Significance of Christ's Hands on the Cross

[tcaseyrochester]

Here is something I have always wanted to know. In the few (I live in Rochester NY) parishes in my Diocese that still have a Crucified Christ above the Altar (most here have the Resurrected Christ portrayed) several show Our Lord’s hands in a gesture with two fingers (pointer and middle) extended straight out while the thumb, ring finger and pinky are closed (like a fist) on each hand. This obviously has some meaning but I am at a loss to what it is .

Can anyone explain the significance of Jesus’ hand position on the Cross? Is this based in Scipture somewhere or is it artistic license of some kind??

 

[Mjohn1453]

The position of the hands that you indicated is the same as papal blessings. I believe it represents the two natures of Christ and the Trinity.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Somewhere I have a dim memory that the two are for the two natures of Jesus, and the three for the three Persons of the Trinity. I have no idea where I got the idea or how accurate it is.

 

[SHJ-BVM]

tcasey,

Hope this helps…

The use of the thumb alone or the single forefinger, which so long as only a small cross was traced upon the forehead was almost inevitable, seems to have given way for symbolic reasons to the use of two fingers (the forefinger and middle finger, or thumb and forefinger) as typifying the two natures and two wills in Jesus Christ. But if two fingers were to be employed, the large cross, in which forehead, breast, etc. were merely touched, suggested itself as the only natural gesture. Indeed some large movement of the sort was required to make it perceptible that a man was using two fingers rather than one. At a somewhat later date, throughout the greater part of the East, three fingers, or rather the thumb and two fingers were displayed, while the ring and little finger were folded back upon the palm. These two were held to symbolize the two natures or wills in Christ, while the extended three denoted the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. At the same time these fingers were so held as to indicate the common abbreviation I X C (Iesous Christos Soter), the forefinger representing the I, the middle finger crossed with the thumb standing for the X and the bent middle finger serving to suggest the C.

I know most don’t use this ‘position’, but it is something I’ve always done when making the sign of the cross.