Back Kruisteken Afrikaans Pagpanguros BCL Прекръстване Bulgarian Senyal de la creu Catalan Křižování (žehnání) Czech Сăхсăху CV Korsets tegn Danish Kreuzzeichen German Krucosigno Esperanto Señal de la cruz Spanish

Sign of the cross

For other uses, see Sign of the Cross (disambiguation).
"Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" redirects here. For the film, see Cross My Heart and Hope to Die (film). For other uses, see Cross My Heart.
refer to caption
The steps for making the large sign of the cross in Catholic and Protestant rites

Making the sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. There are three variants of the sign of the cross, including a large sign of the cross made across the body, a small sign of the cross traced on the forehead or objects, as well as a lesser sign of the cross made over the forehead, lips and heart.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

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.[7]

The large sign of the cross is made by the tracing of an upright cross or Greek cross across the body with the right hand, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the Trinitarian formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."[5][8][9] The movement is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one's own body, echoing the traditional shape of the cross of the crucifixion of Jesus. Where this is done with fingers joined, there are two principal forms: one—three fingers (to represent the Trinity),[10] right to left—is exclusively used by Christians who belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of the East, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Catholic Churches in the Byzantine and Syriac Christian traditions; the other—left to right to middle, other than three fingers—used by Christians who belong to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Oriental Orthodoxy. The large sign of the cross is used in some denominations of Methodism and within some branches of Reformed Christianity.

The use of the small sign of the cross has been documented in early Christianity by Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father, who wrote in AD 204 in De Corona ('On Crowns'): "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before retiring to sleep we form on our foreheads the sign of the cross."[3][11][12] Tertullian attested to the Christian practice of tracing this small sign of the cross on objects, such one's bed before sleeping.[3] It is traced on the forehead, or objects, with the thumb (sometimes using holy water or anointing oil).[1][13][4][3] The small sign of the cross is made on the forehead during the rites of baptism and the anointing of the sick in Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism.[13][14][1][15] In the Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal traditions of Christianity, the small sign of the cross is often made on the forehead of the recipient during ordinations, anointing of the sick and deliverance prayers.[16][17] Christians of various denominations have traced the small sign of the cross onto doors or windows of their dwellings as a house blessing.[18][19][20] The small sign of the cross is additionally used during certain observances, such as during the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, in which ashes are marked on the forehead of a believer using the small sign of the cross.[21][22][23]

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.[24]

  1. ^ a b c Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-89869-701-8. The BCP directs that the celebrant at baptism will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate for baptism (using chrism if desired), saying "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever" (BCP, p. 308). In the form for Ministration to the Sick the BCP directs that if the sick person is to be anointed, the priest dips a thumb in the holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead (BCP, p. 456). The BOS provides that at the admission of catechumens, each catechumen is presented by name to the celebrant who marks a cross on the forehead of each with a thumb, saying "Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead and in your heart, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
  2. ^ Lang, Jovian (1989). Dictionary of the Liturgy. Catholic Book Publishing Company. p. 585-586. ISBN 978-0-89942-273-2.
  3. ^ a b c d Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body
  4. ^ a b Guzman, Sam (22 October 2013). "Spiritual Weapons: The Sign of the Cross". The Catholic Gentleman. Retrieved 16 April 2025. A small sign of the cross can be traced on the forehead of a child or upon an object which you wish to bless.
  5. ^ a b Dalmais, Irénée Henri; Martimort, Aimé Georges (1987). Principles of the Liturgy. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-1363-4. As early as the beginning of the third century in Africa and at Rome, the making of a sign of the cross on the forehead during the rites of initiation seems already to be a traditional way of showing that the person belonged to Christ and to be regarded as a kind of invisible seal; Christians also made the sign of the cross on themselves rather frequently. It was then extended to the various senses and became an exorcistic gesture. Another form of the sign of the cross is the gesture of blessing, made either with all the fingers extended and joined or with some fingers extended and the others closed; the manner varied according to the practice of different Churches and different periods, and was also influenced by allegorical considerations; Easterners have often been accustomed to giving a blessing while holding a cross. Finally, the large sign of the cross (forehead to breast to shoulders) that is familiar to modern believers seems of relatively late origin
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ballmann2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Miller, John Desmond (7 January 2002). Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4411-1689-5. The large sign of the cross made over the body, as we make it today, originated in the East between the fifth and eighth centuries, but there is no satisfactory evidence of its use in the West until the thirteenth century.
  9. ^ "The Prayer of the Veil". Encyclopedia Coptica. 2011. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. ^ Seymour, William Wood (1898). The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art. G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 419.
  11. ^ Crock, Clement Henry (1938). Discourses on the Apostles' Creed. Joseph F. Wagner. p. 16.
  12. ^ "Why Bonhoeffer made the sign of the cross". Ortho Christian. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  13. ^ a b Cavalletti, Sofia; Coulter, Patricia; Gobbi, Gianna (15 May 2021). The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, Revised and Updated. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 978-1-61833-456-5. There is another gesture done at our Baptism, one that we know very well. [The catechist makes a small sign of the cross with her thumb on the forehead at each child.] (The children readily recognize the cross). At our Baptism the priest and also our parents and godparents make this sign on us. They use their thumb, the strongest finger to make this sign on us to show that this is meant to go deep into our heart. This sign marks us as a sheep of the Good Shepherd.
  14. ^ Naumann, Edward (31 March 2021). "Anointed for Burial". The Lutheran Witness. Retrieved 6 March 2025. During the rite of Baptism, Christians may receive a bodily anointing, when the forehead is anointed with oil in the sign of the cross. This bodily anointing likewise signifies our incorporation into Christ.
  15. ^ "Order for the Blessing of the Sick". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 6 March 2025. 394 A lay minister traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of each sick person and says the following prayer of blessing.
  16. ^ "Anointing Oil". Alfred Street Baptist Church. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  17. ^ "An Order for the Celebration of Holy Communion in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Home Visits" (PDF). Methodist Church of New Zealand. p. 2. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Anointing oil". Missionaries Of Prayer. 18 September 2020. ...take the anointing oil and over every window and door to your house just put the sign of the cross in the corner of it.
  19. ^ "How to Bless and Anoint Your Home/Property". Melchizedek Church of God. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  20. ^ Stephen Joseph Rossetti (1 January 2024). "7 Powerful Sacramentals of the Church for Spiritual Warfare". Catholic Ace. Retrieved 6 March 2025. Then I took exorcized oil and made a sign of the cross on the door, windows, and lintels.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference RCA2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lipin2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Methodist2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Ayto, John (8 July 2010). Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780199543786.

Rich TVX News Network Site

Rich TVX News Network Info

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search