Genuflection & Prostration
The body itself prays: a bent knee, a brow to the floor, reverence made flesh
These are bodily acts of reverence before the altar, the sacrament, icons, or in penitential prayer, including bending the knee and bowing to the ground. The traditions practice them differently: full prostrations are characteristic of the East, especially during Lent, while genuflection is a Western custom, and many Protestants minimized such gestures. An early canon of Nicaea even forbade kneeling on Sundays, marking the day's festive character.
How it traveled
- The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext CouncilConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 692 CEapplies
Key passages(8)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
Chapter XXIII.—Of Kneeling. In the matter of kneeling also prayer is subject to diversity of observance, through the act of some few who abstain from kneeling on the Sabbath; and since this dissensio
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XC. We have received from our divine Fathers the canon law that in honour of Christ’s resurrection, we are not to kneel on Sundays. Lest therefore we should ignore the fulness of this observanc
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The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XX. Forasmuch as there are certain persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, therefore, to the intent that all things may be uniformly observed everywhere (in every pari
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When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed.
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
29. We shall not, therefore, give the name of decency to that which only ministers an empty pleasure: such, for example, as is seen in that theatrical display which the Papists exhibit in their public
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On Baptism. · Ethical
Chapter XX.—Of Preparation For, and Conduct After, the Reception of Baptism. They who are about to enter baptism ought to pray with repeated prayers, fasts, and bendings of the knee, and vigils all t
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon LXXIII. Since the life-giving cross has shewn to us Salvation, we should be careful that we render due honour to that by which we were saved from the ancient fall. Wherefore, in mind, in word,
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
1. The above discourse concerning the sacraments might have the effect, among the docile and sober-minded, of preventing them from indulging their curiosity, or from embracing, without authority from
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