Church Fathers
List of Church Fathers Mentioned:
Tertullian (197 AD)
Hippolytus of Rome (225 AD)
Origen of Alexandria (235 AD)
Cyprian of Carthage (250 AD)
Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373 AD)
Cyril of Jerusalem (313–386 AD)
Lactantius (313 AD)
Apostolic Constitutions
John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
Caesarius of Arles (468–542 AD)
Gregory the Great (540-604 AD)
Tertullian (197 AD)
“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.” – Tertullian, The Chaplet (De Corona), Chapter 3.
“Shall you escape notice when you sign your bed or your body [with the cross]? . . . Will you not be thought to be engaged in some work of magic?” Tertullian, To his wife, Book 2, Chapter 5
“The Greek letter Tau and our own letter T is the very form of the cross. He predicted this would be the sign on our foreheads in the true catholic Jerusalem.”- Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book 3, Chapter 22
“The flesh is signed so that the soul too may be fortified.”Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 8
We have faith for a defense . . . in immediately making the sign and adjuring. . . . We often aid in this manner even the pagan, seeing that we have been endowed by God with that power that the apostle first used when he despised the viper’s bite. Tertullian (c. 213, W), 3.633.
“And the glory of the God of Israel, which was over the house, in the open court of it, ascended from the cherubim: and the Lord called the man who was clothed with the garment reaching to the feet, who had upon his loins the girdle; and said to him, Pass through the midst of Jerusalem, and write the sign Tau on the foreheads of the men who groan and grieve over all the enormities which are done in their midst. And while these things were doing, He said to an hearer, Go after him into the city, and cut short; and spare not with your eyes, and pity not elder or youth or virgin; and slay all the little ones and women, that they may be thoroughly wiped away; but all upon whom is the sign Tau approach not; and begin with my saints.” – Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews chapter 11
Hippolytus of Rome (225 AD)
If you are tempted, seal your foreheads reverently. For this is the Sign of the Passion, displayed and made manifest against the devil, provided that you do it with faith, not to be seen by men, but by presenting it with skill like a shield. Because the Adversary, when he sees the strength of the heart and when he sees the inner man which is animated by the Word show, formed on the exterior, the interior image of the Word, he is made to flee by the Spirit which is in you. This is symbolized by the Paschal lamb which was sacrificed, the blood of which Moses sprinkled on the threshold, and smeared on the doorposts. He told us of the faith which is now in us, which was given to us through the perfect Lamb. By sealing the forehead and eyes with the hand, we turn aside the one who is seeking to destroy us. – Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition, Chapter 41-42
“Those who are to receive baptism shall fast on the Preparation of the Sabbath. On the Sabbath, those who are to receive baptism shall all gather together in one place chosen according to the will of the bishop. They shall be commanded to pray and kneel. Then, laying his hand on them, he will exorcise every foreign spirit, so that they flee from them and never return to them. When he has finished exorcising them, he shall breathe on their faces and seal their foreheads, ears and noses [with the cross]. Then he shall raise them up.” – Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition, Chapter 20.
