The third week of Lent is the Worship of the Cross. On Sunday on all-night vigil The Life-Giving Cross is brought to the center of the temple, which the believers worship throughout the week.

Why does the cross accompany a person throughout his life? And what cannot be disowned in any way, explains Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich).

- Vladyka, how and what can you baptize in everyday life?

Tertullian in his treatise “On the Warrior’s Crown” (about 211) writes: “We protect our forehead with the sign of the cross in all circumstances of life: entering and leaving the house, dressing, lighting lamps, going to bed, sitting down for any activity "

Sign of the Cross is not just part of a religious ritual. First of all, it is an effective spiritual weapon. Making the sign of the cross requires a deep, thoughtful and reverent attitude from us. The Patericon, Patericon and Lives of Saints contain many examples testifying to the spiritual power that the image of the Cross possesses.

“With great zeal we draw a cross on our homes, on the walls, on the windows, on our foreheads and in our minds. This is a sign of our salvation, universal freedom and mercy of the Lord,” teaches St. John Chrysostom. You can sign the sign of the cross on food before eating, on your bed before going to bed, and in general on everything that is connected with our daily affairs and concerns. The main thing is that it is appropriate and does not violate the reverent attitude towards the shrine.

The first Christians made the mark of a cross on their forehead, chest and shoulders with one finger. Why are we baptized in three? When was this tradition established?

St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, Blessed Jerome of Stridon, Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, church historian Sozomen, St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, St. John Moschos, and in the first quarter of the 8th century, St. Andrew of Crete spoke about the sign of the cross with one finger. According to the majority's findings modern researchers, shading the forehead (or face) with a cross arose during the time of the apostles and their successors.

Around the 4th century, Christians began to cross their entire body with a cross, i.e., the “wide cross” known to us appeared. However, the application of the sign of the cross at this time was still one-finger. Moreover, by the 4th century, Christians began to sign the cross not only on themselves, but also on surrounding objects. Thus, a contemporary of this era, the Monk Ephraim the Syrian writes: “The life-giving cross overshadows our houses, our doors, our lips, our breasts, all our members. You, Christians, do not leave this cross at any time, at any hour; may he be with you in all places. Do nothing without the cross; whether you go to bed or get up, work or rest, eat or drink, travel on land or sail on the sea - constantly adorn all your members with this life-giving cross.”

In the 9th century, single-fingered fingers gradually began to be replaced by two-fingered fingers, which was due to the widespread spread in the Middle East and Egypt of the heresy of Monophysitism, which took advantage of the hitherto used form of finger formation - single-fingered fingers to promote its teachings, since it saw in single-fingered fingers a symbolic expression of its teaching about the one nature in Christ. Then the Orthodox, contrary to the Monophysites, began to use two fingers in the sign of the cross as a symbolic expression of the Orthodox teaching about two natures in Christ.

Approximately XII century in the Greek-speaking Local Orthodox Churches (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Cyprus), two fingers were replaced by three fingers. The reason for this was seen as follows: since by the 12th century the struggle with the Monophysites had already ended, the double-fingered gesture lost its demonstrative and polemical character, but it made Orthodox Christians related to the Nestorians, who also used the double-fingered one. Wanting to make a change in the external form of their worship of God, the Orthodox Greeks began to sign themselves with the three-fingered sign of the cross, thereby emphasizing the veneration of the Most Holy Trinity. In Rus', triplicate was approved in the 17th century, during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.

If conditions permit, it is better to take off your gloves before making the sign of the cross.

How to treat crosses on clothes: on the soles of shoes, bags, scarves... The cross and skull today are one of the most common images on world brands.

Saint John Chrysostom teaches: “The cross is a symbol of the Divine gift, a sign of spiritual nobility, a treasure that cannot be stolen, a gift that cannot be taken away, the foundation of holiness.”

The veneration of the cross is associated with the great Sacrifice that the Savior made for the human race. St. Simeon the New Theologian says: “Since the Cross became, as it were, an altar Terrible Sacrifice, for the Son of God died on the Cross for the fall of people, then we rightly honor the Cross, and worship it, and depict it as a sign of the common salvation of all people, so that those who worship the tree of the Cross are freed from the oath of Adam and receive the blessing and grace of God for the fulfillment of all virtues. For Christians, the Cross is the greatest glory and power.”

