ICHTHYS Fish
by Anne Cameron Cutri
Title
ICHTHYS Fish
Artist
Anne Cameron Cutri
Medium
Photograph - Photograph/digital Art
Description
Ichthys (sometimes spelled Ikhthus, from Greek: ἰχθύς, capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥC) is the ancient and classical Greek word for "fish". In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, said to have been used by Early Christians as a secret symbol[1] and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."[2]
The use of the Ichthys symbol by early Christians. Ichthys (ΙCH"THUS, Greek for fish) can be read as an acrostic, a word formed from the first letters of several words. It compiles to "Jesus Christ, God's son, savior," in ancient Greek "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ ͑Υιός, Σωτήρ", Iēsous Christos, Theou Huios, Sōtēr.
* Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for "Jesus".
* Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστὸς), Greek for "anointed".
* Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's", the genitive case of Θε�ς, Theos, Greek for "God".
* Upsilon (y) is the first letter of yios (Υἱὸς), Greek for "Son".
* Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for "Savior".
Historians say the 20th-century use of the ichthys motif is an adaptation based on an Early Christian symbol which included a small cross for the eye or the Greek letters "ΙΧΘΥΣ".
An ancient adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ superimposed such that the result resembles an eight-spoked wheel.
[edit] Fish in the Gospels
Fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels. Several of Jesus' twelve disciples were fishermen. He commissions them with the words "I will make you fishers of men".
At the feeding of the five thousand, a boy is brought to Jesus with "five small loaves and two fish". The question is asked, "But what are they, among so many?" Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the multitude.
In Matthew 13:47-50, the Parable of Drawing in the Net, Jesus compares God's decision on who will go to heaven or to hell ("the fiery furnace") at the end of this world to fishers sorting out their catch, keeping the good fish and throwing the bad fish away.
In John 21:11, it is related that the disciples fished all night but caught nothing. Jesus instructed them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat, and they drew in 153 fish.
A less commonly cited use of fish in Christ's life may be found in the words of Matthew 17:24-27, in which, upon being asked if his Teacher does not pay the temple (two-drachma) tax, Simon Peter answers, "Yes." Christ tells Peter to go to the water and cast a line. He says that a coin sufficient for the tax will be found in the fish's mouth. Peter does as told and finds the coin.
Uploaded
May 31st, 2010
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