What does it mean to be baptized. How Orthodox Christians are baptized

Today, in our hectic life, people often make the sign of the cross without hesitation, automatically. This is wrong, because the church has established certain canons that must be observed. Read on to find out how to properly baptize Orthodox Christians.

History and meaning of the sign of the cross

The tradition of rebaptism originated with the beginning of the development of Christianity. Initially, believers used only the index right finger, touching it with the forehead, chest, and then the mouth. The setting was performed before the reading of the Holy Scripture during each church service. A little later, they began to be baptized with several fingers, and sometimes with a whole hand.

Baptismal rules for Orthodox Christians

After the emergence of Orthodoxy, Christians began to cross over in the following way: forehead, left, right shoulder, stomach. In the middle of the 16th century, the navel was replaced by the breast, since that is where the heart is located. A century later, the church officially introduced the trinity, and those who did not adhere to this canon were recognized as heretics. However, on the holy faces of the Savior it is clear that He blesses the worldly people with two fingers raised up. This gesture was allowed a little later, and today it is used only by clergy during masses.

The deep meaning of rebaptism lies in the history of Christ. By accepting martyrdom through crucifixion, Jesus made the Cross a sacred weapon against evil forces. With its help, we can resist the devil, gain God's grace, strengthen faith and overcome base passions. By making the sign of the cross, we become closer to the Lord. This ritual should be performed in such cases:

before the beginning of the prayer, and then after it ends;
going to go to the temple;
kissing holy relics or other Orthodox shrines;
starting and ending a meal;
bypassing a church or monastery;
leaving the house;
if you had a nightmare;
blessing your children;
at a happy or sad event.

Video "How to be baptized?"

This video is about making the sign of the cross.

Correct baptismal position

Every parishioner knows how to hold his hand in order to cross himself correctly. The little finger and ring finger should be pressed to the palm. Such a gesture symbolizes the divine essence of the Savior, closely connected with his human nature. The remaining fingers must be folded together, touching the pads so that they are at the same level. This position signifies the Holy Trinity.

Proper application of the sign of the cross

The movement of the hand, drawing an invisible figure from the forehead, across the stomach, and then to the shoulders, came to us from Byzantine times. These gestures did not appear by chance - each of them has its own meaning:

touching the forehead with the fingers, the layman illuminates the mind;
touching the navel, he blesses his insides;
overshadowing the shoulders - sanctifies himself completely.

According to Christian traditions, it is customary to be baptized from right to left. The Orthodox Church calls the right side of a person the best, since it is behind it that the angels stand, and also the Gates of Paradise are located. But on the left is hell - the halls of the devil and dark forces.

Bringing your fingers to your forehead, you should say "In the name of the Father." Together with the next movement, they say "And the Son." They complete the sign of the cross with the words "And the Holy Spirit." Having finished the ritual, it is customary to bow, thanks to this gesture of the Creator for His goodness.

Proper application of the sign of the cross

How to be baptized Orthodox Christians

The main rule of re-baptism is to do it thoughtfully, to the point, observing all church canons.

In an Orthodox church or church

Before going inside the cathedral, you must stop at the main gate and make the sign of the cross three times, ending each with a bow from the waist. By doing this, the believer recognizes the Almighty as the one God in whom he believes.

You need to bow only when the hand with which they are baptized goes down so as not to violate the integrity of the drawn cross.

Approaching the icon, you need to cross yourself again, and then light a candle near the icon. After reading the prayer and talking with the saint, you should again carry out the setting. After bowing, you can leave the temple.

During the service of the clergy

Praying with the rest of the parishioners during worship, you should not demonstrate fanaticism. The priest, reciting prayers and psalms, himself shows when it is necessary to lay a cross or bow.

If the spiritual person is rebaptized, it is necessary to repeat this ritual with him. If not, you need to carefully listen to the chant. It is customary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross with admiration after the words: “Lord have mercy”, “Amen”, “In the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit.” By bowing their heads, Russian Orthodox express their reverence to the Creator, complete obedience to Him.

