Byzantine Church Etiquette

[Apotheoun]

[size="3"][b]How Byzantine Christian Make the Sign of the Cross[/b][/size]

We make the Sign of the Cross by touching:

1. our Head,

2. then our Heart,

3. then our RIGHT Shoulder

4. and then our Left Shoulder.

Then we make a bow. (We generally always make a bow when crossing ourselves.)

The entire gesture is called a "Reverence".

We touch the Right Shoulder first (i.e. before the left) in order to symbolise Christ, Who sits at the Right Hand of God. This is the most ancient manner of making the Sign of the Cross, a practice not only used by Byzantine Christians, but also preserved by Church which has retained the most primitive and original liturgical rites - the Great Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East (which uses the Chaldean rite).

We make the Sign of the Cross with the right hand held thusly: [img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/handcruxsign_illu.jpg[/img]

1. The first three fingers together (symbolising the Oneness of the 3 Persons of the All-Holy Trinity

2. The remaining two fingers are tucked down into the palm.

These 2 remaining fingers represent the 2 Natures of the Christ [Divine and Human]. The placing of these 2 fingers down into the palm symbolises the descent of the Word into our world, i.e. the Holy Incarnation.

Bows and "Reverences"

There are 3 types of Reverences that are customary in the Byzantine Tradition.

1. The Full Reverence. We Cross ourselves, then we drop to our knees and put our foreheads to the ground. (Often referred to as a "Prostration")

2. The Small Reverence. (a.k.a. the "Waist Reverence) We Cross ourselves, then we bow from the waist.

3. There is a 3d Reverence that is Very common (albeit without formal recognition apparently). We Cross ourselves, then we touch the ground with the right hand.

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/poklon_illu.jpg[/img]

Rubrics for Reverences:
When to Cross & When not.

You will notice that at times during Divine Services the Faithful:

-all make a Reverence

-never make a Reverence

-Bow their heads without Crossing themselves.

And there are times when some of the people make a Reverence and others do not.

The Reverence is Prayer and/or Praise in physical form. Thus when in other Traditions, people are moved, or are moved to sing "Halleluia" or shout "Amen" or drop to their knees in worship or raise their hands in praise, in the Orthodox Tradition, we make a Reverence. Thus at one level, it is a matter of personal devotion, made when one feels moved.

But we NEVER Cross ourselves when:

-the Priest blesses us, making the Sign of the Cross over us with his hand saying: "Peace be with You/All."

-here it is proper to Bow one's head in order to Receive the Blessing. (Logically, there is no need to Cross oneself, when the Priest has already signed us with the Cross.)

We generally always make a Reverence during Services:

-when we hear the Trinity: e.g. "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"

-at the beginning: e.g. "Blessed be the Kingdom..."; "Blessed be our God..."; "Glory to the Holy, Consubstantial..."

-when the Priest invokes a blessing and Crosses himself, e.g. at the end of Services: "May Christ our true God....have mercy on us and save us for He is good and ...." (Thus just as he crosses himself, so we too cross ourselves.)

Outside of Divine Services, we generally make a Reverence:

-when entering and leaving Church

-when we begin a prayer

-when venerating Icons and other sacred objects

The "Full Reverence" (sometimes called a "Prostration") is more proper to the Fast Seasons (given that it is a kind of Kneeling).

-It is never made on Sundays (which begins with Great Vespers on Saturday evening) - since kneeling is forbidden on Sundays.

-It is never made between Pascha and Pentecost (since all kneeling is prohibited).

-It is made many times during the Great Fast, e.g. during the Presanctified Liturgy.

The Priest's Blessing

The Priest will bless with the Sign of the Cross:
The Priest's hand is held to form his fingers into the Christogram “ICXC” a traditional abbreviation of the Greek words for “Jesus Christ” (i.e., the first and last letters of each of the words “IHCOYC XPICTOC”).

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/blessgicxc_illu.jpg[/img]

Thus, the Priest’s blessing is in the Name of Christ, as he emphasizes in his response to the believer’s request for a blessing.

Historic Note: This is actually the most ancient manner of making the sign of the Cross and was used by lay people as well when they blessed themselves. In the Churches of Rus', the Tradition was only replaced by the present innovation relatively recently during the Nikonian Reforms. Of course, this ancient manner is still retained by the "Old Believers", who did not accept the innovation of the present Tradition.

"Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me your statutes!"



