Ichthys
Encyclopedia
Ichthys, from Koine Greek
: , (capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥϹ) is the Greek word for "fish
". (Alternative transliterations include Ichthus and Ikhthus). In English, this 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, used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."
ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) is an acronym for "", (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior".
Historians say the 20th-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 "".
An ancient adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters superimposed such that the result resembles an eight-spoked wheel.
' twelve Apostles
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 fish". The question is asked, "But what are they, among so many?" Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the multitude.
In , the Parable of Drawing in the Net
, 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.
In , 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.
A less commonly cited use of fish in Christ's life may be found in the words of , in which, upon being asked if his Teacher does not pay the temple (two-drachma) tax, Simon Peter answers, "Yes." Christ tells Peter to go to the water and cast a line. He says that a coin sufficient for the tax will be found in the fish's mouth. Peter does as told and finds the coin.
According to tradition, ancient Christians, during their persecution by the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from foes:
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. Another probable explanation is that it is a reference to the scripture in which Jesus miraculously
feeds 5,000 people with fish and bread . The ichthys may also relate to Jesus or his disciples as "fishers of men" (e.g.). Tertullian
, in his treatise On Baptism, makes a pun on the word, writing that "we, little fishes, after the example of our Jesus Christ, are born in water." Still another explanation could be the reference to The Sign of Jonah. Just like he was in the belly of a big fish, so Christ was crucified, entombed for three days, and then rose from the dead.
, Atargatis
, Dagon
, Ephesus
, Isis
, Delphine
and Pelagia
. Barbara Walker
, in her book The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, suggests that Ichthys was the son of the sea goddess Atargatis
and that his symbol was a representation of sexuality and fertility. The fish has also been used to symbolize Pisces, the Zodiac
sign. The Sun was in Pisces, the fish, on the Vernal Equinox shortly before the founding of Christianity and, depending on the line of demarcation, may remain so for approximately 600 more years, though this is a topic of debate: see Astrological age.
In non-Christian religious symbolism, the pointed oval or vesica piscis
shape can represent the female genitalia
.
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 Kombi
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 jewelry with the ichthys 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.
Numerous parody bumper stickers and badges have also appeared (see below).
. Today, it can be seen as a decal or emblem on the rear of automobiles or as pendants or necklaces as a sign that the owner is a Christian. It is incorporated 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 e-mail
signatures
with the symbols
It can also be seen in Grant Morrison's The Invisibles
, where a character explains that it represents the center, interlocking part of a Venn diagram
, symbolic of reality itself which is supposedly formed by the intersection of two higher, warring planes of existence.
In the video for singer-songwriter Beck
's "Loser", one man wears a T-shirt featuring the ichthys with the word "LOSER".
is an annual large outdoor Christian music festival is held every year in mid-June in the town of Wilmore, Kentucky.
Distortions of the Ichthys symbol in modern culture rely on its use as a "Jesus fish" symbol of Christianity. Examples include:
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
: , (capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥϹ) is the Greek word for "fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
". (Alternative transliterations include Ichthus and Ikhthus). In English, this refers to a symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
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, used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."
Symbolic meaning
- IotaIotaIota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
(i) is the first letter of IēsousYeshua (name)Yeshua, was a common alternative form of the name Joshua "Yehoshuah" in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple Period...
, Greek for "Jesus". - ChiChi (letter)Chi is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced as in English.-Greek:-Ancient Greek:Its value in Ancient Greek was an aspirated velar stop .-Koine Greek:...
(ch) is the first letter of ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
os , Greek for "anointed". - ThetaThetaTheta is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth...
(th) is the first letter of Theou , Greek for "God's", the genitive case of , Theos, Greek for "God". - Ypsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios , Greek for "Son" (the initial "h" was sometimes pronounced, depending on dialect and period, but in Ionic orthography the sound was written with the rough breathing diacritical mark instead of a full letter, and so would not be used to form an acronym).
- SigmaSigmaSigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and carries the 'S' sound. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used, e.g...
(s) is the first letter of sōtēr , Greek for "Savior".
Historians say the 20th-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 "".
An ancient adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters superimposed such that the result resembles an eight-spoked wheel.
Fish in the Gospels
Fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels. Several of JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' twelve Apostles
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
were fishermen. He commissions them with the words "I will make you fishers of men".
At the feeding of the five thousand
Feeding the multitude
Feeding the multitude is the combined term used to refer to two separate miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.The First Miracle, "The Feeding of the 5,000" is the only miracle which is present in all four canonical Gospels...
, a boy is brought to Jesus with "five small loaves and two fish". The question is asked, "But what are they, among so many?" Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the multitude.
