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'Ichthys' (Greek: ἰχθύς, capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ; also transliterated and Latinized as ''ichthys'', ''icthus'', ''ichthus'' or ''ikhthus''; ichthus, spelled: Iota Chi Theta Upsilon Sigma), is the Ancient and Classical Greek word for "fish." In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, said to have been used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "'Jesus fish'." Greek ἰχθύς is an acronym (or backronym) of Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."

Contents

Ichthus as a Christian Symbol

Symbolic meaning

Fish in the Gospels

The early Christian Church

Revival and adaptations of the symbol

''The Fish Mission''

The bumper sticker

''Ichthys'' in popular culture

Parodies of the ichthys symbol

Symbolism

Female symbolism

Male symbolism

Vesica piscis

Other symbolism associated with the fish

Notes

See also

External links

Ichthus as a Christian Symbol

Symbolic meaning

The use of the Ichthys symbol appears to date from towards the end of the 1st century AD.
Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym, which is a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name. It compiles to "Jesus Christ God's Son is Saviour" or "Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour", in ancient Greek ""

★ Iota is the first letter of ''Iesous'' (Ιησους), Greek for Jesus.

★ Chi is the first letter of ''Christos'' (Χριστóς), Greek for "anointed".

★ Theta is the first letter of ''Theou'' (Θεοῦ), genitive case of Θεóς "God".

★ Upsilon is the first letter of ''Huios'' (Υἱός), Greek for Son.

★ Sigma is the first letter of Soter (Σωτήρ), Greek for Savior.
Historically, twentieth century use of the ''ichthys'' motif is an adaptation based on an Early Christian symbol which included a small cross for the eye or the Greek letters "ΙΧΘΥΣ".
The correct placement of the symbol is with the head on the left and the tail on the right as this calls to mind the Greek letter alpha (α) which has a similar shape. This is an allusion to the saying that Jesus is the "Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."
An ancient adaptation of ''ichthus'' is a wheel which contains the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ superimposed in such a way such that the result looks like an eight-spoked wheel (Dharmacakra).

Fish in the Gospels

Fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels. Several of Jesus' twelve disciples were fishermen. He commissions them with the words "I will make you fishers of men."
At the feeding of the five thousand, a boy is brought to Jesus with "five small loaves and two fishes". The question is asked "But what are they, among so many?" Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed "the multitude".
In the Gospel of John, 21:11, it is related that the disciples fished all night but caught nothing. Jesus instructed them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat, and they drew in 153 fish. It has been observed that, like many other numbers given in the Bible, this number is associated with a mystic property, in this case the vertical ratio of the vesica piscis.
In the Gospel of Matthew, 13:47-50, Jesus compares God's decision on who will go to heaven or to hell ("the fiery furnace") at the end of this world to fishers sorting out their catch, keeping the good fish and throwing the bad fish away.

The early Christian Church

Societies of Christians in the early Roman Empire, prior to the Edict of Milan, protected their congregations by keeping their meetings secret. In order to point the way to ever-changing meeting places, they developed a symbol which adherents would readily recognize, and which they could scratch on rocks, walls and the like, in advance of a meeting. At the time, a similar symbol was used by Greeks to mark the location of a funeral, so using the ichthys also gave an apparent legitimate reason for Christians to gather. Another story suggests that the ''ichthys'' was used as a sort of secret handshake: one person would draw with a staff, or even a leg a single curve, (half of the ''ichthys'') in the sand, and another person could confirm their identity as a Christian by completing the symbol. Alternatively, one would draw the symbol, and another person would confirm their faith by drawing an eye on it.

There are several other hypotheses as to why the fish was chosen. Some sources indicate that the earliest literary references came from the recommendation of Clement of Alexandria to his readers (Paedagogus, III, xi) to engrave their seals with the dove or fish. However, it can be inferred from Roman monumental sources such as the Capella Greca and the Sacrament Chapels of the catacomb of St. Callistus that the fish symbol was known to Christians much earlier. This Christian symbol might well have been intended to oppose or protest the pagan apotheosis of the Roman emperor during the reign of Domitian (AD 81 - AD 96). Coins found in Alexandria referred to him as Theou Huios (Son of God). In fact, even earlier, since the death and deification of Julius Caesar, Augustus (Octavian) already styled himself as divi filius, son of the divine (Julius), and struck coins to that effect. This practice was also carried on by some of the later emperors. Another probable explanation is that it is a reference to the scripture in which Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 people with fish and bread (Mark 6:30-44,Matthew 14:15-21, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:4-13). The ''ichthys'' may also relate to Jesus or his disciples as "fishers of men" (e.g., Mark 1:17). Tertullian, in his treatise ''On Baptism'', makes a pun on the word, writing that "we, little fishes, after the example of our ΙΧΘΥΣ Jesus Christ, are born in water" (§1).
Some theories about the Historicity of Jesus suggest that Christianity adopted certain beliefs and practices as a syncretism of certain mystery religions such as Mithraism, and that this may be the origin of the ''ichthys'' in Christian circles. However, this theory is controversial and scholars are split on the probability (or even possibility) of such influence.^[1]

