Ichthys

Ichthys as adopted as a Christian symbol.

Ichthys (more commonly spelt Ichthus, or sometimes Ikhthus, from Greek: ἰχθύς, capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥC) 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[1] and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."[2]

Contents

History

Symbolic meaning

An early circular ichthys symbol, created by combining the Greek letters ΙΧΘΥΣ, Ephesus.

Ichthys (ΙCH"THUS, Greek for fish) can be read as an acrostic, a word formed from the first letters of several words. It compiles to "Jesus Christ, God's son, savior," in ancient Greek "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ ͑Υιός, Σωτήρ", Iēsous Christos, Theou Huios, Sōtēr.

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 "ΙΧΘΥΣ".

An ancient adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ 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 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 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 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 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.

A less commonly cited use of fish in Christ's life may be found in the words of Matthew 17:24-27, 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:

…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 good company. Current bumper-sticker and business-card uses of the fish hearken back to this practice. The symbol is still used today to show that the bearer is a practicing Christian.
—Christianity Today, Elesha Coffman, "Ask the Editors", [3]
Funerary stele with the inscription ΙΧΘΥC ΖΩΝΤΩΝ ("fish of the living"), early 3rd century, National Roman Museum

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 (Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:30-44, 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."[4]

Pre-Christian use

Fish may have been used as symbols before Christianity, possibly representing several goddesses;[5] it has been associated with Aphrodite, Atargatis, Dagon, Ephesus, Isis, Delphine and Pelagia.[6] 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 experts believe it will remain so for approximately 600 more years,[7] though this is a topic of debate: see Astrological age.

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 perceived 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 ichthys symbol on pavements all around the university.[8] Silk-screen prints in bright colors 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.

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 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).

Popular culture

The "Jesus Fish" has become an icon of modern Christianity. Today, it can be seen as a decal or emblem on the rear of automobiles or as pendants or necklaces as a sign to the world 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 "<><" or "<°(((><"

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. It represents our reality which is formed by the intersection of two higher warring planes of existence.

In the Futurama episode Hell Is Other Robots the robot Bender places a fish on the Planet Express ship with an antenna and the word "ROBOT" inside.

In the videoclip of the popular song of Beck, one man wears a t-shirt with a design of 'loser fish'(56').

Music festival

Ichthus Music Festival 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

A Darwin fish is an Ichthys with stylized legs

Distortions of the Ichthys symbol in modern culture rely on its use as a "Jesus fish" symbol of Christianity.[9] Examples include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ely.anglican.org/education/schools/collective_worship/documents/icthus.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg1apr01,0,5893988.column "Evolution of religious bigotry"
  3. ↑ October 26, 2001 - Ask the Editors - Christian History
  4. ↑ http://ccel. org/fathers2/ANF-03/anf03-49.htm#P11466_3245563 §1
  5. ↑ "Origin of the "Christian" Fish Symbol". albatrus.org. http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_fish_symbol.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
  6. ↑ "Fish (ichthus), cross, and crucifix". religioustolerance.org. http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-27. 
  7. ↑ "The Grand Ages And The Coming Of Aquarius". http://www.greatdreams.com/ages.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-22. 
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Mark D. Stucky (Summer 2006). "Middle Earth’s Messianic Mythology Remixed: Gandalf’s Death and Resurrection in Novel and Film". Journal of Religion and Popular Culture XIII. http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art13-middleearthmyth-print.html. 

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