During the 2nd Century the Church was unable to use crosses for their symbol of faith. They instead used a fish sign, called the Ichthus to identify themselves and churches during the Great Persecution under The Emperors Caligula, Nero, Domitian, and Diocletian. The symbol of the fish often had the Greek words Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter: 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, [Our] Savior'. Which was abbreviated as ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys), or also ΙΧΘΥC. Many persecuted Christians clung to this symbol and words during 2nd to 4th centuries.
The major symbolism behind the Ichthus was that the fish symbol alludes to Jesus’ major miracle when He called His disciples, “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 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. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him,” (Luke 5:1-11), and His prophetic declaration, “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17).
Christ also did one of his most celebrated miracles by multiplying fish and bread, “Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:16-21).
When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, one of His first actions to prove He was risen bodily was to eat s fish, “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.” (Luke 24:36-43).
The Risen Jesus then later He ate fish with His disciples at the Sea of Galilee and reinstated Peter, “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.” (John 21:4-9).
Constantine The Great in 312 A.D. at The Battle of Milvan Bridge who seeing the cross in the sky (or vision un his tent) heard the words “In Hoc Sig Natius: In This Sign You Shall Conquer.” When the decisive battle with crosses painted on his armies’s shields, Constantine adopted Christianity as his religion, and made the cross the official symbol of our Christian faith. However, the cross was already revered by the apostle Paul, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world,” (Galatians 6:14), “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power,” (1 Corinthians 1:17), “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God,” (1 Corinthians 1:18), and, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18). Constantine wasn’t wrong to make the cross the central symbol of our faith, for Jesus our Lord God died on the cross for our sins, “So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle,” (John 19:16-18), “ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness (sin), which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross,” (Colossians 2:14), “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed,” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus even said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:27), “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” (Luke 9:23), and “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38).
It is evident why the cross became the central symbol of our Church because our Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins on the cross and made salvation possible to us through faith in Him and His sacrifice.
Thus the Ichthus passed out of use as the persecution was put to an end and Constantine gave protections to the Church and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Now the fish (Ichthus) only lives on in some churches in Greece and the Middle East, and as seen on car bumpers of Christians in America. The ancient symbol of the church in its persecution has relevance today, as persecution according to Open Doors has surpassed the tribulation under the Roman tyrants of antiquity. Perhaps this symbol will have a resurgence, a reminder that we fish for souls and that at any moment we can be filleted for our faith. Amen.
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