Revival and adaptations of the symbol

''The Fish Mission''

The 20th century popular revival of the ''ichthys'' symbol dates from 1965. At this time the Evangelical Union at Sydney University, a branch of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students, confronted by the disenchantment of students brought on by the Vietnam War and a strongly anti-Christian sentiment within the university, held a mission to students. The committee in charge of the promotions of the activity looked for a symbol which was distinctly Christian and which might excite curiosity by its apparent novelty and decided upon this ancient sign, which was drawn simply with two arcs, and no inscription.
Traditionally, up-coming events at the university were advertised in chalk on the bitumen paths. The campaign for the ''Fish Mission'' began by drawing the ichthus symbol on pavements all around the university. ^[2] Silk-screen prints in bright colours on a white background were stuck with flour glue to the rises of walkway stairs throughout the campus. The unexplained early campaign provoked much speculation and interest. Querulous cartoons appeared in the student newspaper Honi Soit. As the advertising campaign progressed, more information was revealed.
Following the success of the Fish Mission publicity campaign, the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students used the symbol more widely on campuses around Australia. From Christian Unions of students it quickly spread to the churches.

The bumper sticker

Members of the University of Queensland Evangelical Union used the ''ichthys'' symbol when they formed a temporary Christian commune to be a witnessing presence at the Aquarius Rock Festival at Nimbin in May, 1973. From this time the display of the ''ichthys'' symbol, sometimes in combination with an Aquarius Festival sticker in the rear window of Combi vans became common. The car bumper sticker followed quickly.
The symbol was rapidly adopted for use by other Christian bodies within Australia such as the Church Mission Society from whose shop near St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney could be purchased small items of jewellry with the ''ichthus'' motif. From Sydney the use of the motif was taken to Asia by university students who had been resident at ''International House'' which had close ties with the A.F.E.S.. The ''ichthys'' symbol was soon in use among Christians across the world.

''Ichthys'' in popular culture

The so-called "Jesus Fish" has become an icon of modern Christianity. Today, it can be seen as a decal or emblem on the rear of automobiles as a sign to the world that the owner is a Christian. It is incoporated into business logos or in business advertisements and listings in telephone books. It is also seen on clothing. Versions of this include an Ichthys with "Jesus" or "ΙΧΘΥΣ" in the center, or simply the Ichthys outline by itself.
This badge may also be seen in email signatures with the symbols "<><".

Parodies of the ichthys symbol

Main articles: Parodies of the ichthys symbol


The ''ichthys'' symbol has been subject to considerable parody in the late 20th century, the most famous being the ''Darwin fish''.
The ''Darwin Fish'', which often appears as a bumper sticker, is a satirical representation of the ''ichthys'' symbol, reversed and with feet attached and often with the name "DARWIN" in the middle, in reference to Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The implication of the motif is to contrast evolution with creationism. Some Christians find this use of the ''ichthys'' motif offensive.
The tiktaalik, a recently discovered fossil, has been interpreted as a link between fish and land animals. Having been discovered only since the ''Darwin Fish'' symbol has been in use, it is cited (tongue-in-cheek) as evidence supporting the ''Darwin Fish'' hypothesis.
As a variant-upon-a-variant, there is also the ''Truth fish'' in which an ''ichthys'' with the word "truth" inside is shown eating the ''Darwin fish''. It may or may not be a Christian retaliation against the Darwin fish. The larger ''Truth fish'' eating a smaller ''Darwin fish'' might also imply "survival of the fittest," a Darwinian tenet. Another variant includes a ''Darwin fish'' eating the ''Truth fish'' with "Reality bites", in an apparent attack on the "survival of the fittest" fish.

