Posted on 03/29/2025 7:21:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
Funerary stele inscribed with “ΙΧΘΥϹ ΖΩΝΤΩΝ” (“fish of the living”), an early Christian symbol. National Roman Museum. Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
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The humble fish, or ichthys (ἰχθύς) in Greek, was a symbol that played a crucial role in the early years of Christian history when people were afraid of telling others that they believed in this new religion.
The fish (ichthys) was a symbol of Christian faith and a secret code. It became a profound declaration of the early followers of Jesus, who abandoned idols and believed in this new religion.
This simple yet effective way of expressing their belief helped early Christians avoid persecution while expressing their admiration for their Savior.
The secret code of Christians with the ichthys word Imagine walking through the streets of ancient Rome under the shadow of constant fear and persecution. You meet a stranger, unsure if they share your faith or pose a threat. Instead of words, you draw a simple arc in the dirt. If the other person completes it with another arc to form the outline of a fish, you’ve found an ally; a person whose beliefs are as radical as yours. If not, you’d be safe, as no one would know why you completed this ‘random’ arc.
As you can understand, this was no ordinary doodle—it was the ichthys, the Greek word for “fish,” and it carried a secret message.
The word ichthys is an acronym for the Greek phrase “Ιησούς Χριστός, Θεού Υιός, Σωτήρ,” (Iesous Christos, Theou Yios, Soter) meaning “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”
Each letter represented a cornerstone of Christian belief: Ι (Iota) for Iesous (Jesus), Χ (Chi) for Christos (Christ), Θ (Theta) for Theou (of God), Υ (Upsilon) for Yios (Son), and Σ (Sigma) for Soter (Saviour).
This acronym wasn’t just clever; it saved the lives of thousands of early Christians who had seen many of their fellow believers being persecuted, thrown into jail, and even killed simply because of their faith. During the Roman Empire’s brutal crackdowns on Christians in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, this symbol allowed believers to identify with each other without saying a single word. It was Christianity’s version of a secret handshake—simple yet profoundly useful.
The choice of the fish as a symbol was not simply a coincidence of the Greek language. It was also deeply rooted in Scripture. Biblically, it reminded believers of stories that were foundational to Christian teachings.
Jesus called His disciples to be “fishers of men” in Matthew 4:19. Credits: John Snyder, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Jesus called for His disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), making the fish an apt metaphor for spreading His message. The miracle of feeding 5,000 people with loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:13–21) was another example of how Christians saw the fish as a symbol of abundance and divine protection. Early church fathers, like Tertullian, even linked the fish to baptism, describing Christians as “little fish” born in water—a poetic image that made Christians familiar with this element.
Practically speaking, the fish symbol was already familiar in Greco-Roman culture as it was a popular motif for many decorative elements in Greek and later Roman households and public places. This allowed Christians to use it discreetly without raising any suspicion. Its simplicity was another key element, making it easy for them to draw quickly—something ideal for secret communication during these hard times of persecution.
The ichthys also adorned tombs, meeting places, and catacombs across the Mediterranean world. Archaeologists have uncovered fish engravings in places like the Catacombs of St. Sebastian and Domitilla in Rome, and the ancient Greek city of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. In some cases, the symbol appeared as an eight-spoked wheel formed by overlapping the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ.
Fast forward to today, and you’ll find the ichthys on car bumpers, jewelry, and even tattoos of devout Christians. Obviously, its modern usage is more decorative than covert, but it remains an important part of Christian identity. It’s fascinating to think that what once was literally a lifeline for persecuted believers now is used as an open declaration of faith in public spaces.
VIDEO AT LINK................................
PinGGG!.........................
ΙΧΘΥΣ
You see the fish symbol on cars in Greece....Mrs Spokeshave is from Greece.
The cross was a tool of capital punishment.
Matthew 4:19
Thanks again, Mike. I'd be grateful for more specific detail on where and when this practice first arose, and by whom. Just now checked Wikipedia and got this same fuzziness.
The late First Century of Christian History and a goodly portion of the Second are almost complete unknowns as far as what was happening in Christendom..............
Yes. I am hoping to learn so much in heaven from our brethren about this and so many other eras for which we have such scant knowledge.
What we do know is that Christianity spread throughout the Roman world like a wildfire. By the time of Paul’s arrest it had already reached ROME.
The Christians were not really subjected to much scrutiny until the reign of Nero (54-68 AD) who started persecuting Christians as scapegoats for his own incompetence and decadence.
After the Apostle Peter’s crucifixion, not much was recorded by the early church because of persecutions and fear of being discovered.
Some emperors were hostile to Christians, some indifferent and some supportive, like Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor.................
you guys might like the movie Quo Vadis
the fish explained in historical fiction
Thanks
Instead of words, you draw a simple arc in the dirt. If the other person completes it with another arc to form the outline of a fish, you've found an ally; a person whose beliefs are as radical as yours. If not, you'd be safe, as no one would know why you completed this 'random' arc. >>>
As you can understand, this was no ordinary doodle -- it was the ichthys, the Greek word for "fish," and it carried a secret message.
