Last updated the 30th of May, 2008 (according to the new style reckoning).

Sign of the Cross

Those Orthodox who changed the way they made the sign of the cross did so after Russia converted to Orthodoxy, or Russia would have been identical to them. As to an exact date that the apostates changed would be practically impossible to know, it would have taken time to make such an adjustment. It cannot be pinned down as to exactly the date when the Pope’s church changed its sign of the cross to something akin to the waving of a magical hand, but we can clearly understand that they did. So it is with the way of Constantinople and the rest as well. It would be a good conclusion, I believe, that the start of the change occurred at least a couple centuries after the conversion of Russia, for Constantinople had been sending teachers and overseers to Russia. Russia did confirm that they were taught correctly from the first, this is good enough for me. So it would be safe to say, that based upon the many ancient ikons, and the timing of the Great Apostasy from Orthodoxy in Constantinople, Asia Minor, the Balkans and Middle East, that the heresy and corruption of the form of the hand in the sign of the cross began after the sacks of Constantinople (thru 1204 AD). For it is well known that the victors always force their influence upon those they conquer.The most honest and accurate history shows clearly that it was the heretical Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) who directed that the sign of the cross be made with three fingers extended. There just is not enough evidence for any influence prior, so this is as close as we can get to finding the source the confusion.

o From the book, “in the shadow of Antichrist” by David Scheffel, p.141, we have this reference:

“Any version of the wrong sign is seen as a derivative of the Latin-inspired three-finger sign introduced by Nikon…The Old Believers interpret this configuration as an attempt…at replacing holy with unholy trinity. The latter is seen as consisting of the apocalyptic beast, snake and antichrist, represented also by the three numerals 666. The view that the Nikonites and other pseudo-Christians sign themselves with a symbol of the devil is further strengthened by the association of the troepersite with tobacco snuffing…”

o On the left here is a print called “Rabbi: The Pinch of Snuff” from http://www.masterworksartgallery.com/chagall/chagall32.html

On the right is a typical Nikonite example from one of their “educational” web sites.

o Even Timothy Ware admits that the Old Believers keep the ancient custom; saying, “The Greek form with three fingers was more recent than the Russian form with two: why should the Russians, who remained loyal to the ancient ways, be forced to accept a “modern” Greek innovation?” from his famous book The Orthodox Church.

o Constantine, the secretary, read from a, book handed him by Aetius, the archdeacon; Canon Six of the 318 holy Fathers. “Let the ancient customs prevail, those of Egypt,…” The First Ecumenical Council

o Here is an account from Avvakum of his being before patriarchs during the year 1667, ‘Gudzy, Zhitie’ p. 101. English translation in “Zenkovsky, Epics, Chronicles, and Tales” p.363. (The reference to the five-finger sign of the cross is another way of describing the two-finger sign.)

The last word they said to me was, “Why are you stubborn? All of Palestine – and the Serbs, the Albanians, the Wallachians, the Romans and the Poles – all of them cross themselves with the three fingers and only you remain obstinate and make the sign with five fingers. That is not fitting!” And I answered them for Christ as follows: “Ecumenical teachers! Rome has long since fallen and lies prostrate, and the Poles perished with them, and are the enemies of Christians to the end. Among you Orthodoxy has become mottled because of the violence of Mehmet the Turk – and one must not be amazed at you: you have become powerless. And so henceforth, come to us to study, for, by the grace of God, we have autocracy. Before Nikon the apostate, in Russia, under our pious princes and tsars, Orthodoxy was complete, pure and undefiled and the church without uproar. Nikon, that wolf, and the Devil ordered us to cross ourselves with three fingers: but our first pastors crossed themselves with five fingers and likewise gave their blessing with five fingers according to the tradition of the holy fathers, Meletius of Antioch, the blessed Theodorite, Bishop of Cyrene, Peter of Damascus and Maxim the Greek. Likewise the local council of Moscow under Tsar Ivan ordered us to cross ourselves and give the blessing, putting our fingers together in that way, to make the sign of the Cross and give the blessing, as of old the Holy Fathers Meletii and others taught. Then in the time of Ivan the Tsar, there were the standard-bearers, Gurii and Varsanofii, wonder-workers of Kazan’, and Filipp the Abbot of Solovki among the Russian Saints.”

