How Orthodox Christians are baptized
The first three fingers of the right palm, folded together, represent the cross of the Lord, namely the cross of the Holy Spirit. The other two fingers of the right palm are the two natures of Christ: human and Divine (Christ is the Man-God). If we describe how the Orthodox are baptized in more detail, it happens like this: we fold the fingers of our right palm: the thumb, index and middle ends towards each other, symbolizing a single The other two and the little finger are pressed as tightly as possible to the palm, personifying the descent of the Son of God from heaven to the ground. When we make the sign of the cross, we press our folded fingers to four points on our body. To sanctify our mind, we apply the cross of the Lord (three fingers) to the forehead, to sanctify the heart and feelings - on the belly, to sanctify bodily strength - on the right and then on the left shoulder.
Let us consider how Orthodox Christians are baptized not during public worship. In this case, during the process of execution, it is necessary to pronounce words, consecrating a certain area of our body (as mentioned above): “In the name of the Father (we sanctify the forehead) and the Son (we sanctify the stomach), and the Holy (we sanctify the right shoulder) Spirit ( we consecrate the left shoulder). Amen,” we lower our right hand and bow.
Why do Orthodox Christians cross themselves from right to left?
The fact is that our right shoulder is heaven with saved souls, and our left shoulder is the place of the lost, hell and purgatory for demons and sinners. That is, when we are baptized, we ask God to include us in the fate of saved souls, saving us from the fate of those burning in hell.
Orthodox cross
Jesus Christ was once executed on this main symbol of Christianity. He was crucified in the name of atonement for the sins of the world. Church strength and power are concentrated in the Orthodox cross; it is an all-conquering spiritual weapon. It is believed that it is the cross that scares away various kinds of evil spirits (for example, vampires), and if it is applied to an evil spirit, it, like a brand, will burn through his skin.
People far from the church call the Orthodox cross an instrument of execution of Jesus Christ, reproaching Christians for worshiping this instrument. But this is nothing more than philistine talk. Orthodox Christians worship not the instrument of execution, but the Life-Giving Cross (symbol Eternal Life), for Jesus Christ, crucified on it, atoned for our sins with his suffering.
Immortal life
Jesus is crucified on the cross. We see it. Paradoxically, Eternal Life abides in the crucified Christ. That is why the Orthodox cross is a tree that gives life. It is not for nothing that each of us receives Christ at baptism, wearing it around our necks all our lives.
This is the personification of a weapon of spiritual warfare, a symbol of our salvation and confession. By praying and turning to the Lord, an Orthodox Christian asks God to protect him and his loved ones from illness, from enemies, from the unclean, and so on.
So, in this article we tried to briefly describe how Orthodox Christians are baptized, and also told you about the Orthodox cross and the Eternal Life that it represents. We hope you found our article useful.
The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith, so it must be performed carefully and with reverence.
To find out whether the person in front of you is Orthodox or not, you just need to ask him to cross himself, and by how he does it and whether he does it at all, everything will become clear. Remember the Gospel: “He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).
The power of the Sign of the Cross is unusually great. In the Lives of the Saints there are stories about how demonic spells were dispelled after the overshadowing of the Cross. Therefore, those who are baptized carelessly, fussily and inattentively simply please the demons.
How to make the Sign of the Cross correctly?
1) You need to put three fingers of your right hand (thumb, index and middle) together, which symbolizes the three faces of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. By joining these fingers together, we testify to the unity of the Holy Indivisible Trinity.
2)
We bend the other two fingers (little finger and ring finger) tightly to the palm, thereby symbolizing the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ: Divine and human.
3)
First, folded fingers are placed on the forehead to sanctify the mind; then on the stomach (but not lower) - to sanctify internal abilities (will, mind and feelings); after that - on the right and then on the left shoulder - to sanctify our bodily strength, because the shoulder symbolizes activity (“to lend a shoulder” - to provide assistance).
4)
Only after lowering the hand do we bow from the waist so as not to “break the Cross.” This is a common mistake - bowing at the same time as the Sign of the Cross. This should not be done.
The bow after the Sign of the Cross is performed because we have just depicted (overshadowed ourselves) the Calvary Cross and worship it.
