www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West hand position for sign of cross

Would someone please tell me of the diffenent hand positions in various traditions and who practices which? E.g. who does the ring finger to the thumb and what does it mean?

yours in Christ,
Marshall

Dear Marshall,

Yes, the Byzantine tradition uses two hand/finger positions for the Sign of the Cross.

Outside the Old Believer tradition, everyone crosses themselves with three fingers, the thumb, index and middle finger joined together and the last two fingers bent into the palm - the Trinity and the Two Natures of Christ in one Person.

Priests and Bishops bless the faithful using the "Christogram" that has two variations.

The Greek tradition shapes the fingers to read "IC XC" or the first and last letter of "Jesus Christ" in Greek.

Thus the "I" is represented by the index finger extended, the "C" by the curved middle finger, the "X" by the crossed thumb and finger next to the middle finger and the final "C" by the curved 'pinky finger.'

The Slavic tradition is to bring the thumb and last two fingers together to symbolize the Trinity, while the extended index finger is joined by a curved middle finger to indicate how the Son of God came down from Heaven and became Man (index finger).

The Old Believer tradition maintains that this last form of joining the fingers is the most ancient and should always be done by everyone, laity included, when making the Sign of the Cross, to the right shoulder first, while saying the Jesus Prayer.

The West used to use three fingers, as we know Pope Innocent III in the time of St Francis wrote a treatise in its defence.

The West soon saw laity bless themselves with the whole hand, going first to the left shoulder.

The laity observed the actions of the priest who could only bless with the whole hand - only the Pope could bless with the "Christogram."

And the priest went from left to right as he faced the people - to follow their movement from right to left.

Soon everyone was going left to right.

In the Oriental Orthodox Churches, however, the Sign of the Cross is done with three fingers and everyone goes from left to right, from "the darkness of sin to the light of Christ."

In Ethiopia, there is also the practice of crossing the thumb and the index finger when making the Sign of the Cross. In Egypt, one finger was sometimes used.

In the West, the tradition of the sign of the Cross with the thumb over the forehead, lips and heart tended to follow the sign of the Cross, and still obtains before the reading of the Gospel.

One marks one's forehead with the thumb and prays: O God come to my assistance, O Lord make haste to help me!

Then one marks one's lips saying: Lord open my lips and my tongue shall sing of Your Praise!

Then one marks one's chest with the thumb saying: Create a clean heart in me, Lord, and renew the Holy Spirit within me!

Not all three movements are done at once, but usually only before the Gospel.

The Latin Church also formerly had the peculiar practice of finishing the Sign of the Cross by bending down and making a Cross on the floor which was then kissed (an old Stations of the Cross published by the Synod of Milan still had this practice).

This was condemned by the East, however.

One could also sign oneself with the Cross with a hand-held Cross.

I myself prefer the "two-fingered" Sign of the Cross that is now second nature to me!

Alex

Dear Alex,

Thank you for your explanation.

What about the practice in the Latin Church by Spanish, Mexican, and Irish, (there may be others that I'm not aware of) of kissing the fingers of the right hand after completing the sign of the cross? What does the kiss mean?

Paul

Paul: you asked: " What about the practice in the Latin Church by Spanish, Mexican, and Irish, (there may be others that I'm not aware of) of kissing the fingers of the right hand after completing the sign of the cross? What does the kiss mean?"

In Hispanic countries like Mexico, Spain, Argentina, the Philippines, etc..., I could see this practive very much alive to the present. I am not aware if this is practised in Ireland. Actually after making the sign of the cross, the intention is to KISS the cross. So the person who just finished making the sign makes the image of the cross with his index finger + thumb and kiss it reverently. In effect this is an additional homage to our sign of salvation. Unfortunately, many do this without knowing what it means. Obviously, this is not the official Latin way of doing the signum crucis , but merely an added form of devotion.

Excellent explanation, Antonio Domenico, could you tell us with how many fingers do you make the sign of the cross in Philipines, I think that in Spain nobody makes the sign of the cross with the whole hand (in the french way), but with the three fingers (if I am right most people in Spain put the thumb under the two last fingers). I suppose that this position of the fingers could be explained allegorically like the representation of the Mistery of the Holy Trinity and the Coming of the Holy Spirit (the Son seated at the right hand of the Father and the Holy Spirit descending over the Church).

Gazhar, coul you tell us how do Armenians and Syrians make the sign of the cross (I think that they make it from left to right with only two fingers but I am not completely sure).

Dear Friends,

How fascinating! And I thought the Latins were boring!

Yes, the practice of kissing the crossed thumb and index finger was and is a private devotional practice that reflected yet another way to form the fingers - the way the priest forms them during the Mass.

I've often seen our Latin priest-professors, for whom I served at the altar in our university chapel, link the index fingers with the thumb and bring both hands together in this way, and also bless the Gifts.

This is also the way many Ethiopians shape the fingers to bless themselves.

We know that St Francis frequently kissed his fingers following the Sign of the Cross, as he said that the Sign of the Cross drips sacred honey and it is important to gather it with one's physical mouth from one's fingers lest any be lost! He also licked his lips after saying the Name of Jesus for the same reason.

Francisco, dear brother!