Taken from: [url="http://saintelias.com/ca/etiquette/sign.php"]Saint Elias Church[/url] website

Click the link above for more interesting and useful information.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='13 February 2010 - 12:15 PM' timestamp='1266088505' post='2056511']
[size="3"][b]How Byzantine Christian Make the Sign of the Cross[/b][/size]

We make the Sign of the Cross by touching:

1. our Head,

2. then our Heart,

3. then our RIGHT Shoulder

4. and then our Left Shoulder.

Then we make a bow. (We generally always make a bow when crossing ourselves.)[/quote]
I was taught to make the Sign of the Cross somewhat differently by my Russian Orthodox friends. Here is how they told me to make it:

Make the Sign of the Cross by touching:

1. Your head,

2. then your belly,

3. then your right shoulder,

4. and then your heart (i.e., your left breast).

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Very interesting. Obviously Latin Rite Catholics have our own valid customs, but I see no reason we could not incorporate some of these into ours (such as the three fingers up, two finger down while making the Sign of the Cross).

As for crossing ourselves when a priest blesses us, obviously it is not to bless ourselves, but I think in that instance it is more a way of making us aware of being blessed. We sort of "trace" the path of the blessing.

[Apotheoun]

Latins should do what is normative for their Church.

I posted the weblink simply to help people who may at some point visit a Byzantine Church.

[laetitia crucis]

I cross myself holding my hand like this:

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/handcruxsign_illu.jpg[/img]

Not sure if I learned it anywhere, but I always thought it was just more comfortable that way. Then later on I found out about the meaning -- just beautiful and profound.


And this, I think is just AWESOME:

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/blessgicxc_illu.jpg[/img]

I wish all priests blessed that way... just AWESOME.

[jeffpugh]

I know someone who goes to St. Elias perish. He's changing from the Roman Church to the Ukrainian. Their music is pretty awesome. So is their church building, actually. Very orthodox perish.

[Apotheoun]

2009 Paschal Matins in Christ the Savior Sobor, Moscow:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHiErY9kROE[/media]

The video is over 50 minutes long.

You will note that most people end the sign of the cross over their heart, and this signifies the spiritual truth that the Holy Spirit resides in our heart, thus making it the Throne of God in each person.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='13 February 2010 - 02:19 PM' timestamp='1266092342' post='2056547']
I cross myself holding my hand like this:

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/handcruxsign_illu.jpg[/img]

Not sure if I learned it anywhere, but I always thought it was just more comfortable that way. Then later on I found out about the meaning -- just beautiful and profound.


And this, I think is just AWESOME:

[img]http://saintelias.com/foto/small/blessgicxc_illu.jpg[/img]

I wish all priests blessed that way... just AWESOME.
[/quote]
Speaking of hand shapes, did you read the NLM article recently about the gesture of benediction?

[Veridicus]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='13 February 2010 - 01:15 PM' timestamp='1266088505' post='2056511']
[size="3"][b]How Byzantine Christian Make the Sign of the Cross[/b][/size]

We make the Sign of the Cross by...
.....
Click the link above for more interesting and useful information.
[/quote]

+1 & Bookmarked for when I attend that Ruthenian Church in Indianapolis here in a few months.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='13 February 2010 - 05:56 PM' timestamp='1266098191' post='2056633']
Speaking of hand shapes, did you read the NLM article recently about the gesture of benediction?
[/quote]

I just looked it up and read it. Good article! However, it looks to me like a lot of the popes are doing a hybrid of the two hand gestures... maybe it's a sign of arthritis? (Except for JPI -- his looks pretty spot on!)

[laetitia crucis]

P.S. -- If anyone else wants to read the article, here it is:

[url="http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/02/latin-gesture-of-benediction-history-in.html"]The Latin Gesture of Benediction: A History in Images and a Plea for a Return[/url]

[Apotheoun]

[url="http://saintelias.com/ca/etiquette/liturgy.php"]A Survival Guide to Divine Liturgy[/url]

[Apotheoun]

A shorter video which shows the Russian Patriarch making the sign of the cross:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbF5OunwKAo[/media]

[rhetoricfemme]

Thank you for posting this! Very interesting and informative.

[Veridicus]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='13 February 2010 - 04:11 PM' timestamp='1266099100' post='2056641']
However, it looks to me like a lot of the popes are doing a hybrid of the two hand gestures... maybe it's a sign of arthritis?
[/quote]

The "Pontiff's Wave" or "[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_of_benediction"]Hand of Benediction[/url]" is actually a slang medical term for the shape of the hand when the Median Nerve is damaged in the arm.