During home prayer

Personalization is an integral part of any prayer. At home, the ritual is carried out in much the same way as in the temple. You need to approach the icon, cross yourself with a bow, light a candle or lamp. After talking with the saint, you should again lay a cross on yourself and bow your head. Only after the completion of the ritual can you move away from the shrine.

When conducting services by clergy In front of icons During home prayer

On the street and in transport

For residents of Orthodox countries, it is considered normal to make the sign of the cross at the sight of a church or other Christian shrine. As a rule, almost no one pays attention to believers who are baptized in a public place. Therefore, if there is a desire to lay a cross, there is no need to be ashamed of anyone. Such a gesture is equivalent to a smile given to a loved one or friend. However, when visiting states with a different religion, it is better to refrain from the usual rituals.

How to baptize another person

When visiting a church, we often see how a priest blesses the parishioners with a statue setting. He carries out the movement from left to right, depicting a mirror image. With this gesture, he bestows God's grace, and therefore, before any undertaking, it would be useful to turn to his spiritual mentor.

A worldly person can also baptize his loved one, but this will no longer be a blessing. As a rule, they overshadow with a cross for protection or God's help. Do this with three fingers, from left to right. The church does not prohibit the ritual if gloves are worn on the hand or plaster is present. The main thing is to make the sign of the cross measuredly, understanding its whole meaning, bringing each movement to the end.

Some priests express the opinion that it is possible to cross mentally, but this is still a physical process, and therefore it is better to pray for your neighbor.

The priest blesses the parishioners with the setting

Can an unbaptized person be baptized?

Church canons do not prohibit an unchurched person from being baptized. Moreover, this practice has existed since early Christian times, when those preparing for Baptism had the right to attend services and read prayers. However, at the same time, they could not remain at the Sacraments or be participants in the Divine Liturgy. It could last from 40 days to several years. All this time, the priest was looking to see if the layman was ready to accept God or not. Today, you can even put a cross on an unbaptized child so that the Lord protects his soul.

When not to be baptized

It is necessary to make the sign of the cross only on business, with a full understanding of what is happening. It is impossible to perform several processes at the same time and remain conscious. Therefore, you should not cross if you are driving a car or if your hands are simply busy. Having a great desire or need to lay a cross, it is better to do this at the end of the case.

Often a person makes an unacceptable mistake - he is baptized automatically, simply because it is customary. From the point of view of the church, this is a sin, since the ritual is performed carelessly, on the go. For the imposition to be beneficial, the soul, heart, mind, and physical body must be one. Just as it is impossible to cut vegetables with a sharp knife while watching TV, so it is impossible to turn to God secondary. Also, do not use the imposition of a cross for a bunch of words or out of habit, in passing.

Orthodox and Catholics understand the essence of the sign of the cross differently.

Pius V at prayer. He pointed out: "The one who blesses himself ... makes a cross from the forehead to the chest and from the left shoulder to the right"

Catholics were allowed to be baptized in either of these two ways for a long time, until Pope Pius V instructed them to do so in 1570. from left to right and nothing else. With such a movement of the hand, the sign of the cross, according to Christian symbolism, is considered to come from a person who turns to God. And when moving the hand from right to left - coming from God, who blesses the person. It is no coincidence that both Orthodox and Catholic priests cross those around them from left to right (looking away from themselves). For the one standing in front of the priest, it is like a blessing gesture from right to left.

Catholics usually cross with all five fingers as a sign of "sores on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ" - two on the hands, two on the legs, one from the spear.

Besides, moving the hand from left to right means moving from sin to salvation, since the left side in Christianity is associated with the diabolical, and the right side with the divine.

In Orthodoxy after Nikon's reform three fingers accepted : three fingers are folded together (symbolism of the Trinity), two fingers are pressed to the palm (two natures of Christ - divine and human). Wherein, the sign of the cross from right to left is interpreted as the victory of the divine over the devil.

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Often a dilemma arises before people who have recently embarked on the path of churching: how is it right for Orthodox Christians to be baptized? Why is this needed?

Where did the tradition of making the sign of the cross come from? Is it correct to baptize with the right hand or with the left? And is it possible to overshadow oneself with two fingers?