“Show me your face and let me hear your voice, for your face is peaceful and your voice is beautiful.” Songs 2:14 “Show me your face and let me hear your voice,” [means] show your Christianity with boldness, with a seal on the forehead. “Let me hear your voice,” [That is] speak out by professing the truth. “Show me your face and let me hear your voice, for it is peaceful and sweet.” He says this concerning [the one] whom has confessed Christ. And [her] face is beautiful who one who has boldness through him. – Hippolytus, On the Songs of Songs 19.3
Origen of Alexandria (235 AD):
And he said to him, “Pass through the middle of Jerusalem, and put a sign on the foreheads of those who sigh and are distressed over all the lawless acts that happen in their midst.” Ezekiel 9:4
“The LXX says that the one who was clothed in a long robe was commanded to “place a sign on the foreheads of those who were sighing and distressed.” But Aquila and Theodotion say, “mark the letter Tau on the foreheads of those who were sighing and grievously distressed.” When I inquired from the Hebrews whether they could tell me any traditional teaching about the Tau, here is what I heard: One said that among the 22 Hebrew letters, the Tau is the last in the order of letters used by them, and so the last letter has been used in order to portray the perfection of those who groan because of the virtue that is in them, and who are distressed at the sins committed by the [Jewish] people, and suffer along with those who transgress. A second said that the Tau is a symbol of those who have observed the Law, since among the Hebrews the Law is called “Torah,” and the first letter of this word is Tau—and a symbol of those who have lived in accordance with the Law. A third, one of those who have come to faith in Christ, said that in the old-style letters, Tau resembles the form of the cross, and that there is a prophecy here concerning the sign placed on the foreheads of Christians—which all believers make when beginning any activity at all, especially prayer or holy readings. – Origen, Fragments on Ezekiel 9.4
“What do demons fear? At what do they tremble? Without doubt, the cross of Christ in which ‘they have been conquered, in which their principalities and powers have been stripped’ [Col. 2:15]. Therefore, ‘fear and trembling shall fall upon them,’ when they see the sign of the cross faithfully fixed on us …They will not, therefore, otherwise fear you, nor ‘will dread of you come upon them’ unless they see the cross of Christ in you, unless you can say, ‘But let me not glory except in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world’ [Gal. 6:14].” – Origen, Homilies on Exodus 6.8.
Cyprian of Carthage (250 AD)
“That religious voice has named the name of Christ, in whom it has once confessed that it believed; those illustrious hands, which had only been accustomed to divine works, have resisted the sacrilegious sacrifices; those lips, sanctified by heavenly food after the body and blood of the Lord, have rejected the profane contacts and the leavings of the idols. Your head has remained free from the impious and wicked veil with which the captive heads of those who sacrificed were there veiled; your brow, pure with the sign of God, could not bear the crown of the devil, but reserved itself for the Lord’s crown.” – Cyprian, Treatise 3, chapter 2
“[Uzziah] was marked upon his forehead with the spot of leprosy. He was thus marked by an offended Lord on that part of his body where those who deserve well of the Lord are signed.” Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.427.
And how great, too, are those things which in the meantime are happening in that respect on our behalf! Something is given for an example, that the anger of an avenging God may be known. But the day of judgment is still future which the Holy Scripture denounces, saying, Howl, for the day of the Lord is at hand, and destruction from God shall come; for, lo, the day of the Lord comes, cruel with wrath and anger, to lay the earth desolate, and to destroy the sinners out of it. Isaiah 43:6-9 And again: Behold, the day of the Lord comes, burning as an oven; and all the aliens and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble, and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord. Malachi 4:1 The Lord prophesies that the aliens shall be burnt up and consumed; that is, aliens from the divine race, and the profane, those who are not spiritually new-born, nor made children of God. For that those only can escape who have been new-born and signed with the sign of Christ, God says in another place, when, sending forth His angels to the destruction of the world and the death of the human race, He threatens more terribly in the last time, saying, Go and smite, and let not your eye spare. Have no pity upon old or young, and slay the virgins and the little ones and the women, that they may be utterly destroyed. But touch not any man upon whom is written the mark. Moreover, what this mark is, and in what part of the body it is placed, God sets forth in another place, saying, Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And that the sign pertains to the passion and blood of Christ, and that whoever is found in this sign is kept safe and unharmed, is also proved by God’s testimony, saying, And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses in which you shall be; and I will see the blood, and will protect you, and the plague of diminution shall not be upon you when I smite the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:13 What previously preceded by a figure in the slain lamb is fulfilled in Christ, the truth which followed afterwards. As, then, when Egypt was smitten, the Jewish people could not escape except by the blood and the sign of the lamb; so also, when the world shall begin to be desolated and smitten, whoever is found in the blood and the sign of Christ alone shall escape. Cyprian, Treatise 5.22
Women did not benefit from that sign [of circumcision]. However, all are sealed by the sign of the Lord. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.510.
Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373 AD)
…But those of his acquaintances who came, since he did not permit them to enter, often used to spend days and nights outside, and heard as it were crowds within clamouring, dinning, sending forth piteous voices and crying, ‘Go from what is ours. What do you even in the desert? You can not abide our attack.’ So at first those outside thought there were some men fighting with him, and that they had entered by ladders; but when stooping down they saw through a hole there was nobody, they were afraid, accounting them to be demons, and they called on Antony. Them he quickly heard, though he had not given a thought to the demons, and coming to the door he besought them to depart and not to be afraid, ‘for thus,’ said he, ‘the demons make their seeming onslaughts against those who are cowardly. Sign yourselves therefore with the cross , and depart boldly, and let these make sport for themselves.’ So they departed fortified with the sign of the Cross. But he remained in no wise harmed by the evil spirits, nor was he wearied with the contest, for there came to his aid visions from above, and the weakness of the foe relieved him of much trouble and armed him with greater zeal. For his acquaintances used often to come expecting to find him dead, and would hear him singing , ‘Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, let them also that hate Him flee before His face. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; as wax melts before the face of fire, so let the sinners perish from the face of God;’ and again, ‘All nations compassed me about, and in the name of the Lord I requited them.’ Athanasius, Life of Anthony chapter 13
Cyril of Jerusalem (313–386 AD)
“Let us, therefore, not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but though another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon your forehead, that the devils may behold the royal sign and flee trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and drinking, at sitting, at lying down, at rising up, at speaking, at walking: in a word, at every act. For He who was here crucified is in heaven above. If after being crucified and buried He had remained in the tomb, we should have had cause to be ashamed; but, in fact, He who was crucified on Golgotha here, has ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives on the East. For after having gone down hence into Hades, and come up again to us, He ascended again from us into heaven, His Father addressing Him, and saying, Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”- Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 4, chapter 14
“For whenever you are about to discuss the cross of Christ with unbelievers, first trace with your hand the sign of the cross of Christ, and the one who contradicts will be silenced. Do not be ashamed to confess the cross. For the angels exult, saying: “We know whom you seek — Jesus the crucified” (Matthew 28:5). Can you not say, “O angel, I know whom you seek — my Master”? But I, he says, with boldness, know the Crucified One. For the cross is a crown, not a disgrace.” – Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Lecture 13, chapter 22)
Lactantius (313 AD)
In His suffering, He stretched forth His hands and measured out the world —so that even then He might show that a great multitude . . . was about to come under His wings and to receive on their foreheads that great and lofty sign. And the Jews even now display a symbol of this transaction when they mark their thresholds with the blood of a lamb. Lactantius (c. 304–313, W), 7.129.
“For Christ was the white lamb without spot; that is, He was innocent, and just, and holy, who, being slain by the same Jews, is the salvation of all who have written on their foreheads the sign of blood — that is, of the cross, on which He shed His blood. For the forehead is the top of the threshold in man, and the wood sprinkled with blood is the emblem of the cross.“- Lactantius, The Divine Institutes, Book 4, chapter 26
“When the pagans sacrifice to their gods, if anyone bearing a marked forehead stands by, the sacrifices are by no means favorable. . . . And this has often been the cause of punishment to wicked kings. For some of their attendants who were of our religion were standing by their masters as the masters sacrificed. Because the attendants had the sign placed on their foreheads, this caused the gods of their masters to flee. As a result, they could not observe future events in the entrails of the victims.” Lactantius (c. 304–313, W), 7.129.
“Today, His followers, in the name of their Master, and by the sign of His passion, banish the same polluted spirits from men.” – Lactantius (c. 304–313, W), 7.129.
“Since the demons can neither approach those in whom they will see the heavenly mark, nor injure those whom the immortal sign protects like an impregnable wall, they harass them by men and persecute them by the hands of others. Lactantius (c. 304–313, W), 7.130. While [Emperor Diocletian] sacrificed, some attendants of his, who were Christians, stood by and they put the immortal sign on their foreheads. At this, the demons were chased away, and the holy rites were interrupted.”- Lactantius (c. 320, W), 7.304.