Therefore, it is very sad to use the image of the Cross in an inappropriate form, as fashionable decorations or abstract symbolic images. It is necessary to be very careful about symbols that are similar to the image of a cross, but have nothing to do with Christianity.

However, it is not worth it to anyone graphic image treat the intersection of two lines as a Cross. The intersection of two crossbars, or the intersection of two roads, an ornament or some kind geometric figure in the form of a cross - are not an object of veneration. The Cross of Christ has a clear canonical image, which is a sacred sign and shrine for us. Everything else is not like that.

- What to do if you find a cross?

Kiss it and wear it with reverence. One often hears that one should not pick up, much less wear, a pectoral cross lost by someone, since all the misfortunes of the person who lost it will be transferred to the one who puts it on. This is nothing more than a prejudice. On the contrary, it is the duty of every Orthodox person to raise the cross from the ground so that it is not trampled upon or desecrated. If a person is embarrassed to wear this cross or give it to another, then he should take it to church and give it to the priest.

- In what cases can you exchange crosses?

Since pagan times, many superstitions and prejudices have been associated with the cross. They arise either due to ignorance or due to incorrect interpretation of the canons of the Church. It is believed that one should not give a cross as a gift, as it brings misfortune to the one to whom it is given. In light of the meaning of the cross for Orthodox people the last statement cannot be considered other than a blasphemy against the Cross of Christ. Although it’s really not worth giving your pectoral cross if the donor himself is left without a cross. At the same time, there are situations when the donation of a cross is, if not obligatory, then at least traditional. For example, in Rus', according to tradition Godfather gave a cross to a boy, and godmother- to a girl. There is nothing reprehensible in giving a cross to a relative, friend or girlfriend, if the gift is made from a pure heart. It seems to symbolize the wish for salvation in Eternal Life in Christ.

In addition, in ancient times in Rus' there was a custom of fraternization, in which it was customary to exchange pectoral crosses with a brother-in-law. The exchange of crosses symbolized readiness godbrother or sisters help carry the cross for a brother brother. Among the people, kinship through the gods was often placed above blood kinship.

- Can you mentally baptize another person? And in what cases?

You can, of course, mentally baptize. St. Ephraim the Syrian teaches: “Instead of a shield, protect yourself by the honorable Cross, imprint your members and heart with it. And not only put the sign of the cross on yourself with your hand, but also in your thoughts, imprint with it every activity you do, and your entrance, and your departure at every time, and your sitting, and your rising, and your bed, and any service... For very This weapon is strong, and no one can ever harm you if you are protected by it.”

There is no need to be ashamed of the sign of the cross. If we want to cross someone, then there is nothing wrong with that. The main thing is that we are driven by a feeling of love for a person and a deep belief in the power Life-giving Cross The Lord's.

The feeling of reverence for a shrine is important aspect Christian life. The temple is a special place of the gracious presence of God, where saving Sacraments are performed, where believers gather for prayer. It is quite natural to express signs of respect for the House of God, and, of course, Christians cross themselves and bow to the temple every time they pass or drive nearby.

- Is it possible to enter the temple and participate in the Sacraments without a cross?

In life Orthodox Christian The pectoral cross plays a special role. The pectoral cross is an attribute of belonging to Church of Christ. The cross is our protection and protection from the influence of unclean spirits. According to righteous John Kronstadtsky: “There is always a cross for believers great power, liberating from all evils, especially from the villainy of hated enemies.”

Walk without pectoral cross was considered a great sin in Rus'. They did not trust the word and oath of a person without a cross, and they said about unscrupulous and evil people that “there is no cross on them.” The people understood that it was impossible to sleep without a cross, to remove it while bathing - the person would then be left without protection against evil forces. Even for the bathhouse, special “bathhouses” were made wooden crosses, which were worn instead of metal ones so as not to get burned. Moreover, you need to come to the temple with pectoral cross, which was given to us at Baptism and is a symbol of our salvation and spiritual weapon.

- If you lose a cross, is this some kind of sign? Could something bad happen?

