What does the fish symbol on the back of a car mean?

Question

When one see's a symbol of a fish on the back windscreen of a car what does this indicate ? Is it a symbol of faith and if so which one?

Answer 1

Its a symbol of Jesus Christ. Lots of believers use this as a symbol of their beliefs because of its historical meaning. Its true name is Ichthys, which is greek for fish, but it is often called a Jesus Fish.

In the Roman Empire, when Christianity was outlawed, Christians would meet in secret. They would use the fish as a sign for where there meetings were to be located. They would also use it as a way to find other Christians without coming out and saying their beliefs - something they could get killed for. Instead, they would draw half the fish into the sand. If the other person knew to draw the other half, he or she was also a Christian and it was safe for them to talk.

No one knows exactly why this symbol was chosen, but some people hypthesize that it is because of Jesus' title as 'the fisher of man' or because the Hebrew word for 'fish' sounds like 'Jesus'.

Another symbol you might see on cars, that has to do with the Ichthys, is a fish with legs. This is representative of a belief in evolution. There is also the version of a Jesus fish eating the Darwin fish [aka fish with legs], of vice-versa, which shows the belief in the 'winning' fish.

Also, there are pagan ties to the Ichthys, but if you see it on a car, it is most likely because the person in the car is a Christian.

Hope I could help!

Answer 2

Fish Symbol

Answer 3

Here's a website I found:

"Question: "What does the Christian fish symbol mean (ixthus / icthus)?"


Answer: The Greek word for fish is "ixthus" or "icthus." The Christian fish symbol that many Christians place on their car is known as the “ixthus.” Five Greek letters form the word “ixthus,” and those letters inside the fish form an acrostic which is a message that Christians clearly identified with. The first letter represented the word Jesus. The second letter represented the word Christ, the next two, God Son, and the final letter represented the word Savior. This adds up to “Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Savior.” During early Christianity, Christians were often put to death for practicing their faith, so they worshiped in secret places. A fish painted on the outside door of a house let other Christians know that they would be safe and welcome inside. The Christian fish symbol is now often used to identify Christians and/or Christian businesses."

Best wishes.

Answer 4

In the initial Christian Church (after Jesus ascended to heaven) the fish was a secret code used to identify Christians to each other. The early Christians were in danger of torture or dead so they had to be careful in some areas.

The cross later become the more common symbol, but in the early days it will still used to mean "the execution of someone bad". When the story of Jesus resurrection and His sinless death on the cross become well known then people accepted the Cross symbol as a positive symbol and not a negative one (as it was originally intended).

A great question.

Answer 5

The fish is a Christian symbol. It goes back to the early church days when Christians were being widely persecuted. Christian brothers would meet up and to be sure that they could be trusted would draw half of the fish symbol in the dirt. If the other Chrisitan was a true brother, he would finish the symbol to show a complete fish. Jesus said that we as believers should be fishers of men.** :)

Answer 6

In the early days of Christianity, the two line fish symbol was used as a sign of Christ. If someone wanted to asked if you were a Christian (and remember this is when Christians were killed), they would secretly draw the top curve of the fish. If the other person drew the bottom line, they were a Christian.

It came from the fact the first letters of each of the word (in Greek) of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior spelled the word fish (in Greek).

The fish was also commonly used in early Christian art as a symbol of Christ (the Fisher of Men) and is still used today by Christians.

Answer 7

The "fish" is called an "ITHCUS"...in the days that Christianity was a dangerous belief, it was a sort of encouragement to other Christians, and designated that an area or house was pro-Christian. Some Christian would draw the top half of the symbol, and, when another Christian would come along, he or she would add the bottom half. The Ithcus on the back (or anywhere)on a car or business card simply means that person or persons are Christian. From my heart...........to yours! : )

Answer 8

It is a symbol of Christianity, and it comes from the first century when Christians used it as a symbol to each other that they were Christians. Back then, if you walked around openly saying you were a Christian, you'd be fed to the lions for refusing to bow to Caesar. Christians bow only to God, and since they refused to participate in the required Caesar-worship back then, they would be put to death before the blood-thirsty crowds at the coliseum.

Answer 9

There actually dozens of variations. It was originaly a covert symbol of Christianity when it was illegal to be Christian in Rome. A few thousand years later someone with a sense of humor made an evolution statement out of it. Then from there other humor fish were designed. Check out these links to see some of these variations.

http://evolvefish.com/
http://sciwear.com/default.cfm?XID=1&TID=1

Answer 10

In the Bible Christians were punished for being so. So one christian would draw the top half on the fish on a wall and another would walk by and draw the other half. It was to let other Christains know they weren't alone. On the back of the cars it's a sign of Christianity!