In Orthodoxy, the sign of the cross made according to all the rules shows our sincere faith. It is always necessary to be baptized respectfully, with reverence.

Alas, many do it wrong, not understanding the meaning of the sign of the cross and not attaching much importance to their actions. There are examples in history from the lives of saints that tell of amazing miracles performed by the power of the Cross. When baptized incorrectly, a person shows his disrespect for God.

How to be baptized Orthodox in the church

The Orthodox faith carries a deep meaning, and all actions in it have special meanings. This also applies to the overshadowing of oneself with the cross. The imposition of the sign of the cross means the Cross on which the Lord was crucified. By doing it, we do not just follow the tradition, but protect ourselves from evil and drive away unclean spirits.

Initially, the ancient Christians were baptized with one finger, then several and even the whole palm. In the sixteenth century, two-fingering was adopted. And around the seventeenth century, baptism with three fingers was established.

Sometimes neophytes think: how to cross yourself - from right to left or vice versa? Which hand? Over which shoulder? Three fingers or two?

Now for the church, the canonical is three-fingered. Why three fingers? Three fingers shows the unity of the Lord in three persons. The Holy Trinity united into one, incarnated in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The sign of the cross should be made strictly from right to left. To cross you need:

close three fingers of the right hand together;
the remaining fingers, bending, lower into the palm. They point to the dual origin of Jesus Christ as the God-man;
now say: "In the name of the Father" and put your fingertips on your forehead;
touch the womb (belly), saying: "And the Son" ;
move fingers to the right shoulder, saying - "And the Saint" ;
touch your left shoulder and say - "Spirit" ;
end with a bow, saying - "Amen" .

How to be baptized Orthodox in front of the icon

Few understand how to cross themselves when praying near the icon.

Approaching the icon, you need to respectfully cross yourself twice, then put a candle and only then venerate the holy image and cross yourself again, for the third time.

How to properly baptize another person

If you need to bless another person before a long journey or a difficult exam, then the sign of the cross is performed in the same way as if the person crossed himself.

Regardless of which side, back or face to you is a person. Everything looks the same.

An Orthodox Christian always baptizes relatives or guests leaving the house in the back so that the Lord does not leave them on the way.

How correctly and in what cases it is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross

A believer makes the sign of the cross before entering and leaving the temple, during prayer approaching everything holy (to a cross or an icon), before leaving the house, before going to bed, and in any dangerous situation.

You should also be baptized before and after meals. And of course, any important business should begin and end with prayer.

The teaching of the Orthodox Church says that the cross is the strongest weapon against dark forces. If applied in faith, the cross will drive away evil and help to cope with problems.

Therefore, believing Christians try to resort to this Divine help as often as possible, along with prayer and a pectoral cross, which is always worn with them under their clothes.

Along with church prayer, an Orthodox Christian is given the sign of the cross to help. Performed with sincere faith and heartfelt prayer, it truly can work wonders, which has many documented evidence. Unfortunately, many people, especially at the beginning of their churching, make the sign of the cross incorrectly and do not understand its meaning at all. So how do Orthodox believers need to be baptized correctly?

Symbolism of the cross banner

In Orthodoxy, all actions are filled with deep meaning and always have a symbolic meaning. And, of course, the sign of the cross in particular. Orthodox Christians, along with representatives of some other Christian denominations, believe that by signing themselves with the cross, they drive away all unclean spirits and protect themselves from evil.

How to be baptized

In order to cross yourself, you need to fold the three fingers of your right hand into a pinch, and press the remaining two fingers to the inside of the palm. This position of the fingers is not accidental - it tells us about the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, of his own free will, suffered for the salvation of every person. Three folded fingers together - this is the trinity of God in the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). The Trinity is one, but at the same time it has three separate incarnations. Two fingers pressed to the hand testify to the dual origin of Christ - he is both God and man.

In order to cross correctly, a person first brings his hand to his forehead and says “In the name of the Father”, then the hand falls on the stomach with the words “And the Son”, then comes the right shoulder “And the Holy One” and the left shoulder “Spirit”. At the end, a bow is made and the word "Amen" is pronounced.

