Byzantine Catholic Sign of the Cross

[adawgj]

I’m curious why do byzantine Catholics make the Sign of the Cross like this :byzsoc:

I personally think it’s cool,

 

[MarcusAndreas]

That was just the oldest way of doing it and it stayed customary in the East whereas overtime in the West it was reversed.

 

[thequietsinger]

I’m curious why do byzantine Catholics make the Sign of the Cross like this :byzsoc:

I personally think it’s cool,

I found this website for you, and I think it will probably clear a few things up for you. I noticed you said Byzantine Catholics, and from the few Byzantine Catholics I know, they make the sign of the cross like the Orthodox do, though I do not know if that is correct or not, so please forgive me if I am wrong as I do not know much about Byzantine Catholics

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0129.html

 

[R_C]

That was just the oldest way of doing it and it stayed customary in the East whereas overtime in the West it was reversed.

Innocent III (12th century)

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, and from the Jews (right) He passed to the Gentiles (left).

Others, however, make the sign of the cross from the left to the right, because from misery (left) we must cross over to glory (right), just as Christ crossed over from death to life, and from Hades to Paradise. [Some priests] do it this way so that they and the people will be signing themselves in the same way. You can easily verify this — picture the priest facing the people for the blessing — when we make the sign of the cross over the people, it is from left to right.

 

[shlomo3amrooh]

That was just the oldest way of doing it and it stayed customary in the East whereas overtime in the West it was reversed.

I do not think it is the oldest way to do it. There was a thread I made about the sign of the cross in the Syriac Rites ( and someone explained the Ethiopian Rite). Both of which outdate the Byzantine rite.

 

[dzheremi]

Don’t you know that the Church started with the Byzantine and Latin empires? The rest of us are just historical cast-offs who should feel lucky that the real Christians, Latins and Greeks, even talk to us…

 

[Zekariya]

An Ancient Finger Configuration

https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1392066_583889995008712_1734288963_n.jpg

Theodoret of Cyrus (AD 393–457) writes:
“Thus does one bless with the hand and cross oneself: Holding three fingers together evenly the thumb and the last two fingers-confesses a mystery in the image of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There are not three gods, but one God in Trinity; there is a distinction of names, but one Godhead. The Father is unbegotton; the Son is begotten of the Father, yet not created; the Holy Spirit is nither begotten nor created, but proceeds. They are three in one Godhead; but one in power, one in honour, one in the adoration of all creation, angles and men. Such is the explanation of these three fingers. Joining two fingers together-the index and the middle finger-and extending them, with the middle finger slightly bent, represents the two natures of Christ: His Divinity and His Humanity. He is God according to His divinity and Man according to His hummanity, perfect in both natures. The index finger represents His divinity, while the middle finger repersents His hummanity, since He came down from on high and saved those below. The bending of the middle finger is interperted to mean that He bowed the heavens and came down upon the earth for our salvation.” (Domostroi Excerpt, chap. 13, Carolyn Johnston Pouncy, Cornell University, 1994)

Saint Peter Damascene (+ AD 775) also confirms this in his following discourse in the Philocalia:
“The holy Fathers have handed down to us the meaning of this holy sign, in order to refute heretics and unbelievers. The two fingers and the one hand then, represent then the crucified Lord Jesus Christ, who we profess as having two natures in one person. The right hand recalls His unlimited might and His sitting at the right hand of the Father. And one begins to trace it from above because of His decent from the heavens to us on earth. Furthermore, the movement of the hand from the right side to the left drives away the enemies and indicates that the Lord through His invincible might has conquered the devil who is on the left, powerless and gloomy being.” (Philocalia page 642)

 

[malphono]

Don’t you know that the Church started with the Byzantine and Latin empires? The rest of us are just historical cast-offs who should feel lucky that the real Christians, Latins and Greeks, even talk to us…

Can’t argue with that.