The Sign of the Cross
A small gesture traced on the body that marks a Christian as belonging to the Crucified
From the earliest centuries, Christians traced a cross over themselves or others as a sign of blessing, protection, and belonging. Tertullian already describes it as a familiar daily habit. The gesture remains central in Catholic, Orthodox, and Oriental practice, though details differ: the East signs right-to-left and the West left-to-right, and finger arrangements vary. Many Reformed and Free Protestant churches set the custom aside as non-essential.
How it traveled
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Catechetical Lectures of S. CyrilJerusalem · 386explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The ConfessionsHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Ecclesiastical History of SozomenConstantinople (Istanbul) · 450explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
Key passages(20)
The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen · Sozomen
The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen · Sozomen
The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom · John Chrysostom
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90) · Thomas Aquinas
Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died · Lactantius
The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril · Cyril of Jerusalem
The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen · Sozomen
The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen · Sozomen
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
John of Damascus: Exposition of the Orthodox Faith · John of Damascus
On the Catechising of the Uninstructed · Augustine of Hippo
The Confessions · Augustine of Hippo
The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret · Theodoret of Cyrus
The Life of Paulus the First Hermit · Jerome