Saint John Chrysostom teaches: “If pagans have superstitions, this is not at all surprising. And when those who worship the Cross, partake of the ineffable mysteries and have achieved wisdom adhere to pagan customs, this is worthy of tears... Superstition is a funny and amusing suggestion of Satan, however, not only to laugh, but also to expose those who are deceived to hell.” Therefore, we must strictly avoid various superstitions, which arise from a lack of faith and are human delusions. It is no coincidence that Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk said that superstition occurs when faith becomes impoverished and disappears.

The Gospel teaches us: “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Knowledge of the true teaching of Christ, which only the Orthodox Church can give, makes a person free from the slavery of sin, human errors and absurd superstitions.

We all know very well what an exceptional role the sign of the cross plays in the spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian. Every day, during morning and evening prayers, during worship and before eating food, before the beginning of the teaching and at its end, we impose on ourselves the sign of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of Christ. And this is not accidental, because in Christianity there is no more ancient custom than the sign of the cross, i.e. overshadowing oneself with the sign of the cross. At the end of the third century, the famous Carthaginian church teacher Tertullian wrote: “When traveling and moving, entering and leaving a room, putting on shoes, taking a bath, at the table, lighting candles, lying down, sitting down, in everything we do - we must overshadow your forehead with a cross.” A century after Tertullian, St. John Chrysostom wrote the following: “Never leave home without crossing yourself.”

As we see, the sign of the cross has come to us from time immemorial, and without it our daily worship of God is unthinkable. However, if we are honest with ourselves, it will become absolutely obvious that quite often we make the sign of the cross out of habit, mechanically, without thinking about the meaning of this great Christian symbol. I believe that a short historical and liturgical excursion will allow all of us subsequently to more consciously, thoughtfully and reverently apply the sign of the cross to ourselves.

So what does the sign of the cross symbolize and under what circumstances did it arise? The three-fingered sign of the cross, which has become part of our Everyday life, arose quite late, and in the liturgical life of Russian Orthodox Church included only in XVII century, during the well-known reforms of Patriarch Nikon. In the Ancient Church, only the forehead was marked with a cross. Describing the liturgical life of the Roman Church in the 3rd century, Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome writes: “Always try to humbly sign the sign of the cross on your forehead.” The use of one finger in the sign of the cross is then spoken about by: St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, Blessed Jerome of Stridon, Blessed Theodoret of Cyrrhus, church historian Sozomen, St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, St. John Moschos, and in the first quarter of the 8th century, St. Andrew of Crete. According to the conclusions of most modern researchers, marking the forehead (or face) with a cross arose during the time of the apostles and their successors. Moreover, this may seem incredible to you, but the appearance of the sign of the cross in the Christian Church was significantly influenced by Judaism. A fairly serious and competent study of this issue was carried out by the modern French theologian Jean Danielou. You all remember very well the Council in Jerusalem described in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, which took place approximately in the 50th year of the Nativity of Christ. The main question that the apostles considered at the Council concerned the method of accepting into the Christian Church those people who had been converted from paganism. The essence of the problem was rooted in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ preached his sermon among the Jewish chosen people of God, for whom even after acceptance of the Gospel Message, all religious and ritual prescriptions of the Old Testament remained binding. When the apostolic preaching reached the European continent and the early Christian Church began to be filled with newly converted Greeks and representatives of other nations, the question of the form of their acceptance quite naturally arose. First of all, this question concerned circumcision, i.e. necessity for converted Gentiles to first accept Old Testament and be circumcised, and only after that receive the Sacrament of Baptism. The Apostolic Council resolved this dispute with a very wise decision: for Jews, the Old Testament Law and circumcision remained mandatory, but for pagan Christians, Jewish ritual regulations were abolished. By virtue of this decree of the Apostolic Council, in the first centuries in the Christian Church there were two the most important traditions: Judeo-Christian and linguistic-Christian. Thus, the Apostle Paul, who constantly emphasized that in Christ “there is neither Greek nor Jew,” remained deeply attached to his people, to his homeland, to Israel. Let us remember how he speaks about the election of the unbelievers: God chose them in order to awaken zeal in Israel, so that Israel would recognize in the person of Jesus the Messiah they were waiting for. Let us also remember that after the death and Resurrection of the Savior, the apostles regularly gathered in the Jerusalem Temple, and they always began their preaching outside Palestine from the synagogue. In this context, it becomes clear why the Jewish religion could have a certain influence on the development of external forms of worship of the young early Christian Church.

