Why do Old Believers make the sign of the cross with two fingers? What is the symbolic meaning of the two-fingered sign? #

Every Christian arranges the fingers of their right hand for the sign of the cross as follows: three fingers (thumb, ring finger, and little finger) are joined together, symbolizing faith in the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The other two fingers (index and middle) represent the two natures of Christ—divine and human—united without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. It is with these two fingers (index and middle) that one touches the forehead, the navel, the right shoulder, and then the left shoulder while making the sign of the cross.

When we make the sign of the cross, what are we signifying? Not only that Christ was crucified on the cross, but we also visibly depict the symbol of faith. All the movements we make are directly connected with Christ. By touching the forehead, we show that Christ was begotten of God the Father. Lowering the hand to the stomach, to the navel, signifies that He descended into the womb of the Virgin Mary and became incarnate, and later descended into Hades. Raising the hand to the right shoulder signifies that Christ rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Finally, moving the hand to the left shoulder signifies that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. All these actions are related specifically to Christ. Therefore, we touch the body with two fingers, symbolizing Christ. While we also confess and acknowledge the Holy Trinity, we do not touch the body with the fingers representing the Trinity, as that would symbolically depict the crucifixion of the entire Holy Trinity, which is unacceptable according to Orthodox doctrine.

The two-fingered sign of the cross was the original hand formation used by Christians for making the sign of the cross. Among the monuments of early Christian art, there is not a single example of one-fingered or three-fingered configurations. However, there are numerous monuments, frescoes, and images showing the two-fingered hand configuration.

Later, various religious groups, separating from the unity of Orthodoxy, sought to solidify their separation through different forms of hand configurations. Thus, the one-fingered and three-fingered signs were introduced—first invented by the Monophysites and later adopted by Catholics. The Latins, in turn, imposed the three-fingered sign among the Greeks after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. In the 17th century, during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the three-fingered sign was adopted from the Greeks by the reformed Russian Church.

— Priest Evgeny Gureev