The sign of the cross accompanies the believer everywhere. You should make the sign of the cross at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and after it ends. We cross ourselves, getting out of bed and going to bed, going out into the street and entering the Temple, venerating icons and holy relics; Before eating, we cross ourselves and sign the Sign of the Cross on the food. We are baptized when starting a new business and finishing it. One must be baptized in all important situations in life: in danger, in grief, in joy. Mothers, sending their children from home, give their maternal blessing, signing the child with the Sign of the Cross and betraying their child to God's protection. Cross of Christ sanctifies everything and everyone, and therefore the image of the believer on himself is saving and beneficial for the soul.
An Orthodox baptized person should always wear a cross!
Since the first centuries of Christianity, every believer wears the Cross on his chest, fulfilling the words of the Savior: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
(Mark 8:34).
The meaning of wearing a cross is revealed in the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:19). Sanctified pectoral cross is a symbol of faith and a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ. The cross protects from temptation and evil. Anyone who does not want to wear a cross himself rejects God’s help.
The pectoral cross can be anything: made of ordinary metal, silver, gold, or wood. Also, it is not important to have a cross on a chain or on a string - as long as it holds tightly. The main thing is that you wear it. It is desirable that the Cross be consecrated in the Church. On the back of Orthodox crosses, according to tradition, an inscription is made: "Bless and save".
You cannot wear a pectoral cross and zodiac signs (or any amulets, amulets, etc.) on the same chain - because a pectoral cross is a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ, and zodiac signs, amulets, amulets are evidence of adherence to various superstitions (you shouldn’t wear them at all) - all this is from the evil one.
An Orthodox cross must be worn on the body, under clothing, without showing it off. Until the 18th century, only Bishops had the right to wear the Cross over their clothes, and later - Priests. Anyone who dares to be like them commits the sin of self-sanctification.
The tradition of making the sign of the cross on oneself was borrowed from Byzantium. There are still debates about when such a prayer gesture was introduced into church use, but, according to the testimony of the Roman theologian Tertullian, in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. it already existed and was actively used.They crossed themselves with the cross during prayer, food and any other everyday activity. Implicitly, the gesture of the cross from right to left meant that the baptized person was completely faithful and accepted the teaching.
The meaning of the sign of the cross
But this movement also has another sacred meaning: it is believed that this particular gesture symbolizes the death on the cross by which Jesus Christ died. Thus, he seems to capture the memory of an event that happened two thousand years ago.Despite the fact that two close faiths (Orthodox and Catholics) do not dispute the importance of this sacrifice, they impose the cross in different ways: - from right to left, in Catholicism - from left to right.
And if before the split of churches in the middle of the 11th century, both methods were acceptable, then after the division and the Reformation, the latter took root.
In Orthodoxy, it is customary to cross from right to left, and to bless others from left to right. This does not contradict logic: when one person blesses another, for the latter the pattern of applying the cross remains the same - from right to left.
Cross from right to left: why?
There are several versions of this discrepancy and the correctness of the application of the Orthodox cross. For example, there is an opinion that Orthodox Christians are baptized in this way because the word “right” also means “faithful,” that is, following in the right direction.Another judgment refers to the physiological characteristics of a person: most people on the planet are right-handed and begin all actions with their right hand.
However, there are those who consider the difference to be formal and not to have anything to do with serious dogmatics.
Until the middle of the 17th century. They were baptized not only from right to left, but also with two fingers. After the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the cross was applied with three fingers, which symbolized the trinitarian nature of God.
Despite the fact that there is no single proof of the correctness or incorrectness of the imposition of the cross in a certain way not yet, it is necessary to respect church tradition and remember: in Orthodox churches The cross is applied to itself strictly from right to left.
Every Orthodox believer, offering a prayer to God, while at home or in Church, always crosses himself. But not everyone knows why this ritual is necessary and what it means. And some believers even cross themselves incorrectly, moving their hand in the wrong direction. In order to consider yourself a truly believing man or woman, you need to know the history of such a simple ritual as applying the sign of the cross to yourself, know how it is performed correctly and be aware of it secret meaning(sacraments).
Different ways to be baptized in history
The way modern Christians are baptized was not the way they were originally baptized. Even today there is no single method for choosing the number of fingers and the sequence of moving them across the body, because, for example, Catholic and Orthodox Christians have different religious traditions and they are not baptized in the same way.
