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In my personal opinion I think even Protestant and Evangelical Christians should make The Sign of The Cross.
I posted this in The Eastern Orthodox Section but I think it will help other Christians also:
• Theodoret (393-457 A.D.) gave the following instruction:
This is how to bless someone with your hand and Make The Sign Of The Cross over them. Hold three fingers, as equals, together, to represent the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not three gods, but one God in Trinity. The names are separate, but the Divinity one. The Father was never incarnate; the Son incarnate, but not created; the Holy Spirit neither incarnate nor created, but issued from the Godhead: three in a single Divinity. Divinity is one force and has one honor. They receive on obeisance from all creation, both Angels and people. Thus the decree for these three fingers. You should hold the other fingers slightly bent, not completely straight. This is because these represent the dual nature of Christ, Divineand human. God in His Divinity, and human in His incarnation, yet perfect in both. The upper finger represents Divinity, and the lower humanity; this way salvation goes from the higher finger to the lower. So is the bending of the fingers interpreted, for the worship of Heaven comes for our salvation. This is how you must cross yourselves and give a blessing, as the Holy Fathers have commanded.
The Sign of the Cross
Here is a story about when Cyprian (The Sorcerer) was trying to get Saint Justina (304 A.D.) to fall in love with Aglaias using demons and sorcery but Justina used The Sign of the Cross, prayer and fasting to have victory from God against them :
The Lives of Sts. Cyprian and Justina
Cyprian called Aglaias and sent him to sprinkle the house of Justina secretly with the contents of the demon's vessel. When this had been done, the demon of fornication entered the house with the flaming arrows of fleshly lust in order to wound the heart of the maiden with fornication, and to ignite her flesh with impure lust.
Justina had the custom every night to offer up prayers to the Lord. And behold, when, according to custom, she arose at the third hour of the night and was praying to God, she suddenly felt an agitation in her body, a storm of bodily lust and the flame of the fire of gehenna. In such agitation and inward battle she remained for quite a long time; the youth Aglaias came to her mind, and shameful thoughts arose in her. The maiden marveled and was ashamed of herself, feeling that her blood was boiling as in a kettle; now she thought about that which she had always despised as vile. But in her good sense Justina understood that this battle had arisen in her from the devil; immediately she turned to The Weapon Of The Sign Of The Cross, hastened to God with fervent prayer, and from the depths of her heart cried out to Christ her Bridegroom: "O Lord, my God, Jesus Christ! Behold how many enemies have risen up against me and have prepared a net in order to catch me and take away my soul. But I have remembered Thy name in the night and have rejoiced, and now when they are close about me I hasten to Thee and have hope that my enemy will not triumph over me. For thou knowest, O Lord my God, that I, Thy slave, have preserved for Thee the purity of my body and have entrusted my soul to Thee. Preserve Thy sheep, O good Shepherd; do not give it over to be eaten by the beast who seeks to devour me; grant me victory over the evil desire of my flesh."
Having prayed long and fervently, the holy virgin put the enemy to shame. Being conquered by her prayer, he fled from her with shame, and again there came a calm in Justina's body and heart; the flame of desire was quenched, the battle ceased, the boiling blood was stilled. Justina glorified God and sang a song of victory.
The demon, on the other hand, returned to Cyprian with the sad news that he had accomplished nothing. Cyprian asked him why he had not been able to conquer the maiden. The demon, even against his will, revealed the truth: "I Could Not Conquer Her Because I Saw On Her A Certain Sign Of Which I Was Afraid."
• Tertullian (160-220 A.D.) described the commonness of the sign of the cross:
“In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign ” (De corona, Chapter 3).
CHURCH FATHERS: De Corona (Tertullian)
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 A.D.) in his Catechetical Lectures stated :
“Let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are traveling, and when we are at rest”(Catecheses, 13).
