reverence. Here we need to remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah: Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord carelessly (Jer. 48, 10). This movement must be done very seriously, with deep feeling. Why don't we think, folding our fingers for the sign of the cross? After all, this is a word embodied in action: by this, in essence, the Holy Trinity is confessed.

The sign of the Cross is a responsible act - when we perform it, we must feel and see the Cross of Christ, His suffering, remember the price that was given in atonement for our sins, and the height to which we ascend through the cross. The cross connects us to heaven, the cross connects us to each other, because the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified not for me alone, but for all.
Both as a priest and as a Christian, I have noticed more than once that people who know how to pray deeply and not for show make the sign of the cross very beautifully. What exactly beauty is is difficult to convey in words, because it is a reflection of the beauty of their spiritual world. And when a person is baptized either for show, or simply because it is supposed to - this is also visible, and causes rejection ... and pity. This is how different internal states of a person are expressed in the same movement. In the first case, it is the fruit of spiritual labor, in the second - the emptiness hiding behind the gesture.

Covering ourselves with the sign of the cross in difficult times, we seek the help of Christ. After all, it is hard for us not only from external reasons, but also from incomprehensible horror and despair that have accumulated somewhere in the depths. When tempted, we make the sign of the cross on ourselves to drive away the temptation. Satan has the ability to influence us to the extent that sin is developed in us. Once he tempted Christ in the wilderness, offering Him all the kingdoms of the world (see: Luke 4, 5-8). How could he - a nonentity that cannot live and does not live - could offer the Son of God what he, a fallen angel, does not belong to? He could, because the world belongs to him - through sin. That is why he is called the prince of this world - a changed, sinful world. But Christ defeated him. Then, in the Judean wilderness, victory was expressed in the refusal of temptation. But finally it was fixed by the sufferings of the cross, the sacrifice of the cross. Therefore, we also sign ourselves with the cross in order to overcome any temptation from Satan. With the cross, we scorch and drive him away, do not give him the opportunity to act.
Let us remember how the evil spirits were always afraid and angry when the hermit came to an empty place and put a cross on it: “Go away! This is our place! " Until there was a person with a prayer and a cross, they had here at least some kind of illusion of power. Of course, an evil spirit can defeat a person if a person succumbs to it, but a person can always defeat Satan. Satan is burned because a person is involved in Christ's victory - the sacrifice on the Cross.