Ichthus

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For a detailed discussion of Ichthus see Ichthys.

Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ) is the Greek word for fish. The word may also refer to:

This symbol was used primarily amongst Christians in early church history (1st and 2nd century A.D.) The symbol may have been adopted in the seaport of Alexandria, Egypt which was used by the peoples of the sea as a symbol of a familiar deity, in this case, Jesus Christ.

The symbol was later used as a means of identifying or acknowledging a fellow believer in Christ without the need for any verbal communication being exchanged.

During the reign of Emperor Nero (54 A.D.- 68 A.D.), and throughout the reign of the Roman Emperors, Christians were commonly persecuted, tortured, and put to death because of their Christian faith. In 64 A.D., great fire broke out in Rome, destroying portions of the city and economically devastating the Roman population. Nero himself was suspected as the arsonist by historian Suetonius, who claimed that he played the lyre and sang the 'Sack of Ilium' during the fires. To defer the blame, Nero targeted a relatively new religious sect: Christianity. He ordered Christians to be thrown to the dogs, crucified, burned, or otherwise martyred.

Roman soldiers were stationed throughout the empire to keep order and police the people. Often, when a soldier spotted a suspected Christian, he would report it to his superiors, who in turn would order the Christian's arrest and interrogation. Christians would often be harassed or tortured because of their refusal to recant their beliefs and conform to the polytheistic Roman religion. Death would frequently come to those that did not submit.

During this time of persecution, Christians would often draw an ichthus on the ground or the walls of caves or buildings in an example of ancient hobo code, letting travelers know that they were in the presence of other followers. The ichthus indicated that the marked location was a safe place to meet and talk about one's beliefs without fear of subjugation.



[edit] An Alternate View

That the symbol of the fish was used widely by Roman Christians is not in dispute. It has been found in catacombs in Rome dating back to the early third century and on mosaics in pre-Byzantine times. During the era of Persecution between Emperor Nero and Emperor Theodosius, the fish symbol may have been used at times to help facilitate the covert meetings of Christians in Rome by serving as a subtle sign indicating the instance of a Christian meeting. In pre-Christian times, it may have had association with the Greek god of the Sea, Poseidon. It is not clear when ΙΧΘΥΣ took on the meaning of "Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Savior."

While the New Testament books occasionally analogized Jesus to lamb or a lion, there doesn't seem to be the slightest allusion there to Jesus resembling a fish. Why then would the early Greco-Roman Christians associate Jesus with a fish? This curious fact may be explained by the backronym hidden in the Greek letters in ΙΧΘΥΣ.

'Ι' (Iota) The first letter of the Greek word ΙΧΘΥΣ (fish) is also the first letter of the Greek name Iesous. Iesous was the Greek rendering of Jesus' Hebrew name, Yeshua which, when Anglicized, is Joshua. Yeshua in Hebrew means something like, "Salvation is of/from the Lord."

'X' (Chi) The second letter in ΙΧΘΥΣ is the first letter of the Greek word Christos. Christos was the Greek word the translators of the Septuagint used to translate the the Hebrew word Messhiach, or Messiah when Anglicized. In Hebrew Messhiach meant Anointed one. In the Hebrew tradition, men who were made into Kings, Prophets, and Priests were anointed with olive oil to symbolize their need for divine assistance to do their job. In the New Testament books, Jesus is presented as the Messiah--the ultimate King, Priest, and Prophet.

'Θ' (Theta) The third letter in ΙΧΘΥΣ is the first letter of the Greek word Theos. When the Jewish translators of the Septuagint were faced with the challenge of finding a Greek word to use for the Hebrew word Elohim (God) they avoided the word Deus or Dios in favor of the less used word Theos, perhaps to avoid pagan connotations. This then suggests that the use of the word Theos in the first century would have monotheistic Hebrew connotations rather than polytheistic or pantheistic connotions from the Hellenistic traditions. To the early Christians they would probably have understood the use of Theos then to refer not to Zeus or Apollo but to YHWH, the God associated with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

'Υ' (Upsilon) The fourth letter in ΙΧΘΥΣ is the first letter of the Greek word (h)uios, meaning son. Given how the ancients viewed the father-son relationship and inheritances, the claim that Jesus was the Son of God rather than God himself probably did anything but detract from the notion that this man was divine.

'Σ'(Sigma) The fifth letter in ΙΧΘΥΣ is the first letter of the Greek word for Soter, the Greek word for Savior or Deliverer.

The letters of the word ΙΧΘΥΣ then was a covert but robust declaration that the central object of their faith, Jesus (Iesous) was the promised Messiah (Christos), the Son ('uios) of God (Theos), and the Savior (Soter)of mankind.