CHURCH FATHERS: Catechetical Lecture 13 (Cyril of Jerusalem)
In my personal opinion I think even Protestant and Evangelical Christians should make The Sign of The Cross.
I posted this in The Eastern Orthodox Section but I think it will help other Christians also:
• Theodoret (393-457 A.D.) gave the following instruction:
This is how to bless someone with your hand and Make The Sign Of The Cross over them. Hold three fingers, as equals, together, to represent the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not three gods, but one God in Trinity. The names are separate, but the Divinity one. The Father was never incarnate; the Son incarnate, but not created; the Holy Spirit neither incarnate nor created, but issued from the Godhead: three in a single Divinity. Divinity is one force and has one honor. They receive on obeisance from all creation, both Angels and people. Thus the decree for these three fingers. You should hold the other fingers slightly bent, not completely straight. This is because these represent the dual nature of Christ, Divineand human. God in His Divinity, and human in His incarnation, yet perfect in both. The upper finger represents Divinity, and the lower humanity; this way salvation goes from the higher finger to the lower. So is the bending of the fingers interpreted, for the worship of Heaven comes for our salvation. This is how you must cross yourselves and give a blessing, as the Holy Fathers have commanded.
The Sign of the Cross
Here is a story about when Cyprian (The Sorcerer) was trying to get Saint Justina (304 A.D.) to fall in love with Aglaias using demons and sorcery but Justina used The Sign of the Cross, prayer and fasting to have victory from God against them :
The Lives of Sts. Cyprian and Justina
Cyprian called Aglaias and sent him to sprinkle the house of Justina secretly with the contents of the demon's vessel. When this had been done, the demon of fornication entered the house with the flaming arrows of fleshly lust in order to wound the heart of the maiden with fornication, and to ignite her flesh with impure lust.
Justina had the custom every night to offer up prayers to the Lord. And behold, when, according to custom, she arose at the third hour of the night and was praying to God, she suddenly felt an agitation in her body, a storm of bodily lust and the flame of the fire of gehenna. In such agitation and inward battle she remained for quite a long time; the youth Aglaias came to her mind, and shameful thoughts arose in her. The maiden marveled and was ashamed of herself, feeling that her blood was boiling as in a kettle; now she thought about that which she had always despised as vile. But in her good sense Justina understood that this battle had arisen in her from the devil; immediately she turned to The Weapon Of The Sign Of The Cross, hastened to God with fervent prayer, and from the depths of her heart cried out to Christ her Bridegroom: "O Lord, my God, Jesus Christ! Behold how many enemies have risen up against me and have prepared a net in order to catch me and take away my soul. But I have remembered Thy name in the night and have rejoiced, and now when they are close about me I hasten to Thee and have hope that my enemy will not triumph over me. For thou knowest, O Lord my God, that I, Thy slave, have preserved for Thee the purity of my body and have entrusted my soul to Thee. Preserve Thy sheep, O good Shepherd; do not give it over to be eaten by the beast who seeks to devour me; grant me victory over the evil desire of my flesh."
Having prayed long and fervently, the holy virgin put the enemy to shame. Being conquered by her prayer, he fled from her with shame, and again there came a calm in Justina's body and heart; the flame of desire was quenched, the battle ceased, the boiling blood was stilled. Justina glorified God and sang a song of victory.
The demon, on the other hand, returned to Cyprian with the sad news that he had accomplished nothing. Cyprian asked him why he had not been able to conquer the maiden. The demon, even against his will, revealed the truth: "I Could Not Conquer Her Because I Saw On Her A Certain Sign Of Which I Was Afraid."
• Tertullian (160-220 A.D.) described the commonness of the sign of the cross:
“In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign ” (De corona, Chapter 3).
CHURCH FATHERS: De Corona (Tertullian)
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 A.D.) in his Catechetical Lectures stated :
“Let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are traveling, and when we are at rest”(Catecheses, 13).
CHURCH FATHERS: Catechetical Lecture 13 (Cyril of Jerusalem)
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