In , the Parable of Drawing in the Net
Parable of Drawing in the Net
The Parable of Drawing in the Net is a parable of Jesus which appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to Gospel of Matthew it refers to the final judgment...
, 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.
In , 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.
A less commonly cited use of fish in Christ's life may be found in the words of , in which, upon being asked if his Teacher does not pay the temple (two-drachma) tax, Simon Peter answers, "Yes." Christ tells Peter to go to the water and cast a line. He says that a coin sufficient for the tax will be found in the fish's mouth. Peter does as told and finds the coin.
The early church
The ichthys is seen in 1st-century catacombs in Rome.According to tradition, ancient Christians, during their persecution by the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from foes:
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
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. Another probable explanation is that it is a reference to the scripture in which Jesus miraculously
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
feeds 5,000 people with fish and bread . The ichthys may also relate to Jesus or his disciples as "fishers of men" (e.g.). Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
, in his treatise On Baptism, makes a pun on the word, writing that "we, little fishes, after the example of our Jesus Christ, are born in water." Still another explanation could be the reference to The Sign of Jonah. Just like he was in the belly of a big fish, so Christ was crucified, entombed for three days, and then rose from the dead.
Pre-Christian use
Fish may have been used as symbols before Christianity, possibly representing several goddesses; it has been associated with AphroditeAphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, Atargatis
Atargatis
Atargatis, in Aramaic ‘Atar‘atah, was a Syrian deity, " great goddess of northern Syria" ,"the great mistress of the North Syrian lands" Rostovtseff called her, commonly known to the ancient Greeks by a shortened form of the name, Aphrodite Derceto or Derketo and as Dea Syria, "Goddess of Syria"...
, Dagon
Dagon
Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and fish and/or fishing...
, Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
, Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
, Delphine
Delphine
Delphine is the first novel by Anne Louise Germaine de Staël, published in 1802. The book is written in epistolary form and examines the limits of women's freedom in an aristocratic society...
and Pelagia
Pelagia
Pelagia can refer to:* Saint Pelagia, of Antioch, who leapt to her death from a housetop* Pelagia of Tarsus, who was burnt to death* Pelagia was the secular name of Marina the Monk* Sister Pelagia, heroine of novels by Boris Akunin...
. Barbara Walker
Barbara G. Walker (author)
Barbara G. Walker is a U.S. author and feminist. She is an influential knitting expert and the author of several classic encyclopedic knitting references...
, in her book The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, suggests that Ichthys was the son of the sea goddess Atargatis
Atargatis
Atargatis, in Aramaic ‘Atar‘atah, was a Syrian deity, " great goddess of northern Syria" ,"the great mistress of the North Syrian lands" Rostovtseff called her, commonly known to the ancient Greeks by a shortened form of the name, Aphrodite Derceto or Derketo and as Dea Syria, "Goddess of Syria"...
and that his symbol was a representation of sexuality and fertility. The fish has also been used to symbolize Pisces, the Zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
sign. The Sun was in Pisces, the fish, on the Vernal Equinox shortly before the founding of Christianity and, depending on the line of demarcation, may remain so for approximately 600 more years, though this is a topic of debate: see Astrological age.
In non-Christian religious symbolism, the pointed oval or vesica piscis
Vesica piscis
The vesica piscis is a shape that is the intersection of two circles with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. The name literally means the "bladder of a fish" in Latin...
shape can represent the female genitalia
Vulva
The vulva consists of the external genital organs of the female mammal. This article deals with the vulva of the human being, although the structures are similar for other mammals....
.
Bumper sticker
Members of the University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
Evangelical Union
Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students
The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students is an evangelical Christian parachurch organisation that aims to encourage university students to believe in and follow Jesus Christ...
used the ichthys symbol when they formed a temporary Christian commune to be a witnessing presence at the Aquarius Rock Festival
Aquarius Festival
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin...
at Nimbin
Nimbin, New South Wales
Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore, 33 km southeast of Kyogle, and 70 km west of Byron Bay....
in May, 1973. From this time the display of the ichthys symbol, sometimes in combination with an Aquarius Festival
Aquarius Festival
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin...
sticker in the rear window of Kombi
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
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
Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society, also known as the Church Missionary Society, is a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Communion and Protestant Christians around the world...
from whose shop near St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney
St Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of New South Wales, the Most Reverend Peter Jensen...
could be purchased small items of jewelry with the ichthys 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.
Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students
The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students is an evangelical Christian parachurch organisation that aims to encourage university students to believe in and follow Jesus Christ...
. The ichthys symbol was soon in use among Christians across the world.
Numerous parody bumper stickers and badges have also appeared (see below).