So, returning to the question of the origin of the custom of making the sign of the cross, we note that in the Jewish synagogue worship of the times of Christ and the apostles there was a ritual of inscribing the name of God on the forehead. What is it? The book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:4) speaks of a symbolic vision of a catastrophe that should befall a certain city. However, this destruction will not affect pious people, on whose foreheads the angel of the Lord will depict a certain sign. This is described in the following words: “And the Lord said to him: go through the middle of the city, in the middle of Jerusalem, and make a sign on the foreheads of the mourning people, who sigh over all the abominations that are being committed in its midst.” Following the prophet Ezekiel, the same mark of the name of God on the forehead is mentioned in the book of Revelation of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. Thus, in Rev. 14:1 says: “And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Elsewhere (Rev. 22.3-4) the following is said about the life of the next century: “And nothing will be cursed any more; but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.”

What is the name of God and how can it be depicted on the forehead? According to ancient Jewish tradition, the name of God was symbolically imprinted by the first and last letters of the Jewish alphabet, which were “alef” and “tav”. This meant that God is Infinite and Almighty, Omnipresent and Eternal. He is the completeness of all conceivable perfections. Since a person can describe the world around him with the help of words, and words consist of letters, the first and final letters of the alphabet in writing the name of God indicate that He contains the fullness of being, He embraces everything that can be described human language. By the way, the symbolic inscription of the name of God using the first and last letters of the alphabet is also found in Christianity. Remember, in the book of the Apocalypse, the Lord says about himself: “I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.” Since the Apocalypse was originally written in Greek, it became obvious to the reader that the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet in the description of the name of God testify to the fullness of Divine perfections. Often we can see iconographic images of Christ, in whose hands is an open book with the inscription of only two letters: alpha and omega.

According to the passage from Ezekiel's prophecy quoted above, the elect will have the name of God inscribed on their foreheads, which is associated with the letters "aleph" and "tav." The meaning of this inscription is symbolic - a person who has the name of God on his forehead has completely given himself to God, dedicated himself to Him and lives according to the Law of God. Only such a person is worthy of salvation. Wanting to outwardly demonstrate their devotion to God, the Jews of the time of Christ already inscribed the letters “alef” and “tav” on their foreheads. Over time, in order to simplify this symbolic action, they began to depict only the letter “tav”. It is quite remarkable that the study of manuscripts of that era showed that in Jewish writing at the turn of the era, the capital “tav” had the shape of a small cross. This small cross meant the name of God. In fact, for a Christian of that era, the image of a cross on his forehead meant, as in Judaism, dedicating his entire life to God. Moreover, placing a cross on the forehead was no longer reminiscent of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but rather the sacrifice of the Savior on the cross. When Christian church finally freed from Jewish influence, then the understanding of the sign of the cross as an image through the letter “tav” of the name of God was lost. The main semantic emphasis was placed on the display of the Cross of Christ. Having forgotten about the first meaning, Christians of later eras filled the sign of the Cross with new meaning and content.

Around the 4th century, Christians began to cross their entire body, i.e. the “wide cross” we know appeared. However, the imposition of the sign of the cross at this time still remained single-finger. Moreover, by the 4th century, Christians began to sign the cross not only on themselves, but also on surrounding objects. Thus, a contemporary of this era, the Monk Ephraim the Syrian writes: “The life-giving cross overshadows our houses, our doors, our lips, our breasts, all our members. You, Christians, do not leave this cross at any time, at any hour; may he be with you in all places. Do nothing without the cross; whether you go to bed or get up, work or rest, eat or drink, travel on land or sail on the sea - constantly adorn all your members with this life-giving cross.”

In the 9th century, single-fingered fingers gradually began to be replaced by double-fingered fingers, which was due to the widespread spread of the heresy of Monophysitism in the Middle East and Egypt. When the heresy of the Monophysites appeared, it took advantage of the hitherto used form of finger formation - single-fingered fingers - to propagate its teachings, since it saw in single-fingered fingers a symbolic expression of its teaching about the one nature in Christ. Then the Orthodox, contrary to the Monophysites, began to use two fingers in the sign of the cross, as a symbolic expression of the Orthodox teaching about two natures in Christ. It so happened that the one-fingered sign of the cross began to serve as an external, visual sign of Monophysitism, and the two-fingered sign of Orthodoxy. Thus, the Church again inserted deep doctrinal truths into the external forms of worship.

