Lessons in Greek
By Elisabeth Duckworth
Today's Greek word: ichthus (ο ιχθυς) – fish; the early Christian fish symbol.
You've probably seen the Christian “fish” symbol over the years. It enjoyed a renaissance during the 1970s when young Christians and “Jesus people” wore the fish as jewellery, on T-shirts, and neon bumper stickers. Its efficacy as testimony is questionable, but it certainly brought the “Jesus Movement” and the ancient fish symbol into modern prominence which persists to this day. I still see the occasional fish ornament visibly displayed on cars around Simcoe, as well as the evolutionist's parody of the fish with its legs and the name “Darwin” inscribed inside.
ἸΧΘΥΣ (ichthus), or ἸΧΘΥϹ means “fish” in Greek and is an acrostic for "Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτήρ", Iēsous Christos, Theou Uios, Sōtēr which translates into English as Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.
The statement “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour” affirmed the belief of early Christians in the twofold nature of Jesus Christ being both fully human and fully divine. The belief in Jesus Christ being true Human and true God completes the Holy Trinity, one of the basic articles of the Christian faith.
As far as we know from literary and physical evidence, the Christian fish symbol was not used by the New Testament church until the century after Jesus and the apostles lived. The first appearances of the ichthus symbol in Christian art and literature date to the 2nd Century AD. The symbol's use among Christians became popular by the late 2nd Century, and its use spread widely in the 3rd and 4th Centuries. In the early Church, the ichthus symbol held “the most sacred significance”, and Christians used it to recognize other churches and believers through this symbol during the era of persecution by the Roman Empire. Greeks, Romans, and many other people used the fish symbol before Christians. Hence the fish, unlike, say, the cross, attracted little suspicion, making it a perfect secret symbol for persecuted believers.
Church tradition claims early Christians, during their persecution by the Romans in the first few centuries after Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from foes. According to one ancient story, when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in safe company. Current bumper-sticker and business-card uses of the fish hearken back to this practice.
Why a fish? Tertullian (c. AD 160-220) in his treatise on baptism, De Baptismo 1, reasons that as water sustains fish, “we, little fishes, after the image of our ichthus, Jesus Christ, are born in the water (of baptism) nor are we safe but by remaining in it.” By calling Christians “little fishes,” Tertullian evokes Mark 1:16-18 where Jesus, the Great Fisherman, called fishermen to become fishers of people: “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Tertullian calls Jesus Christ “our ichthus.” Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 150-215) who was the teacher of Origen, recommends his readers have their personal seals engraved with either a dove or a fish. Pedagogus 3.11 Since Clement does not explain why he suggests a dove or a fish, it can be inferred that the symbols were common and needed no explanation.
Fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels. Several of Jesus' 12 Apostles were fishers. He commissions them with the words “I will make you fishers of People”. (Mark 1:16-18) Having been resurrected, Jesus offered some grilled fish in Luke 24:41-43. At the feeding of the five thousand, a child 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 Matthew 13:47-50, the Parable of Drawing in the Net, Jesus compares the angels separating the righteous from the wicked at the end of this world to fishers sorting out their catch, keeping the good fish and throwing the bad fish away. In 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. When they return to shore with their catch, Jesus is waiting for them and has cooked some fish for them to eat.
In Matthew 17:24-27, upon being asked if his Teacher pays the temple (or two-drachma) tax, Simon Peter answers yes. Christ tells Peter to go to the water and cast a line, saying that a coin sufficient for both of them will be found in the fish's mouth. Peter does this and finds the coin.
The fish is also used by Jesus to describe “the Sign of Jonah”. (Matthew 12:38-45) This is symbolic of Jesus's resurrection, upon which the entire Christian faith is based. (1 Corinthians 15:1-58) During the reign of Emperor Constantine (AD 307-337), the persecution of Christians came to an end, when he declared Christianity the official state religion. The fish symbol seems to have disappeared after the 4th Century until its revitalization in recent times as Christianity spread and the secret of the “mystery fish” became more widely known to the world.
Next time, we’ll look at that other great Christian symbol, the cross.