You have raised a fascinating issue with respect to how the Sign of the Cross is made in Spain.

Could you elaborate some more on this?

Do you mean that Spanish Catholics shape their fingers as Eastern priests as well? Which fingers do they actually use?

I met a Franciscan in the Holy Land who told me the Sign of the Cross with the whole hand also signifies the Five main Wounds of our Lord.

Alex

Dear Alex,

"I've often seen our Latin priest-professors, for whom I served at the altar in our university chapel, link the index fingers with the thumb and bring both hands together in this way, and also bless the Gifts."

I believe this is the ancient practice of reserving the thumb and index after consecration. Most Anglo-Catholic priests do this without interuption from the consecration till they wash their hands after communing the faithful. Since it is the thumb and index fingers on both hands that hold the consecrated Host, they keep them together during all their prayers (post-consecration) so as to not touch anything else until they have washed there hands and the vessels in the final ablutions. It is a self-conscious awareness that those two fingers are especially holy.

I believe all Latin priests use to do this as well.

yours in Christ,
Marshall

Dear Marshall,

How utterly fascinating! God bless the Anglo-Catholics!!

Just one more point.

The Sign of the Cross has always been considered a very important expression of faith, a sacramental sign in fact. I believe the Assyrians, at one point, numbered this action among the Sacraments.

And, in Russia, people were burned for the Old Believer Sign of the Cross, thumb and last two fingers joined, index and middle fingers extended.

More was "at stake" to be sure, but heresy and right belief was expressed by our outward actions.

The Kyivan Church then sought to unite the two traditions of the Sign of the Cross, the Greek and the old Russian.

What it came up with, as discussed in Peter Mohyla's catechism, is this form.

The Greek form was used with three fingers, three times. But following this, the Jesus Prayer was then recited - the Jesus Prayer being the formula for the Sign of the Cross of the Old Believers.

This is still the traditional form to this day.

But the use of the Jesus Prayer for even the "three-fingered" Sign of the Cross was prevalent and is still used for prostrations during the Jesus Prayer monastic rule.

St Josaphat himself wrote explicit orders to his priests to teach people to "make the Sign of the Cross properly" by demonstrating it following Divine LIturgy on Sundays.

But the text he gives for the Sign of the Cross is the Jesus Prayer, following the Old Believer pattern!

Alex

Indeed an interesting topic just proves we are not boring

Now a question really aimed at Ipreima and de Freitas.

Earlier in the thread the Latin Practice of signing the mind ,lips and heart was mentioned [ Alex?] but I have observed a variation of that in Portugal that I still cannot understand.

At the start of the Gospel instead of signing themselves in that way, the Portugese seem to make [ extremely rapidly it has to be said] something akin to the sign of the Cross from right to left as normal, then they sign the forehead, lips and heart and then make the sign of the Cross again.

I have seen this done in both little villages and Cathedrals .

Can anyone explain the reasoning behind this ?

Angela

Dear Angela,

That is the old Benedictine way of making the Sign of the Cross, if I'm not mistaken.

The thumb Cross over the head, mouth and heart - sometimes this varies with just the head, or the head and the heart - ends with the Glory be... Alleluia at which point the full Sign of the Cross is made to end the Rite.

The more I find out about these ancient latent local Latin traditions, the more I like them!

I understand there is a bit more sunshine in Portugal than in Scotland, am I right, Angela?

Alex

sun - what's that Alex

Actually you are absolutely correct -mind the north of Portugal is green and beautiful - just like Scotland and it can rain even more so . As far as I am concerned that Algarve leaves me cold !

The small sign of the cross made with the thumb on the brow, lips, and heart are also very common in Bohemia among Roman Catholics.

Stefan-Ivan

Dear Friends,

And don't forget the old Latin practice of kneeling down after the Sign of the Cross and tracing a Cross on the floor and then kissing it!

This was catalogued as one of the "Latin Errors" by the Greeks as it went against the rule forbidding the placement of crosses on the floor . . .

The Way of the Cross in the old edition of the Sarum Rite prayerbook published by the Synod of Milan actually listed this practice.

Believe it or not . . .

Alex

I and others in my parish (Anglican), at the announcement of the Gospel, sign our forehead, lips, and hearts with our thumbs. I've seen it at every Catholic parish I have attended as well. It was explained to me as a prayer that God would sanctify our minds, lips, and hearts with His holy Gospel.

Moreover, the Anglican Matins and Vespers begins:

V: O Lord, open thou our (+) lips.
R: And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
V: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Where I placed the (+), it is customary in some Anglican parishes to cross one's lips with his thumb. One's lips must be sanctified by the cross to pray the offices.

But I still don't know what to make of this sign of the cross being performed by our Lord in this Greek icon:

[Linked Image]

It looks like he is only touching his ring finger and thumb. What tradition is this?

yours in Christ,
Marshall

I heard from a Roman Catholic once, that the signing of the forehead, lips, and heart comes from Judaism where the Torah says something to the effect of, keeping the laws of God on the head, heart, and lips (That comes from Deut. 6:7-9.) Is there any precedent for a practice like this in Eastern Christianity? (I would think they were since the East is so Jewish)

Adam