An earlier and very important evidence of the use of double fingers by the Greeks belongs to the Nestorian Metropolitan Elijah Geveri, who lived at the end of the 9th century. Wanting to reconcile the Monophysites with the Orthodox and the Nestorians, he wrote that the latter disagreed with the Monophysites in the depiction of the cross. Namely, some depict the sign of the cross with one finger, leading the hand from left to right; others with two fingers, leading, on the contrary, from right to left. Monophysites, crossing themselves with one finger from left to right, emphasize that they believe in one Christ. Nestorians and Orthodox Christians, depicting the cross in a sign with two fingers - from right to left, thereby profess their belief that on the cross humanity and divinity were united together, that this was the reason for our salvation.

In addition to Metropolitan Elijah Geveri, the well-known Venerable John of Damascus also wrote about double-fingered fingers in his monumental systematization Christian doctrine, known as “An Accurate Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.”

Around the 12th century, in the Greek-speaking Local Orthodox Churches (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Cyprus), two-fingered was replaced by three-fingered. The reason for this was seen as follows. Since by the 12th century the struggle with the Monophysites had already ended, double-fingering lost its demonstrative and polemical character. However, double-fingering made Orthodox Christians related to the Nestorians, who also used double-fingering. Wanting to make a change in the external form of their worship of God, the Orthodox Greeks began to sign themselves with the three-fingered sign of the cross, thereby emphasizing their veneration of the Most Holy Trinity. In Rus', as already noted, triplicate was introduced in the 17th century during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.

Thus, to summarize this message, it can be noted that the sign of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord is not only the oldest, but also one of the most important Christian symbols. It requires a deep, thoughtful, and reverent attitude from us. Centuries ago, John Chrysostom admonished us to think about this with the following words: “You must not just draw a cross with your fingers,” he wrote. “You have to do it in faith.”

Hegumen PAVEL, candidate of theology, inspector of the Ministry of Education and Science
minds.by

Why not three-fingered?

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

To this the Old Believers respond:

Two fingers is commanded to us by the apostles and fathers ancient Church, for which there is a lot of historical evidence. Three fingers is a newly invented ritual, the use of which has no historical justification.

The keeping of two fingers is protected by the church oath, which is contained in the ancient rite of acceptance from heretics by Jacobite and the decrees Stoglavy Cathedral 1551: “If anyone does not bless with two fingers as Christ did, or does not imagine the sign of the cross, let him be damned.”

Two-fingered displays the true dogma of the Christian Creed - the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, as well as the two natures in Christ - human and Divine. Other types of the sign of the cross do not have such dogmatic content, but the three-fingered sign 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, the Holy Fathers categorically prohibited the use of signs and symbols that have heretical and non-Orthodox meaning.

Thus, polemicizing with Catholics, the holy fathers also pointed out that the mere change in the creation of a species, the use of customs similar to heretical ones, is in itself a heresy. Ep. Nikolas of Methonsky wrote, in particular, about unleavened bread: “Whoever consumes unleavened bread is already suspected of communicating with these heresies because of some similarity.” The truth of the dogmatics of two fingers is recognized today, although not publicly, by various New Believer hierarchs and theologians. So oh. Andrey Kuraev in his book “Why the Orthodox are like this” points out: “I consider two-fingered to be a more accurate dogmatic symbol than three-fingered. After all, it was not the Trinity that was crucified, but “one of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God.”

Source: ruvera.ru

So how to be baptized correctly? Compare several photographs presented. They are taken from various open sources.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and Bishop Anthony of Slutsk and Soligorsk clearly use two fingers. And the rector of the temple of the icon Mother of God“Healer” in the city of Slutsk, Archpriest Alexander Shklyarevsky and parishioner Boris Kleshchukevich folded three fingers of their right hand.

Probably, the question still remains open and different sources answer it differently. St. Basil the Great also wrote: “In the Church, let everything happen in order and in order.” The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith. To find out whether the person in front of you is Orthodox or not, you just need to ask him to cross himself, and by how he does it and whether he does it at all, everything will become clear. And let us remember the Gospel: “He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).