Let's trace how this seemingly simple, but very important ritual changed:
- The first Christians of Jerusalem used only one finger of their hand. The touches were on the forehead, then on the chest and lips. Nothing like a cross. The ritual was performed only before the reading of the Gospel.
- After this, the believers paid attention to the image of Jesus Christ, because they noticed that His middle and index fingers were raised, and the rest were bent. We decided to cross ourselves with two fingers.
- The first Orthodox Christians were baptized like this - forehead, stomach, left shoulder, right shoulder.
- In 1551, it was decided to replace the stomach with the chest, because it is in this part of the body that the heart is located.
- In 1656, the book “Tablets” appeared in print. It suggested that it is necessary to cross with three fingers. After this reform, those who did not do so were called heretics.
- After numerous disputes and gossip, the Christian world recognized two and three finger baptisms as equally possible for the ritual.
However, the question of which shoulder after the abdomen should be touched first is still relevant for many religious men and women. Let's look into this issue as best we can.
The whole essence of the process of applying a cross to oneself
To answer the question why a believer needs to be baptized, you need to know the essence of this action and understand it. It's triple:
- Religious.
- Spiritual and mystical.
- Emotional and psychological.
The religious essence lies in the fact that a person, putting a cross on his body, identifies himself with the Christian community in which he is located, values its traditions and rituals, and often remembers earthly life Jesus Christ and tries to fulfill God's commandments.
The spiritual and mystical essence “says” that the cross has life-giving power. And the one who applies it to his body protects himself from many misfortunes and difficulties. The cross also sanctifies the one who uses it before and after prayer, as well as in all other circumstances, making a person involved in Jesus Christ.
The emotional and psychological essence of the sign of the cross is expressed in the fact that a man or woman is baptized without thinking about it. For example, when going on a long journey or to a serious event. This is how a believer wants God to save him, protect him and help him. Emotionally and psychologically, he is calmer if he performs this ritual before something important to him.
Right to left or left to right?
There is a lot of controversy about this. But it’s worth knowing that the tradition of making the sign of the cross with three fingers came to Russian soil from Byzantium. Why three fingers? Because they symbolize the trinity of God - the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. Three fingers also means the following: the forehead is the sky, the stomach is the earth, and the shoulders are the Holy Spirit, which unites all living things. From the same state came the canon of the order in which to touch the body with these three fingers. Namely - forehead, stomach, right shoulder and only then the left.
The question of which hand to do this with—the right or the left—rarely arises, but still sometimes “pops up.” Answer - only right. Even a person who is left-handed should only be baptized with his right hand.
The symbolic meaning of each gesture also needs to be known - by touching the forehead, a person agrees that at this moment his mind is sanctified, and he is able to know God's truth.
By touching the stomach, all internal organs of a person are sanctified, and by touching the shoulders, the whole body is sanctified. Why the right shoulder first and not the left? Because since ancient times it was believed that the right half human body symbolizes good, and the left symbolizes evil. An angel sits on the right shoulder, a devil sits on the left. The sequence “from right to left” cannot be changed even when baptizing another person.
How to be baptized in the Church correctly?
Orthodox Christians must be baptized according to certain rules:
- Rule 1 – Three fingers must be used.
- Rule 2 – As a sign of equality and symbolism of the Trinity, the fingers are folded at the same level.
- Rule 3 – The ring and little fingers touch the middle of the palm.
- Rule 4 – When touching the forehead, you need to say: “In the name of the Father,” to the stomach: “... and the Son...”, to the shoulders: “... and the Holy Spirit.”
This sequence should be observed not only in Church, but also at home - before meals, before bed, immediately after waking up. It is impossible to carry out the rebaptism procedure anyhow; you must strictly follow the described rules. When entering the Church, you need to be baptized three times and each time accompanied by a bow, this is how a person “says” that he believes in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for the sins of the world. Crossing should not be quick, because it needs to be done meaningfully, understanding what words are being pronounced.
You also need to be baptized in front of the icon in a certain way:
- It is necessary to choose a Saint to whom you are supposed to pray.
- Approach him and immediately cross himself.
- Light a candle if necessary.
- Pray to him and ask for what was the intention before.
