Icthus aka Jesus Fish?

Question

what is the story of the little "Jesus fish" we see on the back of cars?

Answer 1

the "fish" was a symbol in early Christianity, when it was an abomination. When one christian came across someone who they thought was a christian they would draw the top part, which becomes the bottom tale (weird to picture I know) and if the other person believed they would draw the other half... so really the magnets people have on their car should be half of the ichthys.

Notice I spelled it ichthys...
I is the first letter for jesus in greek (jesus)
CH is the first letter in christ in greek (christos)
TH is the first letter in god in greek (theou)
Y is the first in son in greek (yios)
s is the first letter in savior in greek (soter)

Some Christians who put the logo on their cars do not realize that they have displayed it backwards when the tail of the fish is on the left and the head is on the right. The correct placement is with the head on the left and the tail on the right as this calls to mind the Greek letter alpha (α) which has a similar shape. This is an allusion to the saying that Jesus is the "Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."

Answer 2

When Christianaty was still a budding religion it was against the law. If someone was caught talking about Jesus, or the Christian way, they were put to death. This brought up a bit of a problem... how could you talk to someone about Jesus if you could be turned in by your best friend? Well, when one person would meet another he would draw a curved line in the ground with his foot or a stick (hlaf of the icthus). If the second person compleated the fish then they both knew it was safe to converse about the taboo subject of Christianaty. If the other person wasn't in the loop, he would think the first guy was just sliding his foot in the dirt for no apparent reason.
At least that is the story I heard before I became a Buddhaist.

Answer 3

"Icthus" is Greek for "fish." During the various persecutions that Christians suffered during the early years of the church, the ichtus was used to identify believers and places of worship.

For example, it was common for people to stop and greet one another along a road. During this conversation, a Christian would draw an arc in the dirt with his sandal or toe. If the other person he was greeting was a Christian, he would draw another arc from his side, with the tail intersecting. This resulted in the fish. If an authority figure were to pass by, they would see a couple of guys with a fish between them, and if he heard the word "ichtus," would likely think they were fishermen.

The Greek letters in the fish symbol you find on cars spell out the word "Ichtus" in the Greek, and each letter means something:

Iota: "Iesous" which means "Jesus"

Chi: "Christos" which means "Christ"

Theta: "Theos" which means "God"

Upsilon: "Uios" which means "Son"

Sigma: "Soter" which means "Savior"

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

Ichthys, meaning "fish" was an acronym for a Greek phrase which translates to Jesus Christ God Son Savior. Early Christians used the symbol to identify themselves to one another.

I couldn't tell you why people put it on their cars.

Answer 5

During times of great persecution in the early church, Christians would identify themselves by rubbing an arch in the sand with their foot. If the person they spoke with was also a Christian, they would respond with another arch.

The two arches together would form the symbol of a fish

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Answer 6

It's a sign to others that the driver is a Christian. The Ichthus was an early Christian symbol. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." ~ Mark 1:17