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It has been suggested that Ichthus be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

The ichthys has been used to represent a number of ideas.

The ichthys as adopted as a Christian symbol.

Ichthys (Greek: ἰχθύς, capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ; also transliterated and Latinized as ichthys, icthus, ichthus or ikhthus; ichthus), 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, God's Son, Saviour." Image File history File links Portal. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... The ichthys or fish symbol represents Christianity Ichthys (ιχθυς in the Greek alphabet, also transliterated Ichthus, Icthus, Ikhthus, etc), is the Greek word for fish. It refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs resembling the profile of a fish, used by the early Christians as a secret symbol... Image File history File links Ichthus. ... Image File history File links Ichthus. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christian symbolism... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ... In linguistics, romanization or latinization is a system for representing a word or language with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, where the original word or language used a different writing system. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... This page is about the title, office or what is known in Christian theology as the Divine Person. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Son of... Soter, sometimes known as the Pope of Charity, was pope from 166 to 174 (the Vatican cites 162 or 168 to 170 or 177). ...

Ichthys is also the son of Atargatis.^[1] Atargatis, in Aramaic ‘Atar‘atah, was a Syrian deity, more commonly known to the Greeks by a shortened form of the name, Derceto or Derketo (Strabo 16. ...

Ichthus as a Christian symbol

Symbolic meaning

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

The use of the Ichthys symbol by early Christians appears to date from the end of the 1st century AD. Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym, a word formed from the first letters of several words. It compiles to "Jesus Christ God Son Saviour" or "Jesus Christ God Son Saviour", in ancient Greek "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ" Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the town in the southern United States, see Ephesus, Georgia. ... Look up acronym, initialism, alphabetism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Koine redirects here. ...

• 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 Saviour.

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". This article is about Greek iota. ... For the article on the person, teaching, and acts of Jesus Christ, see the Jesus article. ... For other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... Look up Χ, χ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This page is about the title, office or what is known in Christian theology as the Divine Person. ... Look up Θ, θ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Upsilon (upper case , lower case ) is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. ... For other uses, see Sigma (disambiguation). ... Soter, sometimes known as the Pope of Charity, was pope from 166 to 174 (the Vatican cites 162 or 168 to 170 or 177). ...

An ancient adaptation of ichthus 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 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 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 Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. ...

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.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ... The Vesica Piscis The vesica piscis is a symbol made from two circles of the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. ...

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 does find the coin.

The early Christian church

Societies of Christians in Hellenistic Greece and Roman Greece, 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^{[citation needed]}. 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^{[citation needed]}. Alternatively, one would draw the symbol, and another person would confirm their faith by drawing an eye on it^{[citation needed]}. The Hellenistic period of Greek history was the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the Greek peninsula and islands by Rome in 146 BC. Although the establishment of Roman rule did not break the continuity of Hellenistic society and culture, which... The Edict of Milan was a letter that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire. ... A congregation is an assembly of people for a given purpose. ... For other uses of the word staff, see staff. ...

Funerary stele with the inscription ΙΧΘΥΣ 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. 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). Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 690 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2100 × 1825 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 690 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2100 × 1825 pixel, file size: 2. ... This article is about the stone structure. ... // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... The National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano in Italian) is a set of museums in Rome, Italy, split between various branches across the city. ... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 – 18 September 96), commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor of the gens Flavia. ... For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... Julius (fem. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... For other uses, see Miracle (disambiguation). ... The Gospel of Mark, anonymous[1] but traditionally ascribed to Mark the Evangelist, is a synoptic gospel of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. ... The Gospel of Luke (literally, according to Luke; Greek, Κατά Λουκαν, Kata Loukan) is a synoptic Gospel, and the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. ... For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ... Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian, (ca. ...

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. This article is about the veracity of Jesus existence. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

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. The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... AFES Logo The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) is an evangelical Christian parachurch organisation that aims to encourage university students to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

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. Honi Soit is a student newspaper at the University of Sydney run by an elected editorial team, as part of the activities of the University of Sydney Students Representative Council. ...

