Sign of the cross
Making the sign of the cross (
The use of the sign of the cross traces back to early Christianity, with the third-century treatise Apostolic Tradition directing that it be used during the minor exorcism of baptism, during ablutions before praying at fixed prayer times, and in times of temptation.[2]
The movement is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one's own body, echoing
Many individuals use the expression "cross my heart and hope to die" as an oath, making the sign of the cross, in order to show "truthfulness and sincerity", sworn before God, in both personal and legal situations.[4]
Origins
The sign of the cross was originally made in some parts of the Christian world with the right-hand thumb across the forehead only.
Gesture
Historically, the sign of the cross was made from the right to the left, as done in the
In the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic (Eastern Catholics) churches, the tips of the first three fingers (the thumb, index, and middle ones) are brought together, and the last two (the "ring" and little fingers) are pressed against the palm. The first three fingers express one's faith in the Trinity, while the remaining two fingers represent the two natures of Jesus, divine and human.[10]
Motion
The sign of the cross is made by touching the hand sequentially to the forehead, lower chest or stomach, and both shoulders, accompanied by the Trinitarian formula: at the forehead "In the name of the Father" (or In nomine Patris in Latin); at the stomach or heart "and of the Son" (et Filii); across the shoulders "and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost" (et Spiritus Sancti); and finally: "Amen".[11]
There are several interpretations, according to Church Fathers:[12] the forehead symbolizes Heaven; the solar plexus (or top of stomach), the earth; the shoulders, the place and sign of power. It also recalls both the Trinity and the Incarnation. Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) explained: "The sign of the cross is made with three fingers, because the signing is done together with the invocation of the Trinity. [...] This is how it is done: from above to below, and from the right to the left, because Christ descended from the heavens to the earth".[13]
There are some variations: for example a person may first place the right hand in holy water. After moving the hand from one shoulder to the other, it may be returned to the top of the stomach. It may also be accompanied by the recitation of a prayer (e.g., the Jesus Prayer, or simply "Lord have mercy"). In some Catholic regions, like Spain, Italy and Latin America, it is customary to form a cross with the index finger and thumb and then to kiss one's thumb at the conclusion of the gesture.[14]
Sequence
Cyril of Jerusalem (315–386)[15] wrote in his book about the Smaller Sign of the Cross:
Many have been crucified throughout the world, but by none of these are the devils scared; but when they see even the Sign of the Cross of Christ, who was crucified for us, they shudder. For those men died for their own sins, but Christ for the sins of others; for He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. It is not Peter who says this, for then we might suspect that he was partial to his Teacher; but it is Esaias who says it, who was not indeed present with Him in the flesh, but in the Spirit foresaw His coming in the flesh.[16]
For others only hear, but we both see and handle. Let none be weary; take your armour against the adversaries in the cause of the Cross itself; set up the faith of the Cross as a trophy against the gainsayers. For when you are going to dispute with unbelievers concerning the Cross of Christ, first make with your hand the sign of Christ's Cross, and the gainsayer will be silenced. Be not ashamed to confess the Cross; for Angels glory in it, saying, We know whom you seek, Jesus the Crucified. Matthew 28:5 Might you not say, O Angel, I know whom you seek, my Master? But, I, he says with boldness, I know the Crucified. For the Cross is a Crown, not a dishonour.[16]
Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way, and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He triumphed over them in it, having made a show of them openly Colossians 2:15; for when they see the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the gift; out for this the rather honour your Benefactor.[16]
John of Damascus (650–750) stated:[17]
Moreover we worship even the image of the precious and life-giving Cross, although made of another tree, not honouring the tree (God forbid) but the image as a symbol of Christ. For He said to His disciples, admonishing them, Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven Matthew 24:30, meaning the Cross. And so also the angel of the resurrection said to the woman, You seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified. Mark 16:6 And the Apostle said, We preach Christ crucified. 1 Corinthians 1:23 For there are many Christs and many Jesuses, but one crucified. He does not say speared but crucified. It behooves us, then, to worship the sign of Christ. For wherever the sign may be, there also will He be. But it does not behoove us to worship the material of which the image of the Cross is composed, even though it be gold or precious stones, after it is destroyed, if that should happen. Everything, therefore, that is dedicated to God we worship, conferring the adoration on Him.[18]
Use
Catholicism
Within the
John Vianney said a genuinely made Sign of the Cross "makes all hell tremble."[22]
The
The sign of the cross is expected at two points in the Mass: the laity sign themselves during the introductory greeting of the service and at the final blessing; optionally, other times during the Mass when the laity often cross themselves are during a blessing with holy water, when concluding the penitential rite, in imitation of the priest before the Gospel reading (small signs on forehead, lips, and heart), and perhaps at other times out of personal devotion.
