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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 219 of 293
The human body makes a cross when a man stands erect in prayer with arms outstretched.
1.I stretched out my hands and sanctified my Lord: 2 For the extension of my hands is His sign: 3 And my expansion is the upright tree [or cross].
Asked of Guide
Why does the poet say stretching his hands is 'His sign' and calls the body an 'upright tree'?
The speaker links his physical posture to divine identity: “I stretched out my hands and sanctified my Lord” shows prayer as an embodiment of God’s presence, so the act itself becomes “His sign.” The extended hands are a visible mark that the worshiper and God share a shape and purpose in that moment.
Calling the body the “upright tree” names the human posture as a living symbol with sacrificial and life-bearing resonances familiar in Christian imagery. This echoes themes in the Gospels where bodily posture carries theological meaning, and it resonates with later meditations like St. Augustine’s on the body as God’s instrument.
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