Popular culture
The "Jesus Fish" has become an icon of modern American Protestant ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Today, it can be seen as a decal or emblem on the rear of automobiles or as pendants or necklaces as a sign that the owner is a Christian. It is incorporated 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 e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
signatures
Signature block
A signature block is a block of text automatically appended at the bottom of an e-mail message, Usenet article, or forum post. This has the effect of "signing off" the message and in a reply message of indicating that no more response follows...
with the symbols
It can also be seen in Grant Morrison's The Invisibles
The Invisibles
The Invisibles is a comic book series that was published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication....
, where a character explains that it represents the center, interlocking part of a Venn diagram
Venn diagram
Venn diagrams or set diagrams are diagrams that show all possible logical relations between a finite collection of sets . Venn diagrams were conceived around 1880 by John Venn...
, symbolic of reality itself which is supposedly formed by the intersection of two higher, warring planes of existence.
In the video for singer-songwriter Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's "Loser", one man wears a T-shirt featuring the ichthys with the word "LOSER".
Music festival
Ichthus Music FestivalIchthus Music Festival
The Ichthus Music Festival is an annual Christian music festival in Wilmore, Kentucky. Begun in 1970, it is the oldest Christian music festival in the nation. The festival began as the brainchild of Dr. Bob Lyon, and a group of seminary students at Asbury Theological Seminary, in response to...
is an annual large outdoor Christian music festival is held every year in mid-June in the town of Wilmore, Kentucky.
Parodies of the ichthys symbol
Distortions of the Ichthys symbol in modern culture rely on its use as a "Jesus fish" symbol of Christianity. Examples include:
- A right-facing ichthys-style symbol with legs, representing evolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. Occasionally it has "DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
" printed inside. - An ichthys-style symbol with legs (representing evolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
) & a single strand of DNA running through the center. - An ichthys-style symbol with the word "gefilte" written inside, a reference to the common Jewish food, gefilte fishGefilte fishGefilte fish is a poached fish mince stuffed into the fish skin.More common since the Second World War are the Polish patties similar to quenelles or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, mostly carp or pike...
. - An ichthys-style symbol with tentacles on the face of the fish, with or without legs and/or wings, and the name of H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's fictional deity CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
written inside. - An ichthys-style symbol with legs, horns, and the lower tail-fin removed leaving a tail. Representing a "devil dog" and occasionally with "Satan" written inside.
- An ichthys-style symbol with 3 noodle-like appendages on each end and 2 stalk eyes protruding from the top is used by Pastafarians to represent The Flying Spaghetti Monster.
- In the FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode Hell Is Other RobotsHell Is Other Robots"Hell Is Other Robots" is the ninth episode of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 18, 1999, as the season finale of the first season. The episode was written by Eric Kaplan and directed by Rich Moore. Guest stars in this episode include the Beastie Boys as themselves and Dan...
the robot Bender affixes a fish with an antenna and the word "ROBOT" inside to the Planet Express spaceship. - A larger ichthys symbol eating a smaller "Darwin" parody ichthys.
See also
- Ichthus Christian FellowshipIchthus Christian FellowshipIchthus Christian Fellowship is a neocharismatic Christian church movement and Apostolic network based in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the British New Church Movement and has links with other BNCM leaders and movements, especially Gerald Coates of Pioneer Network.-History:Ichthus...
- Chi RhoChi RhoThe Chi Rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by Christians. It is formed by superimposing the first two letters chi and rho of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" =Christ in such a way to produce the monogram ☧...
and LabarumLabarumThe labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was used by the Roman emperor Constantine I... - Vesica piscisVesica piscisThe vesica piscis is a shape that is the intersection of two circles with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. The name literally means the "bladder of a fish" in Latin...
External links
- Coins of the Emperor Augustus
- Coins of the Emperor Domitian
- Darwin fish symbols on cars are an act of ‘ritual aggression’
- earlychristians.org on early Christians in general including martyrdom
- Ichthus Christian Fellowship A large Christian organisation in the UK led by Roger ForsterRoger T. ForsterRoger Thomas Forster is the leader of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian Church that forms part of the British New Church Movement. In 1965 he married Faith Forster and has three children.-Cambridge:...
- Ichthus Music Festival The longest running Christian music festival in the nation having been started in 1970 as a Christian response to Woodstock.
- Origin of the "Christian" Fish Symbol
- World Largest store of christian artifacts
- Principal Christian Symbols: The Fish (Ichthus), Cross & Crucifix Extensive explanations on several popular Christian symbols, including the ichthys
- Symbolism of the Fish - Catholic Encyclopedia article
- The Harvard Ichthus, Journal of Christian Thought
- What do the symbols hide?, by sociologist Ieva Cepulkauskaite. A site giving brief descriptions of the origins and histories of various symbols, including the ichthyic.