Eastern Orthodoxy
In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, use of the sign of the cross in worship is far more frequent than in the Western churches.
Old Believers
In the
Protestant traditions
Lutheranism
Among Lutherans the practice was widely retained. For example,
Anglican and Episcopal traditions
The English Reformation reduced the use of the sign of the cross compared to its use in Catholic rites. The 1549 Book of Common Prayer reduced the use of the sign of the cross by clergy during liturgy to five occasions, although an added note ("As touching, kneeling, crossing, holding up of hands, and other gestures; they may be used or left as every man's devotion serveth, without blame") gave more leeway to the faithful to make the sign.[38] The 1552 Book of Common Prayer (revised in 1559) reduced the five set uses to a single usage, during baptism.[38] The form of the sign was touching the head, chest, then both shoulders.[39]
The use of the mandatory sign of the cross during baptism was one of several points of contention between the
The 1789 Prayer Book of the
Methodism
The sign of the cross can be found in the
By the early 20th century, the use of the sign of the cross had been dropped from American Methodist worship.
Whether or not a Methodist uses the sign for private prayer is a personal choice, although the UMC encourages it as a devotional practice, stating: "Many United Methodists have found this restoration powerful and meaningful. The ancient and enduring power of the sign of the cross is available for us to use as United Methodists more abundantly now than ever in our history. And more and more United Methodists are expanding its use beyond those suggested in our official ritual."[43]
Reformed tradition (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist)
In some
Armenian Apostolic
It is common practice in the Armenian Apostolic Church to make the sign of the cross when entering or passing a church, during the start of service and at many times during Divine Liturgy. The motion is performed by joining the first three fingers, to symbolize the Holy Trinity, and putting the two other fingers in the palm, then touching one's forehead, below the chest, left side, then right side and finishing with open hand on the chest again with bowing head.[50][51]
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East uniquely holds the sign of the cross as a sacrament in its own right. Another sacrament unique to the church is the Holy Leaven.[52]
See also
- Christian symbolism
- Crossed fingers
- Mudras
- Prayer in Christianity
- Rushma in Mandaeism
- Veneration
References
- ^ "The Prayer of the Veil". Encyclopedia Coptica. 2011. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Hippolytus. "Apostolic Tradition" (PDF). St. John's Episcopal Church. pp. 8, 16, 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ Seymour, William Wood (1898). The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art. G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 419.
- ISBN 9780199543786.
- ^ a b c d Thurston, Herbert. "Sign of the Cross." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 20 Jan. 2015
- ISBN 978-1-55725-496-2, p. 24.
- ^ Marucchi, Orazio. "Archæology of the Cross and Crucifix." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 20 Jan. 2015
- ^ Ted A. Campbell, Christian Confessions: A Historical Introduction (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), p. 45.
- ^ Daniel A. Helminiak, Religion and the Human Sciences: An Approach Via Spirituality (State University of New York Press (Albany, N.Y.: 1998).
- ISBN 978-0-88465-044-7. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2019.)