This formulation, again, reveals the nature of God. All three hypostases of the Holy Trinity are mentioned, and the word "Amen" at the end affirms the truth of the Divine Trinity.

In itself, the imposition of the sign of the cross on a person symbolizes the Cross of the Lord, on which he was crucified. By His crucifixion, death and resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ made the instrument of shameful execution an instrument for the salvation of human souls. That is why Orthodox Christians have long used this gesture as a symbol of participation in the death of the Lord, and then His resurrection.

About the Lord Jesus Christ:

Historical reference

The banner of the cross has been used by Christians from the very beginning of the birth of faith. After the Resurrection of Christ, the first confessors of the faith put on themselves the symbol of the instrument of his execution with one finger, as if wishing to show their readiness to be also crucified for the Lord.

Later, at various periods of time, there were customs to be baptized with several fingers, as well as with the whole palm. At the same time, they touched the eyes, lips, forehead - the main human senses, in order to sanctify them.

Important! With the spread of the Orthodox faith among Christians, it became customary to be baptized with two fingers of the right hand, overshadowing the forehead, stomach and shoulders.

Around the 16th century, the practice of covering the chest instead of the stomach spread, since it is in the chest that the heart is located. A century later, the rule was formed and consolidated to be baptized with three fingers of the right hand, putting them again on the stomach, instead of the chest. It is this method that is used by the Orthodox to this day.

Interesting! Adherents of the old rite of church worship (Old Believers) still practice double-fingered application.

Where and how to use the sign of the cross

Everyone who considers himself a believing Christian should treat the banner of the cross with great reverence. In addition to great help, it also carries a deep spiritual meaning. By overshadowing himself with the cross, a person shows his will to be a partaker of our Lord Jesus Christ in his death, and then in the Resurrection.

sign of the cross

Based on this, one should always be baptized attentively and with prayer. If this happens at a service in a church, all prayers and significant parts of the service begin and end with the sign of the cross. It is also customary to be baptized at the mention of the names of the Lord God, the Most Holy Theotokos, saints.

How to be baptized? (About the sign of the cross). Cross sign. It is correct to be baptized: from the bottom up, otherwise baptism is invalid and God will not accept. So how to be baptized, and how to be baptized correctly, how are the Orthodox baptized?

Three fingers are used by all Orthodox people, and the priests, blessing, fold their fingers into a nominative finger composition.

In the Orthodox Church, there are two types of the sign of the cross: two-fingered and three-fingered. Three folded fingers together are a symbol of the Holy Trinity. In order to properly baptize, the hand that depicts the cross first touches the right shoulder.

Unfortunately, many today still do not know how to be baptized, despite the fact that more and more people began to turn their eyes to God again, go to Orthodox churches and monasteries, thereby returning to faith.

Very often one has to see - believing people, who have been attending services for many years, are baptized completely incorrectly ... One of them waves his hand around him, as if driving away flies; the other folded his fingers into a pinch, and it seems that he does not make the sign of the cross, but sprinkles himself with salt; the third - with all his might drives his fingers into the forehead, like nails. What can we say about the most common mistake, when the hand does not reach the shoulders, lowering it somewhere near the neck. A trifle? Trivia? Formalities? No way. It is necessary to know how to be baptized in the church by Orthodox believers.

Even St. Basil the Great wrote: “In the Church, everything is fine and according to order, let it happen.” The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith. To find out whether the Orthodox is in front of you 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. Yes, and let us 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 extraordinary. Many times in the Lives of the Saints there are stories about how demonic spells dissipated after a single image of the Cross on a person. Therefore, those who carelessly, fussily and inattentively are baptized simply delight the demons.

sign of the cross- this is a small sacred ceremony in which a Christian, depicting a sign on himself (a sign is a sign Church Slavonic.) The Cross of the Lord with the invocation of the Name of God, attracts upon himself (or on the one whom he overshadows, for example, his child) the Divine Grace of the Holy Spirit.

Gracious power is given to the sign of the Cross because Christ, by His death on the Cross, which is an act of the greatest Divine Self-sacrifice out of love for His perishing creation, defeated Satan with his pride, freed man from the slavery of sin, sanctified the Cross as a victorious weapon, and gave this Weapon to us for struggle with the enemy of the human race - the devil.

