Folding Hands

[cathgirl]

I don't know if this is an okay topic for Catholic Apologetics so feel free to move it if necessary....

Anyway, I was just curious about when people started to fold their hands when they prayed in public. I didn't know if it was just what people have always done, or if it came after Christianity or something.

[Aloysius]

:blink: you got me stumped. i shall be interested to hear an answer. :cool:

[phatcatholic]

from this article i found the following:

* The practice of folding the hands together in prayer dates from the fifth century of our era, and is of purely Saxon origin. See Holemann, Bibel St. i. p. 150, quoted by Delitzsch, u.s.

i believe that quote is from an old bible commentary. also, just as a little tidbit of info, i did a quick search at New Advent for the word "hands" and i found that when the Fathers speak of a person's hands in prayer, they are usually referring to hands or arms stretched out towards heaven, not fixed.

pretty interesting, huh?

pax christi,

phatcatholic

Edited February 13, 2004 by phatcatholic

[Laudate_Dominum]

cool! thank phat. nice research.

[phatcatholic]

cathgirl,

does that info i provides suffice to answer ur question, or do u need more info?

let me know,

phatcatholic

[cathgirl]

Definately!!! Thank you so much for finding the info!!! If I didn't spend so much time on phatmass, i could probably look it up myself...........

You are definately "phat" phatcatholic!!

[phatcatholic]

hehe, thanks. actually what little info i did provide was hard to find. it took many different alterations of a google search to come up w/ that one article. but, ya know, i'm diligent, so i'm sure i could find more ;)

[Laudate_Dominum]

Hmm.. I wonder if that explains why my Byzantine roommate says his prayers with his hands in the "orans" posture instead of how we pray. Maybe they never had the angle-saxon influence.. Hmm.. Interesting..