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 University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australias Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. ... Evangelical Union can refer to: Evangelical Union (Scotland), a religious phenomenon in Scotland Protestant Union, a coalition of Protestant German states in the 17th century A campus Christian group affiliated with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same... The Aquarius Festival was a music and cultural festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and held in Nimbin, New South Wales in 1973. ... Nimbin is a small town in northern New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore (of whose city council, it is a village) and 43 km southeast of Kyogle. ... The Aquarius Festival was a music and cultural festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and held in Nimbin, New South Wales in 1973. ... ...

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. The Church Mission Society, known as the Church Missionary Society in Australia and New Zealand, is an evangelistic society working with the Anglican Church and other Protestant Christians around the world. ... St Andrews Cathedral, Sydney is the cathedral church of the Anglican diocese of Sydney, and the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of NSW, The Most Rev Dr Peter Jensen. ... AFES Logo The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) is an evangelical Christian parachurch organisation that aims to encourage university students to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. ...

Ichthys in 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 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 "<><". Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A signature block (often abbreviated as signature, sig block, sig file, or just sig) is a block of text automatically appended at the bottom of an e-mail message, Usenet article, or forum post. ...

Parodies of the ichthys symbol

Main article: Parodies of the ichthys symbol

The neutrality or factuality of this section may be compromised by weasel words, which can allow the implication of unsourced information. You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel worded statements.

The Darwin fish.

Distortions of the Ichthus symbol in popular culture rely on its use as a symbol of Christianity.: The traditional ichthys symbol The ichthys symbol, or Jesus fish, typically used to proclaim an affiliation with or affinity for Christianity, is frequently a subject of satire, especially when adorning the bumpers or trunks of automobiles. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Darwin_fish_ROF.svg‎ The Darwin fish Vectorised by User:Erin Silversmith. ... Image File history File links Darwin_fish_ROF.svg‎ The Darwin fish Vectorised by User:Erin Silversmith. ...

• The Darwin Fish, which often appears as a bumper sticker, is a satirical representation of the symbol, reversed and with feet attached and often with the name "DARWIN" in the middle. It is a depiction of an early tetrapod like ichthyostega. The image implies acknowledgment of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in contrast to the common Christian belief of biblical creationism. There are also variations, like the Truth fish (an ichthys eating the Darwin fish), or a Darwin fish eating the ichthys.

Cthulhu's ichthys-style logo

• An ichthys-style representing Cthulhu, the fictional amoral deity monster from the 1928 short story "The Call of Cthulhu" by H. P. Lovecraft.

• A stylized symbol for the "Flying Spaghetti Monster", the deity of a parody religion called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its system of beliefs, "Pastafarianism".

1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... Groups See text. ... Species Ichthyostega (Greek: fish roof) is an early tetrapod genus living in the Upper Devonian (Famennian) period, 367-362. ... Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an eminent English naturalist who achieved lasting fame by convincing the scientific community that species develop over time from a common origin. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... Creationism is a religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity or deities (often the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), whose existence is presupposed. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (2190 × 1435 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (2190 × 1435 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... For other uses, see Cthulhu (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cthulhu (disambiguation). ... Cthulhu with the insane city Rlyeh in the background. ... This article is about the author. ... Bobby Henderson redirects here. ...

References

Copperplate refers to the use of inscribed sheets of copper in printing. ... Arthur Malcolm Stace (1884 - 30 July 1967), otherwise known as Mr. ...

See also

• Chi Rho
• Christian symbolism
• Dyad (symbol)
• Jesus
• Labarum
• Vesica Piscis
• Parodies of the ichthys symbol
• Icthus

An image of the labarum, with the letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christian symbolism... The Dyad Dyad, according to the Pythagoreans, is the principle of twoness or otherness, .[1] Monad Triad Tetrad Pentad Decad Vesica piscis Ichthys Iamblichus of Chalcis ^ Hemenway, Priya – Divine Proportion pp. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... The Labarum An image of the labarum, with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ... The Vesica Piscis The vesica piscis is a symbol made from two circles of the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. ... The traditional ichthys symbol The ichthys symbol, or Jesus fish, typically used to proclaim an affiliation with or affinity for Christianity, is frequently a subject of satire, especially when adorning the bumpers or trunks of automobiles. ... The ichthys or fish symbol represents Christianity Ichthys (Greek: ; 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. ...

External links

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• 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