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) Original: Слободской, Серафим Алексеевич (1957). "О крестном знамении" [The Sign of the Cross]. Закон Божий [The Law of God] (in Russian) (published 1966). Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2019.{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help - ^ Sullivan, John F., The Externals of the Catholic Church, P.J. Kenedy & Sons (1918)
- ^ Prayer Book, edited by the Romanian Orthodox Church, several editions (Carte de rugăciuni - Editura Institutului biblic şi de misiune al Bisericii ortodoxe române, 2005),
- ^ Innocent III, De sacro altaris mysterio, II, xlv in Patrologia Latina 217, 825C--D.
- ^ Patricia Ann Kasten, Linking Your Beads: The Rosary's History, Mysteries, and Prayers, Our Sunday Visitor 2011, p. 34
- ^ Mark W. Elliott, Thomas C. Oden. Isaiah 40-66. Intervarsity Press (2007): p. 335
- ^ a b c Cyril of Jerusalem. Catechetical Lecture 13
- ^ Steven A. McKinion, Thomas C. Oden. Isaiah 1-39. Intervarsity Press (2004): p. 279
- ^ John of Damascus. An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Vol. 4
- ISBN 978-1-55725-496-2, pp. 11–42.
- ^ a b c Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), chap. 4, art. 1.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), section 2157.
- ^ Emmons, D. D., "Making the Sign of the Cross", Catholic Digest Archived 13 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Order of Mass (The Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite): In Latin and in English" (PDF). International Commission on English in the Liturgy. 2010.
- ^ a b Daniel B. Clendenin, Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective (Baker Publishing: 2003), p. 19.
- ^ Hugh Wybrew, The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite (1989, St. Vladimir's Press reprint, 2003), p. 5.
- ^ Anthony Edward Siecienski, Orthodox Christianity: A Very Short Introduction Oxford University Press: 2019), p. 83.
- ^ Hugh Wybrew, The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite (1989, St. Vladimir's Press reprint, 2003), p. 157.
- ^ Daniel B. Clendenin, Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective (Baker Publishing: 2003) p. 110.
- ^ Peter T. De Simone, The Old Believers in Imperial Russia: Oppression, Opportunism and Religious Identity in Tsarist Moscow (2018), pp. 13, 54, 109, 206.
- ^ a b Gary M. Hamburg, Russia's Path Toward Enlightenment: Faith, Politics, and Reason, 1500-1801 (Yale University Press, 2016), p. 179.
- ^ Peter Hauptmann, "Old Believers" in The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Vol. 3 (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company/Brill: 2003).
- ^ The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941. Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, page 4.
- ^ "Why Do Lutherans Make the Sign of the Cross?". Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ "Sign of the Cross". Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on 20 September 2005. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
- ^ Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006
- ^ Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis: Concordia, 2006
- ^ "Making the Sign of the Cross" (PDF). Redeemer Lutheran Church. 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Buchanan, Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd ed.: 2015), pp. 533-35.
- ^ a b c d e f Louis P. Nelson, The Beauty of Holiness: Anglicanism and Architecture in Colonial South Carolina (University of North Carolina Press: 2009), p. 152.
- ^ a b Colin Buchanan, The A to Z of Anglicanism (Scarecrow Press: 2009), pp. 126-27.
- ^ Corinne Ware, What Is Liturgy? Forward Movement Publications (1996), p. 18.
- Canterbury Press, 2018).
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Why don't we make the sign of the cross?". United Methodist Church. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ John Wesley's Prayer Book: The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America with introduction, notes, and commentary by James F. White, 1991 OSL Publications, Akron, Ohio, page 142.
- ^ The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 91
- ^ The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 323.
- ^ The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 620.
- ^ Neal, Gregory S. (2011). "Prepared and Cross-Checked". Grace Incarnate Ministries. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- Geneva Press: 2002), pp. 86-87.
- ^ "Making the Sign of the Cross (Khachaknkel)". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "In the Shadow of the Cross: The Holy Cross and Armenian History". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ISBN 978-88-97789-34-5.