- Cross yourself again
The laying on of a cross strengthens prayer if it is done for God and not for people. This is an important procedure, non-compliance with which indicates that a person does not respect church rituals and does not fear God.
You can be baptized while sitting, but only if it is really difficult to stand - you have health problems, you feel some kind of weakness. In the Church you may not be baptized at all if there is no urge within you to do so. Any religious ritual must be performed by a person voluntarily and from the heart. Otherwise, it does not have miraculous power and any special meaning, both for man and for God.
Is it possible to be baptized in a public place?
There is no clear answer to this question. Some Orthodox Christians believe that this should not be done in public, while others, on the contrary, do not hesitate to perform the ritual of rebaptism whenever they want. But God looks at the human heart and knows the thoughts of his creation. We need to remember this. Therefore, if a person is baptized in a public place simply to show his righteousness and piety, then he cannot avoid God’s punishment. If, for example, he is praying silently and he has a strong desire to cross himself as a sign that the prayer is over, he should not suppress this urge. The Holy Spirit is drawn to this.
A Christian should not be ashamed of his faith; on the contrary, he should tell everyone about how good God is and what miracles He works in the lives of ordinary people who believe in Him. The ritual of rebaptism must be performed correctly in any place - even in the subway, even in a store. You also need to be baptized correctly in a cemetery. Namely, three times before entering his territory and three times after visiting him. Why is this being done? It is believed that the procedure of rebaptism in a cemetery “asks” God for the deceased person to hear everything that the person who visited him will tell him. This is a request for hearing.
You also need to be baptized when you drive past a Church or Temple. This is how a person shows his faith and shows respect for the ministers. Some believers believe that rebaptism must be performed at a crossroads because it is a special place. But it is special more for people who practice black magic. The priests do not say that believers should perform such a ritual at the crossroads of two roads.
How to correctly perform this rite at the Baptism of the Lord?
Epiphany is a great event that is celebrated annually on January 19th. Believers prepare for this day in advance. It is considered real blasphemy to drink alcohol during this holiday and jump into an ice hole with a running start, without following the rules established for this procedure. You can plunge into the ice water only after it has been consecrated, but before that you must attend the morning service in the temple.
Baptism- This is a holy holiday. The first immersions in water were carried out by John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ. For faith in his Savior, this prophet lost his head. The ritual of rebaptism on this day is no different from the same action at any other time. You just need to do this before diving into the water, when the person is still on the ground.
What happens if you are baptized incorrectly?
Incorrect hand movements during this ritual can be dangerous. For example, priests do not approve when a believer does not bring his right hand to his stomach, but stops it at chest level. This cross is considered upside down. This is how those who were against the Church, heretics who rejected God, His Son and the Holy Spirit, were baptized.
Those who, after the forehead and stomach, move their hand first to the left shoulder and then to the right, draw the letter A on themselves, which symbolizes the Antichrist - God's enemy and His fierce adversary. Therefore, it is very important to first bring your hand to your right shoulder, and only then to your left, and not otherwise. It would seem like a small thing, but it turns out that it is not.
A few facts about the sign of the cross
The sign of the cross must be applied to oneself in the correct sequence and with the obligatory words that accompany it in the following cases:
- When leaving home, especially if you are planning a serious trip leaving the populated area.
- When you had a bad dream or imagined something.
- When blessing children when they go to school or simply leave the house for some errand.
You can be baptized wearing gloves if it is not possible to take them off, for example, outside in winter. In other cases, rebaptism should be done strictly without them.
Conclusion
The ritual of imposing the sign of the cross on oneself has great importance in the life of an Orthodox believer. In ancient times, methods of baptism replaced each other quite often. Now there is an established procedure that has not undergone any changes for a long time. It consists of certain rules and requirements - the fingers must be folded in a certain way, the movement of the right hand is made from the forehead to the stomach, then to the right shoulder and left. At the same time, you need to say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” A person who does not see special meaning and sacrament in this rite may not be baptized. It is important not to do this ostentatiously in public places, because God sees the intent with which a person puts a cross on himself.
It is necessary to be baptized not only in the Church, but when driving past it, at the sight of a passing procession from a religious procession, at home, in a cemetery - wherever the Holy Spirit prompts the believer to this action.