There is also a fish version containing a deliberate misspelling, with "Jeebus" inscribed inside, and another with the word "Gefilte".
An Icthys-style Cthulhu also exists.
Another parody of the ''ichthus'' symbol is found in the stylized symbol for the "Flying Spaghetti Monster."
In the Science Fiction cartoon show Futurama, the character Bender the robot attaches a plaque similar to the Ichthys and Darwin
Fish, yet says ROBOT inside, and has an antenna on its top.

Symbolism

Female symbolism

A shape comprising two intersecting arcs has been used in many times and places to symbolise the human vulva, of great iconographic significance to many cultures as the portal through which life enters the world, and often seen as a symbol for life itself. As such, it can be interpreted as the graphic symbol of a large range of "Mother Goddess" deities, the Celtic figure of Sheila na Gig having remained in symbolic use into the Christian era. ^[3].

Male symbolism

Because of the similarity of the head of a fish to the glans of a penis, the fish has been used in some cultures as a phallic symbol. It is, for example, a common subject for erotic Japanese prints. While this type of phallic symbolism is very far removed from the Christian use of the Ichthus, it may, however, have bearing on the use of the fish to symbolise other male deities.
The fish, and possibly also a simple linear representation, was the symbol of the fish god, Dagon, whose name was derived from the word "dag" meaning "fish". Dagon is recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible in the books of Judges 16:23-24 and 1 Samuel 5:2-5, as the deity of the Philistines, worshipped in the form of an idol.
There have also been discoveries of the fish-god in sculptures found in Nineveh, Assyria.

Vesica piscis

The ''vesica piscis'', or vessel of the fish, is a precise construction of pythagorean geometery, by the intersection of two identical circles, the circumference of each meeting the centre of the other, its proportions being fixed at a height-length ratio of 153:265. Known to Archimedes in the 3rd century BC, this number, being also associated with the ratio of an equilateral triangle and being the nearest whole number approximation to the square root of three, was regarded as a mystical number and was known as "the measure of the fish. ^[4]

Other symbolism associated with the fish

The constellation Pisces comprises a set of dim and scattered stars in which some people see the images of two widely separated fish joined by a knotted cord. One fish faces east toward Aries, while the other fish faces westward toward Aquarius along the plane of the ecliptic. The assumed directions of motion of the two fish can be seen as a cross, the symbol of the Christian religion — the upright line of the cross representing spirit and the horizontal line signifying matter.
Astrologists say that the Age of Pisces (cf.) coincided with the birth of Jesus.

Notes

1. "[C]hronologically and geographically any influence by Mithraism on the origins of Christianity seems excluded." (Everett Ferguson, ''Backgrounds of Early Christianity'' [Eerdmans, 1993, 2nd edt.], p. 271).
2. From 1932 to 1967 a mysterious person had walked the streets of Sydney writing the word "Eternity" in a flowing Copperplate hand. His identity became known as Arthur Stace and after his death students from the National Art School cut a stencil from his writing and painted the word all around the footpaths of Sydney, including several examples at Sydney University. This, in part, provided inspiration for the apparently-mysterious use of the ''ichthys'' symbol.
3. The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, , Barbara G., Walker, Harper Collins, ,
4. Brian Coad, ''Dictionary of Ichthyology'', [1]

See also

★ Chi Rho

★ Dyad (symbol)

★ Christian symbolism

★ Labarum

★ Vesica Piscis

External links

★ Principal Christian Symbols: The Fish (Ichthus), Cross & Crucifix Extensive explanations on several popular Christian symbols, including the ichtys

★ Ichthus Music Festival The longest running Christian music festival in the nation having been started in 1970 as a Christian response to Woodstock.

★ What do the symbols hide?, by sociologist Ieva Cepulkauskaite. A site giving brief descriptions of the origins and histories of various symbols, including the ichthys.

★ Ichthus Christian Fellowship A large Christian organisation in the UK led by Roger Forster

★ Symbolism of the Fish - Catholic Encyclopedia article

★ Coins of the Emperor Augustus

★ Coins of the Emperor Domitian

★ The Harvard ICHTHUS, Journal of Christian Thought

★ Darwin fish symbols on cars are an act of ‘ritual aggression’

★ Ichthys: Bible Study for Spiritual Growth Detailed doctrinal articles including the origin of Ichthys