There's something fishy here

Have you noticed how some cars have a fish symbol on their boot? It’s usually a stylised double arc. Sometimes it contains letters. Either way, it’s an ancient, secret way of identifying oneself as a Christian.

   

    The Christian Church suffered dreadful persecution during its earliest years, particularly from the Roman authorities but also from synagogues and local warlords. When persecuted, Christian believers would need to demonstrate their faith in ways that were subtle yet unmistakeable. So they developed a simple code.

      An acrostic is a word made up of letters that stand for a message or slogan. For example, ‘gay’ is a modern acrostic, the letters of which originally stood for ‘Good as you’. Early Christians devised an acrostic using a Greek word rather than English. The Greek word ‘Ichthus’ means ‘Fish’, but the component letters spell out a message, as ΙΧΘΥΣ, which is an acrostic for Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ", (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."

     Ancient accounts tell us know that early believers waiting, say,in a market queue would for example draw one arc of the simple fish outline in the dust. If the stranger drew the second arc, then both believers knew they were in good company. The ‘the sign of the fish’ as it became known, was therefore an indirect way of asking if the adjacent people were also Christians. A more direct verbal approach could cause a death sentence.

     The first appearances of the Ichthus symbol in Christian art and literature date to the second century AD. The symbol’s use among Christians became more popular by the late second century, and its use spread widely during the third and fourth centuries. (Other Christians drew a dove instead of a fish, to represent the Holy Spirit.)

      The association between Christians and a fish was probably encouraged because at least half of Jesus’ twelve disciples had been fishermen before following Jesus. Those who pursued this trade for a living included James and John (who were brothers), Peter and Andrew (also brothers), Thomas and Nathanael (see Matthew 4:21– 22, John 21:1–3, etc.). Indeed, five out of the first six disciples called to be special witnesses of our Lord’s ministry were fishermen. Also, it was Jesus Himself who told Peter and Andrew that instead of catching fish (‘Ichthus’) He would train them to ‘catch’ men (which alludes to the preaching of the gospel and the conversions it would bring, see Matthew 4:19, 13:47–48, Mark 1:17).

      Within a century after Jesus’ Ascension, simple fish symbols were used throughout the Roman Empire. Indeed, a Christian was far more likely to use a fish symbol than a cross to advertise their Christianity.

     The symbol was also used to mark a tomb or house. It also indicated a place used for clandestine worship: the early Christians met in each others’ homes for  their services but in secret. In an emergency, a fish drawn in the dust outside the door could be wiped away very fast.  

     Anyway, when you see a fish on a car, you know you are in safe company.