is this anything to do do with ancient mythology? .. the fish god?
2007-02-17 08:56:32 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
thanks for the answers, thats interesting, so i see the christians put a secret fish sticker ont heir car or truck to identify them themselves as a christian. ...Then the secret fish symbol protects them against something?"
.. i am so lost here... more answers please, thank you.
2007-02-17 09:08:07 · update #1
Are they out of their minds?
2007-02-17 09:47:52 · update #2
No. 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.
2007-02-17 08:59:24 · answer #1 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Justsyd is correct in what she said. I might add, that it is not ancient mythology or about a fish god. It is a Greek Acrostic writing. A similar symbol was used by Greeks to mark the location of a funeral. So using the Ichthys also gave the early Christians an apparent legitimate reason to gather.
Today many people use bumper stickers to advertise their political candidate, personal beliefs about environment, guns, products, etc...the fish symbol is also used as a bumper sticker to express their belief. Jesus, Christ, God Son,Savior
Amen
2007-02-17 19:02:31 · answer #2 · answered by Faith walker 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The fish's first known use as a Christian religious symbol was sometime within the first three centuries AD. Christians began using the Greek word for "fish" as an anagram/acronym for "Jesus Christ God's Son, Savior."
Mark 1:17 "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
The fish outline is a logical symbol for the early Christian church to adopt. Not only was fish a common food of the day, it was also used by Jesus during His ministry.
God Bless You
2007-02-17 17:01:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Back when you could be arrested for being a Christian, when two people would meet each other, one of them, if they were a Christian, would draw half of a fish in the sand with a stick. If the other person was a Christian, he would draw the rest half of the fish, which was a symbol that they were a Christian also.
2007-02-17 17:01:43 · answer #4 · answered by The Sage 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nope the first Christians used it as a mark to show each other that they were Christians in the early days of the church they were heavily persecutes and had meetings in private, and the fish was used as a signal that the other person was also a Christian and didn't pose a threat to the rest of the congregation with in the home. Perhaps comes from Jesus' call to become fishers of men.
2007-02-17 17:03:30 · answer #5 · answered by All 4 His Glory 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The REAL answer is that when Christians were being persecuted and wanted to still show their faith, they came up with a secret symbol that only other Christians would recognize. The fish symbol is used because Jesus told fishermen to come follow Him and He would make them "fishers of men".
2007-02-17 17:01:38 · answer #6 · answered by ladysashya 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No they didn't have a fish god. I think it has to do with what it says in Mattew 4:19 :"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." This was when he was calling Peter and Andrew to be his disciples. They were both fishermen and were catching fish when they were called.
Later on, after Jesus had left, his disciples told others about the the gift of salvation. The Christians were persecuted and had to meet in secret. To designate the place they would meet, they would draw a fish on the location.
2007-02-17 17:08:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
LOL
I was taught that the fish was a symbol that early Christians used to identify themselves to one another. The same way we do today.
Shalom.
2007-02-17 17:00:11 · answer #8 · answered by Bye Bye 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No and if you don't know then that is kinda the purpose of it. It was a secret way for Christians to communicate with each other when they're under oppression or persecution.
2007-02-17 17:01:05 · answer #9 · answered by Miss Momma 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When christians were prosecuted in an area they would draw a fish in the dirt with their foot to identify themselves as christians, it would look coincidental to non-christianswho didn't know the secret.
2007-02-17 17:00:28 · answer #10 · answered by lord_makus 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