Last week, a funny yet highly unfortunate thing happened to both of my email accounts. Had them for a couple of decades, then all of a sudden my regular one and the backup decided to demand that I prove who I was at the same time. Impossible to get the verification code for one when one wants the same thing from the other. Not actually impossible, because these separate dot coms were asking basically the same question: "Is it really you?"
Yes it is! All kinds of proof. Lots of reference and study material went *poof* (yeah, I should have seen the possibility of a double lockout), but it's like passively discovering the identity of a real pilot. The PTB can simply disable the autopilot to find out who truly knows how to fly the plane.
In Sully's case, the double bird strike stripped him of all engine power. Miracle on the Hudson [נס על ההדסון] is 340, the numeral itself [ש"ם] spelling the word "name" [שם].
The event -- with its iconic photos of travelers standing on eagle's wings in the midst of the river (in Diaspora central)-- occurred five days ahead of the Inauguration of Desolation.
It was a view of God's presenting the cure ahead of the disease, the remedy ahead of the looming catastrophe: the pilot... knew how to fly, because that's how he rolled.
So to continue regarding fish, miracles and names..
D~~Ω~~M
Roman tombstones often included the letters D.M., which stood for Dis Manibus, literally "to the Manes",[6] or figuratively, "to the spirits of the dead", an abbreviation that continued to appear even in Christian inscriptions.
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Main article: Lapis manalis
When a new town was founded, a round hole would be dug and a stone called a lapis manalis would be placed in the foundations, representing a gate to the underworld.
All "Dag"ma aside...
Rather interesting imagery. I've seen it before, but here it is again now in its time for this account.
It's two fish facing a fishhook. They do look rather clueless. Hebrew-wise:
The letter nun (נ, the 14th letter of the alef-beit) is a fish. (That page lists other meanings, but the typical association is a fish.)
The letter samech (ס, the 15th letter of the alef-beit) means "support".
The letter vav (ו, the 6th letter) is a hook. It's commonly used as the conjunction "and". It's the letter of connection.
Thus, the image is of a nun and a samech. These letters are next to each other in the alef-beit, spelling out nes, a miracle (banner, ensign):
נס
On the tombstone, two fish are about to be hooked together, even by the symbol for Mars ♂️ spun 180 "dag"rees (180 -- code for a complete reversal, change of direction).
Samech means support, not fish, so what I am talking about...
The Hebrew word for a certain fish (trout) is shemech [שֶׁמֶךְ]. However, the internet translators don't recognize the species name. They only see שמך as
However, with minimal curiosity, the samech-fish is revealed:
From the root س م ك (s m k), meaning “to be elevated or lofty”, “to be supported or held up”, “to sustain”; hence the meaning of “a source of sustenance”, “a mainstay or staple-food”. Cognate with Hebrew סָמַך (samak, “to lean, lay, rest, support”) attested in the Bible with the similar semantic sense “to sustain” or “to nourish”.[1]
In the references on that page is a link to the Hebrew samech and also to a breakdown of Gen 27:37 --
Genesis 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
(The letter samech does not appear in the Torah until Gen 2:11 and 2:13, in the verb strongly alluding to the letter's shape, meaning to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or around, surround, encircle, change direction. 1 Sam 16:11 is also found on that page)
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Arabic does not have a letter equivalent to a Hebrew samech.
The samech fish-word (swimming from Arabic into Hebrew) is spelled with a shin.
Or, how the letter samech is the hidden fish in the Hebrew letters. Not much of a disguise.
Nun + samech = miracle.
שֶֽׁמֶךְ m.n. NH trout. [From Arab. samaq (= fish).]
It was coined by Israeli poet Avraham Shlonsky, a prolific creator of Modern Hebrew neologisms.
You know what they say... "The truta is out there."
As indicated on those last two links, there's even a third word for a trout, forel [פורל], hailing from Russian and German.
From left field, so to speak.
Instead of words, you draw a simple arc in the dirt. If the other person completes it with another arc to form the outline of a fish, you've found an ally; a person whose beliefs are as radical as yours. If not, you'd be safe, as no one would know why you completed this 'random' arc.
"Fish" is an English word like sheep. Plural and singular all at the same time.
שמך -- a mainstay or staple-food. You are what you eat!
From the root س م ك (s m k), meaning “to be elevated or lofty”, “to be supported or held up”, “to sustain”; hence the meaning of “a source of sustenance”, “a mainstay or staple-food”.
A mainstay staple-food that isn't always Kosher?
Fins and sometimes scales?
Where have you seen season 5?!?!?!?!
We were just talking about it in church today....
love the movie Risen
I watch it a few times each year
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