The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith, so it must be performed carefully and with reverence.

The power of the Sign of the Cross is unusually great. In the Lives of the Saints there are stories about how demonic spells were dispelled after the overshadowing of the Cross. Therefore, those who are baptized carelessly, fussily and inattentively simply please the demons.

How to make the Sign of the Cross correctly?

1) You need to put three fingers of your right hand (thumb, index and middle) together, which symbolizes the three faces of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. By joining these fingers together, we testify to the unity of the Holy Indivisible Trinity.

2) The other two fingers (little finger and ring finger) are bent tightly to the palm, thereby symbolizing the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ: Divine and human.

3) First, folded fingers are placed on the forehead to sanctify the mind; then on the stomach (but not lower) - to sanctify internal abilities (will, mind and feelings); after that - on the right and then on the left shoulder - to sanctify our bodily strength, because the shoulder symbolizes activity (“to lend a shoulder” - to provide assistance).

4) Only after lowering the hand do we bow from the waist so as not to “break the Cross.” This is a common mistake - bowing at the same time as the Sign of the Cross. This should not be done.

The bow after the Sign of the Cross is performed because we have just depicted (overshadowed ourselves) Calvary Cross, and we worship him.

In general, at present, on the question “How to be baptized?” Many people don't pay attention. For example, in one of his blogs, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov writes that “... the truth of the Church is not tested by how a person feels in its church: good or bad... being baptized with two or three fingers no longer plays any role, because these two rites are recognized Church of equal honor." Archpriest Alexander Berezovsky also confirms there: “Be baptized as you like.”

This illustration was posted on the website of the Church of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Lyubimovka, Sevastopol, Crimea.

Here is a reminder for those who are just joining the Orthodox Church and still don’t know much. A kind of alphabet.

When should you be baptized?

In the temple:

It is imperative to be baptized at the moment the priest reads the Six Psalms and when the Creed begins to be chanted.

It is also necessary to make the sign of the cross at those moments when the clergyman says the words: “By the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross.”

You need to be baptized when the paremias begin.

It is necessary to be baptized not only before entering the church, but also after you leave its walls. Even when passing by any temple, you must cross yourself once.

After the parishioner venerates the icon or cross, he also mandatory must cross himself.

On the street:

Passing by anyone Orthodox church, one should be baptized for the reason that in every church in the altar, on the throne, Christ himself dwells, the Body and Blood of the Lord in the chalice, which have all the fullness of Jesus Christ.

If you do not cross yourself when passing by the temple, you should remember the words of Christ: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark. 8:38).

But, you should understand the reason why you did not cross yourself, if it is embarrassment, then you should cross yourself, if this is impossible, for example, you are driving and your hands are busy, then you should cross yourself mentally, also you should not cross yourself, if for This can become a reason for others to ridicule the church, so you should understand the reason.

At home:

Immediately after waking up and immediately before going to bed;

At the beginning of reading any prayer and after its completion;

Before and after meals;

Before starting any work.

Selected and prepared materials
Vladimir KHVOROV

The cross has many meanings in the life of an Orthodox person. On the one hand, it symbolizes the suffering that every Christian must endure humbly and completely, relying on God's will. Also, the Orthodox cross itself testifies to what kind of faith a person professes. He is the embodiment of that powerful force that can protect from attacks and demons and evil people. It is known that many miracles were performed by the sign of the cross alone, applied with great faith. And in conclusion, it is worth saying that one of the main sacraments of Orthodoxy - the Eucharist - is impossible without this symbol.

The first time a person encounters a cross is at the moment of baptism. During its completion, the baby is put on a “vest”, which will be with him all his life. But this is only an external, formal affiliation with Christianity. Orthodox man should not be limited only to this ritual. However, this is only later, and at first, how strong his faith will be in the future is influenced by the people surrounding the child and their personal example. The form is not canonically approved by the councils. The saints believed that it should be venerated by Jesus Christ himself, and not by the number of crossbars. That's why it exists in Orthodox tradition many crosses. These are four-pointed, eight- and six-pointed; petal; having a semicircle at the bottom; wedge-shaped; teardrop-shaped and others. Catholics use only a cross that has four corners and an elongated lower part. But the differences with the Orthodox cross lie not in the form, but in the content. depicts Christ too realistically; the Savior’s hands and feet are nailed with three nails, not four. The inscription on the plate is also different.

