Uplifted Hands in Prayer a Symbol of the Crucified Lord

Early Christians apparently saw in the manner of prayer a representation of the cross on which Christ was crucified.(See D. Plooij, "The Attitude of the Outspread Hands ('Orante') in Early Christian Literature and Art," Expository Times 23 (1912): 265—69).

The cross is, in early traditions, the tree of life, bringing us back into the presence of God through the Savior's atonement (see Epistle of Barnabas 11:1—11). Epistle of Barnabas 11:1—6 sees the cross and Christ's crucifixion prefigured by the tree of life, while Epistle of Barnabas 12:2—3 says it was represented by Moses raising his hands to provide salvation to Israel during their struggle with the Amalekites (see Exodus 17:8—13) and by Isaiah stretching out his hands to his people to call them to repentance (see Isaiah 65:2, cited in Romans 10:21). Both the sixth-century AD Ethiopic document Kebra Nagast 98(See Budge, The Queen of Sheba, 181—82.)

Sibylline Oracles 8:251—53 indicate that Christ's crucifixion was symbolized by Moses stretching out his hands during the Amalekite war. Two of the earliest Christian writers, Justin Martyr (see Dialogue with Trypho 111) and Tertullian (see Against Marcion 3.18), indicated that Moses' actions were a prayer and that he prefigured the cross.

See Temple Prayer in Ancient Times by John A. Tvedtnes