o In addition we can see that the oldest icons confirm the correct practice. On the left is the oldest icon of Christ and which is currently in St. Catherine’s at Sinai. The one on the right is from Constantinople, where Russia received her holy faith.

o Besides the two icons above there are many other good old examples showing the proper form of the hand. Look around and you can find many yourself. I have added another page of Icon Examples in order to assist you.

o There is this dogmatic explanation by Theodoret:

“This is how to bless someone with your hand and make the sign of the cross over them. Hold three fingers, as equals, together, to represent the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not three gods, but one God in Trinity. The names are separate, but the divinity one. The Father was never incarnate; the Son incarnate, but not created; the Holy Spirit neither incarnate nor created, but issued from the Godhead: three in a single divinity. Divinity is one force and has one honor. They receive one obeisance from all creation, both angels and people. This is the decree for those three fingers. You should hold the other two fingers slightly bent, not completely straight. This is because these represent the dual nature of Christ, divine and human. God in His divinity, and human in His incarnation, yet perfect in both. The upper finger represents divinity, and the lower humanity; this way salvation goes from the higher finger to the lower. So is the bending of the fingers interpreted, for the worship of Heaven comes down for our salvation., This is how you must cross yourselves and give a blessing, as the holy fathers have commanded.”

(Domostroi Excerpt, chap. 13, ed. and transl. by Carolyn Johnston Pouncy, Cornell University, 1994)

o We can see that Church council, The Stoglav of 1551, likewise instructs in the correct understanding on this point:

CHAP. 31. The sign of the cross must be made according to the rules, in the form of a cross; and the right hand, that is, the dextral hand, must be used in crossing oneself, with the thumb and the two lower fingers joined together, and the extended index finger joined to the middle finger, slightly bent; thus should prelates [and] priests give their blessing and thus should men cross themselves. . . . It befits all Orthodox Christians to hold their hand thus, and to make the sign of the cross upon their face with two fingers, and to bow, as we said before. If anyone should fail to give his blessing with two fingers, as Christ did, or should fail to make the sign of the cross with two fingers, may he be accursed. . . .

o There are Saint’s known for being found with an incorrupt hand of the Old Faith sign of the cross. The cruel Patriarch Joachim (1674-90) was so fanatical that he de-canonized St. Anna Kashinsky (+1337; canonized 1649) when in 1678 the Old Believers began using her as a good example to say that the Greeks were peculiar in their practice.

o The Book of Answers, by Barbara Berliner says that the practice of people crossing their fingers for a good outcome “May have evolved from the sign of the cross, which was believed to ward off evil.” The best form of the cross that would apply to this would be the Old Believer practice.

o Bede: “The antichrists, the heretics, though they invoke the name of Christ and make the sign of the Cross, they are nevertheless of the world; they savor worldly things” [Commentary on 1 John, 202]

o Below we can also see a sketch shown from a Nikonite source, a pamphlet by St. John of Kronstadt Press titled Vatican and Russia… which proves Nikon wrong. It shows an old Patriarch martyr blessing the good Old Orthodox way.

o Another very important point to make is that the Nikonite heretics put all three persons of the Trinity on the cross with their three fingers. The good Old Believers have believed this to be heresy from its inception, they correctly place the two natures of the Lord on cross with their two fingers. Here is a link to a video on Google: The Old Believers - Treasures of the Library of Congress

o The same position of the Old Believer fingers was in standard use during the Roman Senate as an indication to others that what the Senator was about to say or do was sacred and thus called for perfect attention, reverence and silence.

There are many other teaching and instruction manuals which give

this very same explanation of how Christians have always,

everywhere practice this rightly in the same manner;

as time allows I will be adding more of this content.

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