Moving your hand in the wrong sequence is dangerous for a person’s spiritual life, because he is no longer putting a cross on himself, but another symbol that can mean the Antichrist or something else that is contrary to Christianity and religion in general. The Feast of the Epiphany is also accompanied by applying a sign to oneself. It is performed once before direct immersion in cold water cut through. You can also be baptized while sitting, if you cannot do it standing due to illness or infirmity.
How to be baptized correctly, historical background Today's way of crossing oneself was formed over a certain period of time. Catholics and Orthodox do this differently, because they are based on slightly different religious traditions. On initial stages Since the beginning, Christians crossed themselves with one finger of their right hand, touching their forehead, chest and lips. And they did this before reading the Gospel at every Mass. A little later, they began to use several fingers and even the whole palm to cross. Looking at the image of Jesus Christ, you can see that on the icons he is represented with two fingers raised (middle and index), and the remaining phalanges are closed, so priests often use just such a gesture. When the Orthodox branch of Christianity was formed, believers began to baptize the forehead, left and right shoulders, and also the navel. Only in 1551 the navel was changed to the chest, justifying this by the presence of a heart in this part of the body. Then in 1656, in the book “The Tablet,” the statement was first put forward that one should cross oneself with three fingers, placing them on the forehead, stomach and shoulders. Anyone who did otherwise was called heretics. And only several decades later, two-finger and three-finger baptism was accepted. How to cross yourself correctly as an Orthodox Christian, from right to left or vice versa You can often hear various debates on the topic of how to cross yourself from left to right or from right to left, and how many fingers to use. The tradition of crossing oneself from right to left, touching first the forehead, then the navel and shoulders, with three fingers closed, came from Byzantium. Three-fingered means the Christian’s faith in God the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit, that is, in the Holy Trinity. This is how you can attract the grace of the Lord to yourself and your loved ones. Each gesture during baptism has a symbolic meaning: by touching the forehead, a person sanctifies his mind; By sanctifying the belly, the believer blesses all his internal organs; moving to the shoulders, the whole body is sanctified. The right shoulder always comes first, then the left. According to legend, it is the right side of a person that is the best. Angels sit on the right shoulder and to the right of the person is the entrance to heaven. The left side is perceived as hell, so the right shoulder is baptized first, then the left. Thus, the believer asks for salvation and admission to heaven. Sometimes triplets are interpreted differently: forehead - sky; belly - earth; shoulders - the Holy Spirit, which connects all living things. After the Orthodox has crossed himself, he should bow low as a sign of gratitude to the Lord for all his blessings. If you need to cross another person, for example, a child, you need to place the cross on him as if he were doing it himself. If the child is standing with his back, they cross from right to left, if he is facing - from left to right. This is exactly how the melting sign of the cross will emerge. How to be baptized correctly by an Orthodox Christian in a church, we will describe the basic rules detailed diagram How Orthodox Christians are baptized: you need to cross yourself with three fingers; three fingers - thumb, index and middle - are folded at the same level as a sign of equality. This gesture symbolizes the Trinity; The little finger and ring finger are placed on the palm. This means faith in the humanity of the Son of God; putting his fingers to his forehead, saying: “In the name of the Father”; then they descend to the stomach: “And the Son”; crossing the right and left shoulders, they finally say: “And the Holy Spirit.” Thus it happens correct procedure crossing. This is a very significant ritual. Therefore, before you carry it out anyhow, you should study why you should be baptized. You need to be baptized correctly, starting from entering the temple. They do this three times, each time accompanied by a low bow. This is how a person openly declares his faith in Jesus Christ. In addition, the believer is baptized at home, in front of icons, before going to bed and waking up in the morning, after eating and at the sight of a sacred building. Proper baptism is of great importance. You need to do this slowly and mentally turn to God. The bow after the sign should be done only when the hand is lowered, so as not to break the cross painted on the body. If the sign of the cross is made quickly, with the entire palm, it is considered blasphemy and a great sin. This shows disrespect for the Holy Father and pleases the evil spirits. Therefore, before crossing yourself, you need to mentally understand the importance of this procedure and do it as correctly as possible. May the Lord protect you! Also watch the video in which Schemamonk Joachim tells how Orthodox Christians should be baptized.
