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Why Orthodox Christians cross right to left: history and theology

1:22

The speaker notes that a video on the sign of the cross received over 1.5 million views and many comments claiming the Orthodox method is wrong because they go to the left shoulder first. He explains that for more than a thousand years all Christians, East and West, crossed themselves from right to left. Around the year 1200 the Western practice slowly changed to left to right, while the Orthodox retained the ancient custom.

The difference is not an error but a preserved habit. The biblical basis for the right-to-left motion is that the right side signifies honor and blessing. Christ sits at the right hand of God after his ascension, and at the last judgment he places the righteous on his right. Thus, when Orthodox Christians cross themselves to the right first, they are praying, "Lord, place me on your right side; let me be with you." Though a small movement, each sign of the cross becomes a prayer for salvation.

Key moments

  1. The video garnered over 1.5 million views and many viewers commented that the Orthodox way of crossing is wrong because they go to the left shoulder first.
  2. For more than 1000 years all Christians, both East and West, crossed themselves from right to left.
  3. Around the year 1200 the Western practice slowly changed to left to right, while the Orthodox Church kept the original tradition.
  4. The difference is not a matter of error but of preserved habit; the church's tradition explains why the right side comes first.
  5. In Scripture the right side represents honor and blessing, and after his ascension Christ sat at the right hand of God.
  6. At the last judgment Jesus will place the righteous on his right and the others on his left.
  7. When Orthodox Christians cross themselves to the right first, they are praying, "Lord, place me on your right side; let me be with you."
  8. Though a small movement, each sign of the cross becomes a prayer for salvation.
11 opinions in the discussion 11 participants, 2 replies to each other The opinion with the most support Russian Orthodox here, always right to left. Incidentally we also wear our wedding ring on the right hand. Read the discussion
38 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 11

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  • opinion#2188

    Russian Orthodox here, always right to left. Incidentally we also wear our wedding ring on the right hand.

    • opinion#2192

      In some Southern American countries, the wedding ring also goes on the right hand.

  • opinion#2187

    In Serbia the reasoning for the right to left is sometimes explained as taking our guardian angel which sits on our right shoulder and taking them to the left shoulder to destroy the 😈

  • opinion#2189

    I'm Catholic so I cross myself left to right. But once in a while I attend Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite and they sign from right to left. I never heard of this explanation, I always heard that it mirrors how the priest blesses the people.

    • opinion#2193

      @fiat.venture it is true, but rather the priest mirrors the blessing unto the laity to make his line up with ours

  • opinion#2185

    The Roman catholic pope Innocent III lived from 1160 to 1216 and served as Pope from 1198 to 1216, at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. In his treatise De sacro altaris mysterio, Book II, Chapter 45, Pope Innocent III describes making the sign of the Cross with three fingers joined together, moving from the forehead to the chest, then from the right shoulder to the left, exactly as Orthodox Christians do today. This is a remarkable historical testimony: at the beginning of the 13th century, this manner of making the sign of the Cross was still practised in the Western Church. Innocent III even explained its theological significance. ☦️🙏☦

  • opinion#2183

    I do right to left and I'm just so happy to see your video that reminded me of the proper fingers and made it more powerful for me by knowing exactly what I am praying for. So now every time I do the sign of the cross I know faithfully what I'm giving and asking the Lord not just by simply doing it as a practice. Thank you so much 🙏

  • opinion#2190

    I am eritrean nd we learnt it in church the sign of the cross is from left to right nd that means....guide us from the wrong doings to the right .....

  • opinion#2191

    I'm Syriac Orthodox, and I'm curious why our church changed the direction of the sign of the cross from right to left to left to right.

  • opinion#2186

    Can you offer some sources around this if it is possible? Where can we read more about the early church and we're in the Bible do you make this connection from? I'm genuinely very curious. My personal view is that God doesn't really care about how we do it. There's no right or wrong. The importance says that we do this with a right intention and the right heart.

  • opinion#2184

    I'm a Baptist prot with major veneration for the true orthodox faith. Thief of the cross was on the right so we go there first then the left. Very similar to the footrest on the cross tilted to the right. Yes when you face the cross it's to the left but the correct thought is the thief was on Christ's right side. Also to our right is the east and we pray to the east where the Lord will return and we spit in the devil's face to the left...