Ichthys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section may contain original research or unattributed claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details. |
Ichthys (Greek: ἰχθύς; 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." In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs resembling the profile of a fish, used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "Jesus fish." Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym or backronym of "Jesus Christ, Son Of God, Saviour (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ)."
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Prior to Christian belief, the ichthys was used worldwide as a symbol of the pagan "Great Mother Goddess."[citation needed] It was meant to represent the outline of her vulva. [dubious — see talk page] It is linked to the Age of Pisces and also has associations with the Hindu deity Vishnu, but more so with Dagon the fish-god of the Philistines. (The name Dagon is derived from "dag" which means fish.) There have also been discoveries of the fish-god in sculptures found in Nineveh Assyria. Dagon is also found in the Scriptures (Judges 16:23-24; 1 Samuel 5:2-5). In both instances, it was the transcendent, invisible God that defeated the idols. This being a common symbol in the ancient world, it could be used by secret societies without fear of persecution.
[edit] Christian
Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym, which is a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name. It compiles to "Jesus Christ God's Son is Saviour" or "Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour", in ancient Greek "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ"
- I is the first letter of the word Iesous (Ιησους), Greek for Jesus.
- CH are the first letters (in Greek one letter) of the word Christos (Χριστóς), Greek for Christ.
- TH are the first letters (in Greek one letter) of the word THeou (Θεοῦ), genetive case of Θεóς, Greek for God.
- Y is the first letter for Yios (Υἱός), Greek for Son.
- S is the first letter for Soter (Σωτήρ), Greek for Savior.
 |
The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page |
The origin of the symbol Ichthys as it relates to Judeo/Christian belief can be traced back to around 645 BCE[citation needed]. Most of the stories of Christ have counterparts that predate him.[citation needed]. Pythagoras, the philosopher/mathematician who is given much credit for bringing these “Christ like” stories from Africa, helped incorporate them into the mysteries and teachings of his time[citation needed]. Take, for instance, John 21:1-14, (where Jesus gave a command and his desciples caught a multitude of fish). Pythagoras was also known for attending a fishing trip whereby he facilitated the miracle of a catch almost verbatim to the later New Testament’s version, but the story ends and we were not told the number of fish caught in the net. Amazingly, preserved in the New Testament’s transcription of the story, the number of fish is 153, John 21:11. Many don’t realize that when the Greeks were developing these stories, they hid within them mathematical allegories to explain deeper truths. In this case, truth in mathematics. Most of these allegories are now lost in the literal translation and interpretation of the New Testament[citation needed]. The Number 153 is part of the ratio 153:265 explained in the Greek mathematical symbol of two conjoined circles, vesica piscis. This is the symbol used by early Christians as it was handed down from the Greeks to the Jews. This ratio of height to length of this shape is a formula known to Archimedes in the third century BCE as the “measure of the fish”. It is a powerful mathematical tool, being the nearest whole number approximation of the square root of 3 and the controlling ratio of the equilateral triangle. Another example of a mathematical allegory in the New Testament is the creation of the name JESUS, The Greeks fashioned the name we associate with Christ from the Hebrew name Joshua. Because the Greek Alphabet attributed numerical values to the each letter, they liked names to add up to important numbers that had sacred meanings. The name Joshua did not quite add up to any sacred number in it Greek translation, so the name was modified slightly in order for it to have sacred meaning. In this case, Jesus’s numerical equivalent is the number 888, a number with special secular and mathematical meanings[citation needed].
Societies of Christians in the early Roman Empire, 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 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].
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 Yios (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 Icqus [ΙΧΘΥΣ] Jesus Christ, are born in water" (§1).
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. However, this theory is controversial and scholars are split on the probability (or even possibility) of such influence.[1] A minority posit that the Babylonian myth of Ichthys, or other similar pagan myths, were adopted by Christianity, and with them the ichthys sign[citation needed].
[edit] Revival and adaptations of the symbol
The 20th century popular revival of the ichthus symbol appears to date from about 1969-70. 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, held a mission to students. The committee in charge of the promotions of the activity, confronted by a strongly anti-Christian sentiment within the university at the time, looked for a symbol which was distinctly Christian and which might excite curiosity by its apparent novelty and decided upon this ancient sign.
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 pavemments all around the university. 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 appparently-mysterious use of the ichthus symbol. As the advertising campaign progressed, more information was revealed.
The success of the campaign prompted the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students to mount a "Fish Mission" to the Aquarius Rock Festival at Nimbin in May, 1973. The display of the "icththus" symbol, sometimes in combination with an Aquarius Festival sticker in the rear window of Combi vans began at this time.
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 ichthus motif.
The ichthus symbol has been re-adopted world-wide by modern Christians as a badge, often with the word "JESUS" in the center of the symbol. Applied to the rear bumper of a car, the symbol is used to indicate to the world that the owner is a Christian. Historically, this adaptation was based on an earlier symbol which included a fish with the Greek letters "ΙΧΘΥΣ" or a small cross for an eye. These letters are sometimes confused for the Latin letters "IXOYE".
Local businesses in some areas will incorporate the symbol into their logo.
It is important to note that not all cars displaying this symbol do so for Christian reasons. Certain car manufacturers (for example some in the UK), use this symbol on certain brands of car (for example, the Alfa Romeo).
Some Christians who put the logo on their cars do not realize that they have displayed it backwards when the tail of the fish is on the left and the head is on the right. The correct placement is with the head on the left and the tail on the right as this calls to mind the Greek letter alpha (α) which has a similar shape. This is an allusion to the saying that Jesus is the "Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."
This badge may also be seen in email signatures with the symbols "<><".
Another adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ superimposed in such a way such that the final collection looks like a common wagon-wheel.
[edit] Parodies of the ichthys symbol
The ichthys symbol has been subject to considerable parody in the late 20th century, especially on bumper stickers, and usually used to imply a contrast with creationism. The most famous is the Darwin fish, an ichthys symbol with feet attached and often the word "DARWIN" in the middle. This variation of the ichthys symbol is meant to represent naturalistic evolution as an apparent contrast with Judeo-Christian creationism. It is worth noting that the attempt to make this contrast betrays a lack of understanding about modern Christian (especially Catholic) beliefs, as most congregations do not consider Darwin's theory of evolution inconsistent with their Christian faith.
The tiktaalik has been compared to the Darwin fish. It is a fossil which has been interpreted as a link between fish and land animals and was discovered after the Darwin fish symbol was in common use. As such it is said tongue-in-cheek to be evidence supporting the Darwin fish hypothesis.
A variant-upon-a-variant, there is also in this line the "Truth" fish in which an ichthys with the word "truth" inside is shown eating the Darwin fish. It may or may not be a Christian retaliation against the Darwin fish. The larger "Truth" fish eating a smaller "Darwin" fish might also imply "survival of the fittest," a Darwinian tenet. Another variant includes a "Darwin" fish eating the "Truth" fish with "Reality bites", in an apparent attack on the "survival of the fittest" fish.
[edit] Other symbolism associated with the fish
The constellation Pisces comprises a set of dim and scattered stars that trace the images of two widely separated fish joined by a knotted cord. One fish, swimming upward, faces east toward Aries, while the other fish swims westward toward Aquarius along the plane of the ecliptic. The directions of motion of the two fish form a cross, the symbol of the Christian religion — the upright line of the cross representing spirit and the horizontal line signifying matter.
Astrologists say that the Age of Pisces (cf.) coincided with the birth of Jesus.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "[C]hronologically and geographically any influence by Mithraism on the origins of Christianity seems excluded." (Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity [Eerdmans, 1993, 2nd edt.], p. 271).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- 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’
