This may seem a lil silly, but what does that fish symbol mean?

[Beta BJ]

Like the one at the top left of this very page.

I saw a few on cars the past week.

Can someone please explain?

[StAnselm]

Oh, it's a symbol of the Christian faith, similar to the cross. It is very ancient - coming from the very first decades of the church.

Part of it may come from the apostles being "fishers of men", but mainly it's from the word ICHTHUS, which is the Greek word for fish, but also an acronym -
Iesous
Christos
Theou
Uios
Soter
- "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour".

[TheEwok]

The story goes that they devised a way to secretly signal other Christians or, if just meeting someone, to find out if that person were also a believer by simply taking their foot and casually drawing an arc with their toe on the ground. Then, if the other person was a Christian, he, just as causally, would draw an ark with his toe to complete the fish. Now, they could speak to each other about their faith and pass along information without fear.

[TheEwok]

sorry, forgot to add 'The new Christians were being persecuted and even put to horrible deaths because of their faith.' beforehand

[Tenorvoice]

Great answers everyone :)

[Kris123]

Wow! That's awesome. I have been a Christian almost all my life and never known that about drawing the two arcs in the ground.

[TheListener]

If you have it on your car as a sticker, it also makes your car go faster. :P

[Tenorvoice]

If you have it on your car as a sticker, it also makes your car go faster. :Ponly if you are going "upstream" ;) jk

[AimN]

I find the entire arc story rather interesting. Thank you for sharing!

[ChessCastle]

I've wondered about the fish symbol myself thanks for the question and great answers.

[Tynel]

Well, I had heard that the fish symbol came from secretly signaling to other Christians that you were a believer by holding up your last 3 fingers to signify the Trinity. Your pointer finger and thumb came across each other to form the fish symbol.

[StAnselm]

Welcome to CF, Tynel!! :wave:

[thenewageriseth]

Yeah ditto and now I know what it means ! :clap:

[cat has felt the light!]

Well, I had heard that the fish symbol came from secretly signaling to other Christians that you were a believer by holding up your last 3 fingers to signify the Trinity. Your pointer finger and thumb came across each other to form the fish symbol.

wow I'd never heard that one, that is exciting!!!
kitten xx

[Naomi4Christ]

I always thought it had to do with 'ages' - periods of 2000 years. Apparantly, we are now in (or at least dawning on) the 'New Age', or Age of Aquarius. The Christian Age, preceeding this, is the Age of Pisces, which has the symbol of a fish.

Around the time that Jesus' time with us, the astrological age was the Age of Aries - symbol the lamb.

[Beanface]

Apparently, the fish was also used by Christians to show other Christians safe paths, or would be on a sac of wheat or flour to denote to other Christians that it was okay to use it.

Personally, I wear one around my neck. so many people wear crosses that it's nearly lost it's meaning, but believers can pick me out because of the fish, and I like that very much! :D

[Professiondefoi]

Well, I had heard that the fish symbol came from secretly signaling to other Christians that you were a believer by holding up your last 3 fingers to signify the Trinity. Your pointer finger and thumb came across each other to form the fish symbol.


Wow, ja, this is also new to me, but would make sense! cool thing!:cool:

[Professiondefoi]

The story goes that they devised a way to secretly signal other Christians or, if just meeting someone, to find out if that person were also a believer by simply taking their foot and casually drawing an arc with their toe on the ground. Then, if the other person was a Christian, he, just as causally, would draw an ark with his toe to complete the fish. Now, they could speak to each other about their faith and pass along information without fear.


:wave: That's exactely how I learned it in a christian girls school :) and from other friends! (exept that it was a woodenstick the drew it with )


It's really amazing, that a lot of (CHRISTINA! )people don't know... I realized it lately, too (with very intelectual people! )

I always where a fish on my key chain, + my WWJD - bracelet!!! a fish necklace- that's actually an awesome idea (!) Since here in Europe most christian people (even very involved one in church stuff) don't know the meaning of WWJD ( What Would Jeasus Do) plus a necklace is easier to see



and yes, it's awesome, that we have such symboles! I'd encourage everyone to were them, since it's nice to realize that there is a brother around :amen:

[Radagast]

I love the fish symbol. As StAnselm said:

...mainly it's from the word ICHTHUS, which is the Greek word for fish, but also an acronym -
Iesous
Christos
Theou
Uios
Soter
- "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour".

The theologian Tertullian (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0321.htm), in about 200 AD, said, in reference to baptism:

we, little fishes, after the example of our ICHTHUS Jesus Christ, are born in water.

-- Radagast