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The Sign of the Cross
Q: Please tell us about the origin of signing the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A: The sign of the cross is the act of tracing the cross upon one's fore head or, more commonly, the whole upper body, moving one hand from the forehead to the chest and from shoulder to shoulder. This pious custom is a matter of Christian freedom; it is nowhere commanded in the Scriptures, but it is a very ancient custom.
Tertullian was a church father and teacher in the church in Carthage, North Africa, and lived from c. 160-225. Already at his time the sign of the cross is an old custom. He writes,
At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign [of the cross].” [Ante-Nicene Fathers, III.94-95]
If the sign of the cross old in the year 200 AD, then it is really old today.
Cyril of Jerusalem is another church father who speaks of the sign of the cross. (Cyril was the bishop of the church in Jerusalem; his dates are c. 310-386 AD.) Cyril, in his Catechetical Lectures (347 AD), says concerning the sign of the cross and the power it has to fight the devil,
Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way and when we are still... It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He 'triumphed over them in it, having made a show of them openly' [Colossians 2:15]; for when they see the Cross, they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who 'bruised the heads of the dragon.' [Psalm 74:13] [Nicene and Post-Nicene Father, VII.92]
The sign of the cross, then, comes to us as a very ancient custom, but is this just a Roman Catholic tradition that we should avoid? Is it fitting for Lutherans to make the sign of the cross?
Remember what Luther says in the Small Catechism concerning our Morning Prayer, “In the morning when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say: 'In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.' Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lords Prayer...” Luther bids us Christians to begin each new day in the name of God and under the sign of the cross, and the same is true of the Evening Prayer when we end our day, “In the evening when you go to bed, make the sign of the cross and say...”
The sign of the cross reminds us of our baptism when God put His name on us and set us apart as one redeemed and saved. When we make the sign of the cross we remember our baptism and the gifts that the Lord has given us therein: life, salvation and the forgiveness of all our sins.
While the origin of the sign of the cross is lost in the mists of antiquity, we are glad to have such a custom that brings to remembrance the goodness and grace of God which is given to us in our Lord Jesus and His death of the cross for us.
For further study concerning the cross of the Lord Jesus: St John 19:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Galatians 6:14
From the Lutheran Confessions...
Concerning the sign of the cross and other pious customs, Luther says this in his discussion of the Second Commandment in the Large Catechism:
To defy the devil, I say, we should always keep the holy name on our lips so that he may not be able to injure us as he is eager to do. For this purpose it also helps to form the habit of commending ourselves each day to God- our soul and body, wife, children, servants, and all that we have- for His protection against every conceivable need. Thus has originated and continued among us the custom of saying grace and returning thanks and saying other prayers for both morning and evening. From the same source came the custom of children who cross themselves when they see or hear anything monstrous or fearful and exclaim, “Lord God, save us!” “Help, dear Lord Christ!” etc.
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