Greek Fish
We were commissioned by a loyal patron of ours to create three
custom ornaments so she can give them out as gifts. The first of the ornaments is
the Christian or Greek Fish, “ichthys.” The word is simply a translation of the
Greek word for “fish”. It was not the symbol, but the word itself that first
gained significance in the early church. Ichthys was used as an acronym
for Iesous Xristos Theou Uios Soter – Jesus Christ, Son of
God, Savior. The first appearance of the ichthys in Christian art and literature
dates back to the 2nd century. The symbol spread in the 3rd
and 4th centuries as it was used by Christians to recognize churches
and other believers during a time when they faced persecution by the Romans.
Many biblical passages associate Jesus with fish or fishing.
For instance, Jesus calls his disciples "fishers of men" (e.g., Mark
1:17) and he miraculously feeds 5,000 people with fish and bread (Matthew
14:15-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:4-13). Water baptism created a parallel between fish and converts. Second-century theologian
Tertullian stated: "we, little fishes, after the image of our Ichthys,
Jesus Christ, are born in the water."
Today, the “Jesus Fish” has become an icon of modern Christianity.
You often see the symbol on cars, jewelry, tattoos, and clothing. Some
businesses use it as part of their logo or in advertisements and signage. We are very excited to have made the symbol into an ornament.