The symbolic image of the cross completely repeats its graphic design. By applying it, a person thereby shows the most holy Orthodox faith. You just need to do this accurately, concentratedly, meaningfully and earnestly. Place the three fingers of your right hand together and touch them first to the forehead, then to the stomach, and from there rise first to the right shoulder, and then to the left. At the same time, the big, middle, and middle fingers are folded together, and the little and ring fingers are pressed tightly to the palm.

The sign of the cross plays a huge role for a believer. By performing it carefully, with reverence, trembling and fear of God, he sanctifies himself. Placing the hand on the forehead clears a person's mind; lying on the stomach (or on the chest) purifies the desires of the heart and carnal feelings, placing the hands on the shoulders strengthens bodily strength.

The first three fingers (thumb, middle and index) placed together to make the sign of the cross symbolize faith in Holy Trinity, and the ring and little fingers mean faith in Christ, who is both man and God. The Most Holy Trinity is our Lord. God exists in three persons, although He is one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are all equal among themselves, since inseparably all three persons form a single Deity. There is no elder or lesser between them. And Jesus Christ is called Lord because he has Divine origin and, without ceasing to be God, lived on earth as a man.

Of course, the sign of the cross is not performed whenever one pleases. There are certain rules that indicate at what moments it should be applied. The sign of the cross must be made before any prayer and at the end of it, after the priest exclaims: “Blessed be God” during morning service. It is also appropriate when the name of the Most Holy Trinity is exalted or Holy Mother of God while reading the prayer “Most Honest...”. We must not forget to apply the sign of the cross when calling the name of the saint revered that day, at the main moments of the service (for example, when “Yours from Yours” is proclaimed).

People who have just started attending church at first do not know how to be baptized or pray correctly, and are often embarrassed by this. But there is no need to be upset, much less despondent: both knowledge and experience will definitely come with time.

Externally expressed in such a movement of the hand that it reproduces the symbolic outline of the Cross on which the Lord was crucified; at the same time, the overshadowing one expresses the inner; in Christ as the Son of God made man, the Redeemer of men; love and gratitude towards, hope for His protection from the action of fallen spirits, hope for.

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 straight, and bend the last two (ring and little fingers) 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 the consubstantial and inseparable Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God upon His incarnation, being God, became man, that is, they mean His two natures are Divine and human.

You should make the sign of the cross slowly: place it on your forehead (1), on your stomach (2), on your right shoulder (3) and then on your left (4). By lowering your right hand you can make a bow or bow to the ground.

Making the sign of the cross, we touch our fingers with three fingers folded together. forehead- to sanctify our mind, to stomach- for the sanctification of our inner feelings(), then to the right, then to the left shoulders- to sanctify our bodily powers.

About those who mark themselves with all five, or bow without having yet finished the cross, or wave their hand in the air or across their chest, the saint said: “The demons rejoice at that frantic waving.” On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed correctly and slowly, with faith and reverence, frightens demons and calms sinful passions and attracts Divine grace.

Realizing our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are waist, when we bend down to the waist, and earthly, when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our heads.

“The custom of making the sign of the cross dates back to the times of the apostles” (Complete Orthodox Theological Theological Encyclopedia Dictionary, St. Petersburg. Published by P.P. Soykin, B.G., p. 1485). During this time, the sign of the cross had already deeply entered the lives of contemporary Christians. In the treatise “On the Warrior’s Crown” (about 211), he writes that we protect our forehead with the sign of the cross in all circumstances of life: entering and leaving the house, dressing, lighting lamps, going to bed, sitting down for any activity .

The sign of the cross is not just part of a religious ceremony. First of all, it is a great weapon. The Patericon, Patericon and Lives of Saints contain many examples that testify to the real spiritual power that the image possesses.

Already the holy apostles, by the power of the sign of the cross, performed miracles. One day, the Apostle John the Theologian found a sick man lying by the road, suffering greatly from a fever, and healed him with the sign of the cross (St. Life of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. September 26).