Apostolic Constitutions
Let the high priest, therefore, together with the priests, pray by himself; and let him put on his shining garment, and stand at the altar, and make the sign of the cross upon his forehead with his hand, and say: The grace of Almighty God, and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. – Apostolic Constitutions, book 8, chapter 12
Jerome (342-420)
“And the Lord said to him: Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a Tau on the foreheads of the men who groan and grieve over all the abominations that are committed in its midst. And to the others he said in my hearing: Pass through the city after him, and strike; let not your eye spare, nor have pity. Slay the old man, the young man, and the virgin, the little ones and the women, all the way to utter destruction. But do not touch anyone upon whom you see the Tau; and begin at my sanctuary.” Ezekiel 9:4-6 It is commanded to him who was clothed in a long robe, or linen garment, and bore the priestly attire, to set a mark on the foreheads of the men who groan and grieve over all the abominations that are done in the midst of Jerusalem. For the mark, which the Seventy, Aquila, and Symmachus translated, Theodotion rendered with the very Hebrew word Tau, which is the last of the twenty-two letters among the Hebrews, so as to show the perfect knowledge in those men who groan and grieve. Or, as the Hebrews assert, since the Law is called “Torah” among them, which begins with this letter, they understood this as the sign of those who had fulfilled the precepts of the Law. And to come to our own understanding, in the ancient Hebrew script, which the Samaritans still use today, the last letter, Tau, has the shape of a cross, which is drawn on the foreheads of Christians and is frequently marked by the hand.”– Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel, Book 3 (PL 25:88A-89A)
John Chrysostom (347-407 AD):
“God has honored you with spiritual anointing; and do you defile your child with mud? God has honored you, and do you dishonor yourself? And when you should inscribe on his forehead the Cross which affords invincible security; do you forego this, and cast yourself into the madness of Satan? If any look on these things as trifles, let them know that they are the source of great evils; and that not even unto Paul did it seem right to overlook the lesser things. For, tell me, what can be less than a man’s covering his head? Yet observe how great a matter he makes of this and with how great earnestness he forbids it; saying, among many things, He dishonors his head. 1 Corinthians 11:4 Now if he that covers himself dishonors his head; he that besmears his child with mud, how can it be less than making it abominable? For how, I want to know, can he bring it to the hands of the priest? How can you require that on that forehead the seal should be placed by the hand of the presbyter, where you have been smearing the mud? Nay, my brethren, do not these things, but from earliest life encompass them with spiritual armor and instruct them to seal the forehead with the hand (τῇ χειρὶ παιδεύτε σφραγίζειν τὸ μέτωπον): and before they are able to do this with their own hand , do you imprint upon them the Cross.”– John Chrysostom, Homily 12 on 1 Corinthians, chapter 14
On this account, then, I beseech you to cleanse yourselves from this error, and to keep hold of this word as a staff; and just as without sandals, and cloak, no one of you would choose to go down to the market-place, so without this word never enter the market-place, but when you are about to pass over the threshold of the gateway, say this word first: I leave your ranks, Satan, and your pomp, and your service, and I join the ranks of Christ. And never go forth without this word. This shall be a staff to you, this your armor, this an impregnable fortress, and accompany this word with the sign of the cross on your forehead. For thus not only a man who meets you, but even the devil himself, will be unable to hurt you at all, when he sees you everywhere appearing with these weapons; and discipline yourself by these means henceforth, in order that when you receive the seal you may be a well-equipped soldier, and planting your trophy against the devil, may receive the crown of righteousness, which may it be the lot of us all to obtain, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever — Amen.” — John Chrysostom, Instructions to Catechumens 2.5
