Christians: What's the origin of the 'Jesus Fish' symbol?

Question

I've heard two different theories:

- That it is from the 'fisher of men' story; or
- That it is the alpha symbol, as in "I am the Alpha and the Omega"

Perhaps there are other explanations?

Answer 1

The Greek word for fish is "ixthus" or "icthus." The Christian fish symbol that many Christians place on their cars is known as the “ixthus.” Five Greek letters form the word “ixthus,” and those letters inside the fish form an acrostic which is a message that Christians clearly identified with. The first letter represented the word Jesus. The second letter represented the word Christ, the next two, God Son, and the final letter represented the word Savior. This adds up to “Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Savior.”



During the early days of Christianity, Christians were often put to death for practicing their faith, so they worshiped in secret places. A fish painted on the outside door of a house let other Christians know that they would be safe and welcome inside. The Christian fish symbol is now often used to identify Christians and/or Christian businesses.

Answer 2

The fish symbol was originally used to identify other Christians after the death of Jesus. During the period after the crucifixion, many Christians were being hunted by the Romans and some within the Jewish Religious community. To identify themselves to each other, they would draw the fish symbol in the sand, thus letting the other person know what they were. To a non-Christian, the symbol would have meant nothing and therefore was not a give away. It was later on incorporated within the church and is now synonymous with Jesus. It's origins come from Jesus being a fisher of men.

Answer 3

That came from Greek "Ikthos" or fish which is very close to the Greek word for Christ. The picture of the fish came to be the recognition code for one Christian to identify another in the time of the Roman persecutions. At least, that is what we were told in Sunday School when I was a lad. The Britannica also confirmed this, so I guess that there must have been something that I learned in church.

Answer 4

It's traditionally considered a secret greeting among early Christians who were being persecuted in the Roman empire. One Christian would make a curved line in the sand, and if the other person completed the sign, then they would know that they were in the company of believers.

Answer 5

This is what I've always understood :-



The Greek word ICHTHOS means Fish, the first letters in Greek of “Iesous Christos THeou Ouios Soter” (“Jesus the Christ, Son of God, the Redeemer”) It was used as an acronym by the early Christians, as a secret confession of Christian Faith in the form of a fish painted on the walls of the catacombs and elsewhere.



http://www.ichthosforum.org/home.html

Answer 6

Originally it was a pagan symbol -- symbolic of a woman's fertility or actual genitalia and also of a female Goddess. Just one more pagan symbol "borrowed" by the Christian faith.



"The fish symbol has been used for millennia worldwide as a religious symbol associated with the Pagan Great Mother Goddess."



http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm

Answer 7

There was a time when Christians met in secret, because they were under severe persecution. The would put this sign someplace, engraved in a stone or wall, to show other Christians this was where they could meet.



I am not quite sure, I think the fish symbol had something to do with the Greek language, a special meaning that indicated Jesus.

Answer 8

It comes from the Greek of the early Christians. If you take the first letters of the Greek words for "Jesus Christ, Son of god, Saviour" they spell the Greek word for fish, and so the fish became a secret symbol for them.

Answer 9

It was used by Christians secretly to form a group so the could talk to each other so the prosecutioner of the Christians never found them out.

Answer 10

omega is a horseshoe, alpha is and A without the thing going through the middle



it is the fish story,

it is also silly.

almost as silly as wearing a cross with a half dead jesus on it



(please for the love of god somebody get me down, why do you all want to remember me like this, i am in an extreme amount of pain, please why stop sculpting statues, cant you remember me for who i was and no my death)



thats what jesus would say

Answer 11

In Greek, the initials of one of his titles is the same as the word for "fish"- IXThOS. (I and J are equivalent in ancient alphabets, so Jesus is Iesus. X is for Ch, so Christ is Xristos, Th is for Theos = God, O is for a word indictaing son of, Soter is Saviour.) I'm an atheist, and I know this.

Answer 12

Faithfullylitha is right. It is an acronym of the words 'Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour' in Greek.

Answer 13

it was a sign to other persecuted christians, that they are in the same company,

Roman catacomb's, are filled with these symbol's, secret meetings.

Answer 14

I'm unsure as to what it exactly represented, but back when Christianity was an underground cult in ancient Rome the mark of the fish showed where they held there secret meetings.

Answer 15

It all comes from the Greek language. It is a linguistic phenomenon. I see that one person gave you the good answer about ichtus.

Answer 16

It's argued that it was once a pagan symbol. Lots of Christian symbols are borrowed from other religions.

Answer 17

Right now, we are in the astrological age of "pices", which is a fish. And since Jesus happens to be the most popular religious figure of this age, it only makes sense that a fish be one of his many symbols. Funny how most christians don't even know that, but it's true.

Answer 18

There is issue with that and the star of David Both have Gentile origins

Answer 19

Another story is that it was a recognition symbol when Nero was killing them, one would draw an arc in the sand/dirt, and the other would draw an opposing arc that made the fish symbol

Answer 20

My theory is that it is like a salmon



The ones that willingly swim upstream in the millions to be eaten by bears.



Metaphorical of how Christians just swim with the crowd...straight to their doom, for no other reason than their parents before them did the same thing

Answer 21

In Greek, using the Greek alphabet, fish is an acronym for Jesus Christ, God and Saviour.

Answer 22

I've heard they used it as a "secret handshake" during Nero's prosecution.

Answer 23

Wikipedia answers this handily. Neither of your hypotheses are correct, though the first one might have had something to do with it.

Answer 24

Originally it was a pagan fertility symbol representing the female genitalia. It was drawn like this ()



The early christians adopted it and first drew like this () and then like this <>



Later a tail was added to give <><



Anyone relying on Wikipedia for factual information is advised to use extreme caution

Answer 25

neither, Jesus means the Age of Pisces

Answer 26

Follow me Peter and I shall make you a fisher of men.

Answer 27

From a pagan fertility symbol.

Answer 28

Age of Pisces

Answer 29

I've traced it back to the mayan god dagon,this symbol is on their temples and the god dagon that they worshipped.

Answer 30

I have always assumed it was because Jesus was a fisherman.

Answer 31

It indicates an early stage in evolution.

Answer 32

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_fish

go for it

its all there

Answer 33

All religion is a bit fishy.