We, Orthodox Christians, should know that the sign of the cross only has the power of grace when the reverently and rightly.

So how to be baptized, and how to be baptized correctly, how are the Orthodox baptized?

"Demons rejoice at random waving,"- tells us the experience of the holy fathers. So, in order not to please, but to drive away unclean spirits with the sign of the cross and receive grace-filled sanctification from God, it is supposed to be done like this:

We fold the fingers of the right hand like this: we add the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with the ends smooth, and the last two (nameless and little fingers) are bent to the palm of your hand.

The first three fingers put together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are divine and human.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross slowly:

(1) put it on the forehead- to sanctify our mind,

(2) on the stomach(slightly above the navel (2 cm) - in the area of the solar plexus) - to consecrate our inner feelings,

(3) on the right shoulder

(4) and then to the left- to sanctify our bodily forces.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen", thus expressing our faith in the Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God.

The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

Lowering right hand you can bow.

About those who signify themselves with the whole five, or bow before they have finished the cross, or wave their hand in the air or on their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: “Demons rejoice at this frantic waving.” On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed correctly and slowly, with faith and reverence, frightens demons, consoles sinful passions, and attracts Divine grace.

Recognizing our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are belt when we bend down to the waist, and earthly when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our heads.

“The custom of making the sign of the cross originates from the time of the apostles” (Full Orthodox Theological Encyclop. Dictionary, St. Petersburg. Published by P.P. Soykin, b.g., p. 1485). into the lives of contemporary Christians. In the treatise “On the Crown of a Warrior” (circa 211), he writes that we protect our foreheads with the sign of the cross under all circumstances of life: going in and out of the house, getting dressed, lighting lamps, going to bed, sitting down to do something.

The sign of the cross is not only part of a religious ceremony. First of all, this is great weapon . Patericons, fathers and lives of saints contain many examples that testify to the real spiritual power that the image possesses. Cross.

Why do people cross themselves when they pass by a temple or a monastery? Is it necessary to be baptized?

An Orthodox Christian, according to the rules of piety, passing by a temple, must stop, reverently make the sign of the cross and bow to the temple of God, thereby giving the glory of God to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for our sake and our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnated from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and incarnated. He was crucified on the Cross for our sins. Buried, Resurrected and Ascended to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Heavenly Father, so that at His second coming in glory with all the Saints and Angels to judge everyone according to his deeds. That is, by his worship, a Christian publicly confesses the faith of the Orthodox Church in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And about those who are ashamed of such a confession, the Lord said: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

We are called Christians because we believe in God as the Son of God Himself, our Lord, taught us to believe Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ not only taught us to believe in God correctly, but also saved us from the power of sin and eternal death.

The Son of God, Jesus Christ, out of love for us sinners, descended from heaven and, like a simple man, suffered instead of us for our sins, was crucified, died on the cross and on the third day resurrected.

So the sinless Son of God with His cross(that is, by suffering and death on the cross for the sins of all people, the whole world) conquered not only sin, but also death itself - rose from the dead and made the cross the instrument of His victory over sin and death.

As the conqueror of death - resurrected on the third day - He also saved us from eternal death. He will resurrect all of us who have died when the last day of the world comes, resurrect us for a joyful, eternal life with God.

The cross is the instrument or banner of Christ's victory over sin and death.

That is why, in order to express our faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, we wear a cross on our body, and during prayer we depict the sign of the cross on ourselves with our right hand, or we overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross (we are baptized).

The sign of the cross gives us great power to drive away and overcome evil and do good, but we must only remember that the cross must be placed Right And leisurely, otherwise there will be no image of the cross, but a simple waving of the hand, which only demons rejoice at. By negligently making the sign of the cross, we show our disrespect for God - we sin, this sin is called blasphemy.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, as well as when approaching everything holy: when we enter the temple, when we kiss the cross, the icon, etc. We must be baptized and in all important cases of our life: in danger, in sorrow, in joy, etc.

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