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The Fish The Fish was the mark of the
early Christian. The first believers did not dare to wear any mark of their
faith. If they did so they were often persecuted or killed. The Greek
initials of “JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S, SON, SAVIOR” made up the Greek word for
fish; Ichthus. The early Christians sketched the symbol of a fish as a sign
to other Christians of their faith. Today the FISH still stands as a symbol
of a Christian. Ours are more diversified than the earlier stick like fish,
but equally symbolic of our CHRISTian heritage. This article will give you more specific information: The Ichthus: Historically one of the first
symbols used by Christians to identify themselves to others was the fish.
There is a literary reference made to the fish by Clement of Alexandria, born
around 150 a.d., tha recommended his readers to have their seals engraved
with a dove or a fish. Christians had been using the symbolic fish long
before Clement of Alexandria was born in such Roman monuments as the Capella
Greca and the Sacrament Chapels of the catacomb of St. Callistus. The fish
symbolized the baptismal waters, the loaves and fishes, and Jesus' own
declaration to the disciples to become "fishers of men". See
Matthew 4:19. The Greek work for fish, Ichthus, is an acrostic consisting of
the initial letters of five Greek words forming the word for fish (Ichthus),
which briefly but clearly described the character of Christ and His claim to
the worship of believers: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus
Christ, Son of God, Saviour. It is possible that this Christian acrostic
originated in Alexandria, and was intended as a protest against the pagan
coin from Alexandria of the reign of Domitian (81-96) that was had inscribed
on it Theou Yios (Son of God). The fish and the word Ichthus held a meaning
of high significance for the Christians. It was a brief profession of faith
in the divinity of Christ - that He was the Redeemer of mankind. Tertullian
referred to believers in this way, "we, little fishes, after the image
of our Ichthus, Jesus Christ, are born in the water". The fish symbol
was frequently found associated with such other symbols as the dove, the
anchor, and the monogram of Christ. The monuments, too, on which it appears,
from the first to the fourth century, include frescoes, sculptured
representations, rings, seals, gilded glasses, as well as enkolpia of various
materials. The type of fish depicted calls for no special observation, save
that, from the second century, the form of the dolphin was frequently
employed. The reason for this particular selection is presumed to be the fact
that, in popular esteem, the dolphin was regarded as friendly to man. A
considerable number of objects containing the fish-symbol are preserved in
various European museums, one of the most interesting, because of the
grouping of the fish with several other symbols, being a carved gem in the
Kircherian Museum in Rome. On the left is a T-form anchor, with two fishes
beneath the crossbar, while next in order are a T-form cross with a dove on
the crossbar and a sheep at the foot, another T-cross as the mast of a ship,
and the good shepherd carrying on His shoulders the strayed sheep. In
addition to these symbols the five letters of the word Ichthus are
distributed round the border. Another ancient carved gem represents a ship
supported by a fish, with doves perched on the mast and stern, and Christ on
the waters rescuing St. Peter. After the fourth century the symbolism of the
fish gradually disappeared; representations of fishes on baptismal fonts and
on bronze baptismal cups like those found at Rome and Trier, now in the
Kircherian Museum, are merely of an ornamental character, suggested, probably
by the water used in baptism. There are several references to
fish within the Bible. Here they all are! Their Creation "Then God said, Let the
waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the
earth in the open expanse of the heavens. God created the great sea monsters
and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after
their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was
good. God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters
in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." Genesis 1:20-22 Their Purpose "The fear and dread of you
will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon
every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea;
they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food
for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you
everything." Genesis
9:2,3 Determination of Clean or
Unclean "`Of all the creatures
living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have
fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have
fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other
living creatures in the water--you are to detest. And since you are to detest
them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses.
Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be
detestable to you." Leviticus 11:9-12 Fishing Expeditions that Snare
the Soul "Moreover, no man knows
when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are
taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly
upon them." Ecclesiastes
9:12. Tall Fish Tales that are True! "He saw at the water's edge
two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got
into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a
little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When
he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water,
and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've
worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I
will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large
number of fish that their nets began to break." Luke 5:2-6 Warnings by the Lord "The Sovereign LORD has
sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken
away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks." Amos 4:2 Miraculous Fish Events "But so that we may not
offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you
catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give
it to them for my tax and yours." |
