Icthus: The Sign of the Fish

Back in the 1990s there was a proliferation of fish outlines on car bumpers. The simple symbol served as a way for Christians to self-identify as followers of Jesus. The fad has long since reached its peak -- these days it is just as common to see a parody of the original symbol, such as the evolving Darwin.

The fish symbol was not just a random innovation of 20th century Christians. It is actually an ancient sign of the church, with many levels of meaning. It is rooted in the ways that fish appear in the gospels:

• Jesus promised to make his disciples, some of whom were fishermen, into "fishers of men." (Mark 1:16-18)
• A boy offered two fish, which Jesus used to feed thousands of people who came to hear him. (John 6:5-15)
• The resurrected Christ ate fish with his disciples. (Luke 24:41-43)

The early generations of Jesus' followers then added more meaning to the fish symbol. One's immersion into the waters of baptism became a way to identify with Jesus, who was seen as a new Jonah -- one who was buried and rose again from the depths (Matthew 12:38-45). This identification of fish with baptism and death began to show up on Christian burial markers as early as the 3rd century.

One Greek word for fish is icthus (or icthys). When Greek was pretty much the main language of the church, many symbols and acronyms took the form of letters in that language. The early Greek-speaking disciples added to the already-rich symbolism of the fish and made a meaningful phrase out of the word icthus. Each of these five Greek letters stands for a word which spells out "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" when translated into English:

• Iota (I) = Iesous: Jesus
• Chi (X) = Christos: Christ
• THeta (that O with a line through it) = Theou: God
• Upsilon (U or Y) = (h)Uios: Son
• Sigma (E or S) = Soter: Savior

The fish symbol used to provide a covert way for Christians to identify themselves. The Chuck Knows Church video clip below describes how members of the persecuted church could draw half of the symbol in the dust. If their companion was a Christian who knew the significance of the fish, he or she would complete the drawing and thus affirm their shared faith. This kind of covert Jason Bourne Christianity is hard to imagine in today's United States of America, where we proudly display the symbol everywhere we go -- cars, business cards, and the Yellow Pages. The fish symbol is a good reminder that the freedom to worship is something many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have not experienced. Next time you see one, take a moment to pray for Christians in North Korea, Iran, and Sudan.

Pastor Chuck explains the icthys symbol in the early church.