“Lest like a lion he seize my soul, while there is none to deliver or to save.” (Psalm 7:2) Yet he had gathered armies and many stood with him—how then does he say, “While there is none to deliver or save”? Because he regarded the whole world as nothing for deliverance unless he should obtain help from above, and he did not count himself alone, even when deserted, so long as he shared in God’s alliance. Hence he said, “A king is not saved by great power, nor shall a giant be delivered by the multitude of his strength.” (Psalm 33:16) Some, interpreting these words allegorically, say that the lion and the persecutors signify the devil and his demons. For when he saw his son seized and devoured by them, he prayed that he himself might never suffer the same fate, and he adds the reason why his son suffered thus—what was it? “Through wickedness,” he says, “he cast away from himself the alliance of God.” For this cause he cries, “While there is none to redeem or to save.” And that the devil is called a lion in Scripture, listen to what it says: “Your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) And this same prophet says elsewhere, “You shall tread upon the lion and the serpent.” (Psalm 91:13) For the beast is many-formed; yet if we remain sober and watchful, this lion and serpent will become more worthless than clay, and he will not even dare to stand face-to-face against us; or if he does, he will be trampled underfoot—for, “You shall tread upon serpents and scorpions.” (Luke 10:19) He indeed prowls with great rage, like a lion; but if he attacks those who bear Christ within them—those who have the Cross on their forehead, the fire of the Spirit, and the lamp that is never extinguished—he will not be able even to look upon them, but will turn his back and flee, not daring to glance behind him. And that you may know these are no empty boasts, consider Paul. He too was a man, yet this lion so feared him that even his garments and his shadow drove him away. And rightly so—for the fragrance of Christ breathed and rose from him, and the brightness of his virtue was such that the beast could not endure to face it.”— John Chrysostom, Commentary on Psalms 7, chapter 3
Caesarius of Arles (468–542 AD)
I beg you, dearly beloved, to consider more carefully why we are Christians and bear the cross of Christ on our forehead. We ought to know that it is not enough for us that we have received the name of Christian, if we do not perform the works of a Christian. As the Lord Himself said in the Gospel: “What does it profit you to call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ when you do not practise the things that I say?” (Luke 6:46). If you say a thousand times that you are a Christian and continually sign yourself with the cross of Christ but do not give alms according to your means, your title of Christian can profit you not at all. The sign of Christ and His cross are a great thing, and for this reason something great and precious should be signified by so precious a mark. Now, of what advantage is it to make a seal with a gold ring, when you store up rotten chaff interiorly? What is the good of putting the sign of Christ on our forehead and lips, when within we hide sins and offenses in our soul? When a man who is guilty of bad thoughts, words, or actions refuses to amend his life, but signs himself, his sin is not lessened but increased. When many men go out to commit theft or adultery, if they strike their foot they sign themselves, but they do not withdraw from their evil deed. The miserable men do not know that they are shutting in demons, rather than excluding them. If a man endeavors with God’s help to reject sins and vices, always to think and do what is right, he justly puts the sign of the cross on his lips, for he tries to do things which merit the sign of Christ. It is written that “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20); and again: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Therefore, in order that we may bear the name Christian as a remedy, not unto judgment, let us turn over to good works while the remedies are still within our power.“— Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 13
Gregory the Great (540-604 AD)
“Against these Gedeon proceeds to battle with three hundred men. The plenitude of perfection is usually understood by the number ‘hundred.’ What then is designated by the number hundred taken thrice, except the perfect knowledge of the Trinity? For with those our Lord destroys the adversaries of the faith, with those comes down to the contests of preaching, who can understand Divine truths, who know how to think accurately of the Trinity, Which is God. But we must observe, that this number three hundred is comprised in the letter Tau [“T” or in the Greek but not in the Hebrew character], which bears a resemblance of the cross. For if there were added over the transverse line, the projecting part of the cross, it would no longer be a resemblance of the cross, but the cross itself. Because then that number of three hundred is comprised in the letter Tau, and by the letter Tau, as we have said, a resemblance of the cross is set forth, by those three hundred followers of Gedeon, those persons are not inappropriately designated, to whom it is said, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. And these take up the cross more truly, as they follow the Lord, the more severely they both tame themselves, and are tortured with the compassion of charity towards their neighbours. Whence it is said also by the prophet Ezekiel, Mark Tau upon the foreheads of the men that groan and lament. [Ez. 9:4] Or certainly, by these three hundred who are comprised in the letter Tau, it is expressed that the sword of the enemy is overcome by the wood of the cross.” — Gregory the Great, Morals on Job, Book 30, section 74