Someone or something. There are several phraseological units denoting the action of a person making the sign of the cross: "make the sign of the cross", "make the sign of the cross", "to impose the sign of the cross on oneself", "(re)baptize"(not to be confused with the meaning of “receive the sacrament of Baptism”), as well as “to mark (sya)”. The sign of the cross is used in many Christian denominations, differing in the variants of the folding of the fingers (usually in this context the Church Slavonic word “fingers” is used: “folding of fingers”, “finger folding”) and the direction of movement of the hand.

When performing double-fingering, two fingers of the right hand - the index and middle - are joined together, symbolizing the two natures of Christ, while the middle finger turns out to be slightly bent, which means Divine condescension and incarnation. The three remaining fingers are also joined together, symbolizing the Holy Trinity; and in modern practice the end thumb rests on the pads of the other two, which cover it on top. After which, the tips of two fingers (and only them) touch the forehead, abdomen, right and left shoulders in succession. It is also emphasized that one cannot be baptized at the same time as bowing; a bow, if required, should be performed after the hand has been lowered (however, the same rule is followed in the new rite, although not so strictly).

Old Believers do not recognize triplicity, believing that the image of a cross with three fingers in honor of the Holy Trinity denotes the heresy according to which the entire Trinity, and not just the Son, suffered on the Cross. For the same reason, it is not customary to say “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” when making the sign of the cross; instead, they usually say the Jesus Prayer.

The priest, when blessing, does not use any special finger formation, but folds his hand into the same two-fingered one.

Iconography

IN Orthodox iconography a hand folded into the sign of the cross is a fairly common element. Usually clergy are depicted this way, with their hand raised for blessing, but sometimes the sign of the cross, as a symbol of confession of their faith, is also depicted on icons of saints without holy orders. Usually saints are depicted with two fingers or with a nominal finger, extremely rarely - with three fingers.

Catholicism

In the West, unlike the Orthodox Church, there have never been such conflicts regarding the folding of fingers during the sign of the cross, as in the Russian Church, and to this day there are various versions of it. Thus, Catholic prayer books, speaking about the sign of the cross, usually cite only the prayer pronounced at the same time ( In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti), without saying anything about the combination of fingers. Even Catholic traditionalists, who are usually quite strict about the ritual and its symbolism, admit the existence here various options. In the Polish Catholic community, it is customary to make the sign of the cross with five fingers, with an open palm, in memory of the five wounds on the body of Christ.

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

Priest When blessing, he uses the same finger formation as with the sign of the cross, and leads his hand in the same way as Orthodox priest, that is, from left to right.

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

Notes

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Hegumen Kirill (Sakharov): “It’s time to return to our original two-fingered sign of the cross” // Portal Credo.ru, April 30, 2009

Literature

• Uspensky B.A. The sign of the cross and sacred space: Why do Orthodox Christians cross themselves from right to left, and Catholics from left to right? - M.: Languages Slavic culture, 2004. - 160 p.
• Novitsky I. A. Oath of Stoglav. - M.: Geronica, 2010. - 192 p.

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• Kydonia (Ancient Greece)
• Chania (city)

See what the “Sign of the Cross” is in other dictionaries:

Sign of the Cross- SIGN OF THE CROSS. Outdated Sign of the cross, Christian prayer gesture. A blacksmith raised his hand to make the sign of the cross (Gogol. The Night Before Christmas). The Lord will keep him [Silver] from your hands! said Maxim, making the sign of the cross, and will not allow... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

Sign of the Cross- Perform (create) the sign of the cross - cross yourself. Make the sign of the cross (cross) - cross. In the Orthodox Church the sign of the cross is performed right hand. When making the sign of the cross, put together the thumb, index finger and... ... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference book

Sign of the Cross- an image of a cross with one’s hand on oneself or on some thing. In the primary sources of church history it is spoken of as a custom dating back to the times of the apostles. The oldest written evidence about him belongs to Tertullian and Cyprian.... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

SIGN OF THE CROSS- the cross itself main symbol for Christians, not only as an instrument of universal salvation on which Christ was crucified, but also as a constant reminder that people cannot become Christians without accepting the cross as the basis of life. “Whoever wants to follow Me... ...Russian history