The symbol of fish in Christianity plays a very significant role. Firstly, it is closely connected with the name of Jesus Christ. Secondly, it is directly related to the history of this religion. If we recall that in the first centuries of our era in the Roman Empire it was brutally persecuted, it becomes clear why the fish is a symbol of Christianity.
This is due to the fact that at that time it was not possible to speak openly about the new faith and create images relating to it. Therefore, various symbolic signs and drawings appeared. They were a kind of cryptography, with the help of which co-religionists identified each other. The meaning of the fish symbol in Christianity will be described in detail in the article.
Mysterious acronym
In the ancient Greek language, the word Ίχθύς exists, which is written in Russian as ichthys and means fish. At the same time, it is a monogram (acronym) of the name of Christ and consists of the initial letters of his full name in Greek. In Russian, such is - Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior. Instead of this name, a fish sign was often depicted, which in a short form expresses the confession of Christianity.
Since, due to the persecution of faith in the early stages, the images of Christ were an unacceptable plot, the indicated acronym appears in the 2nd century Roman catacombs. The symbol of fish in Christianity appeared long before the cross was used. Indeed, before it was associated with a terrible and shameful execution. It acquires its present significance only in the 4th century, when the crucifixion was canceled. In a certain period, both symbols were equivalent.
Images
The fish was portrayed by the first Christians in the catacombs, in temples, on utensils (for example, on lamps), seals, clothing, and letters. Today it is an element of the decor of churches. On the walls of the catacombs you can see an image of a fish with a basket located on its back. It contains bread and a bottle of red wine. This symbolizes the image of Christ in the Eucharist, that is, in the rite of communion.
In some drawings, a fish carries a ship. This is an association with the Christian church. Three fish, having one common head, symbolically depicted the Holy Trinity, emphasizing its lack of fusion and at the same time inseparability. Just as modern believing Christians wear crosses, the early representatives of this religion wore fish that were made of various materials, such as metal, stone, mother of pearl, glass.
In his work “On the City of God,” St. Augustine wrote that the symbol of fish in Christianity is a mysterious sign of Christ, saying that in the abyss of mortality, as if in the depths of the waters, he remained alive and sinless.
Gospel symbolism
In the New Testament, this symbol is used in many cases. So, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks if there will be a person among his interlocutors who will give his son a stone instead of bread when he asks for bread? Or will he give him a snake when he asks for a fish? According to the interpreters of Scripture, here the fish is the symbol of Christ as the true Bread of Life, while the snake is the symbol of the devil.
Matthew also speaks of the saturation of a large mass of people with seven loaves of bread and a small number of "fish." Jesus took seven loaves of bread and fish, thanked God, broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, who handed them over to the people. All people ate and were full. They were whiter than 4 thousand people. At the time of the fulfillment of another miracle of satiation, there were two fish and five loaves.
All these episodes testify to the Eucharistic understanding of satiety and are symbolically reflected in the image of a swimming fish with a wicker basket on its back, in which there are bread and wine. This is, for example, in one of the catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome.
Holy apostles
The symbol of fish in Christianity is also associated with the disciples of Jesus Christ. Of these, eight were originally fishermen. Matthew and Mark are told that the Teacher promised Andrei and Peter that they would become “fishers of men,” that is, they would lead people along. The kingdom of heaven is likened by the Savior to the net, which is cast into the sea and captures fish of every kind.
In Capernaum is a statue of Peter, the successor of Jesus, who holds a staff and a large fish received from the Master. Fish is also a symbol of fertility. Each gives countless offspring, which is also used as an allegory that the sermons of a small group of apostles gradually formed the largest religion, adherents of which are now in the billions.
Understanding what the fish symbol means in Christianity, it should be said about its other interpretations.
Other characters
It should be noted that the Church Fathers compared the Christians themselves with the fish, saying that they followed Jesus “the water of eternal life”. So, Tertullian, an outstanding Christian writer of the 2nd-3rd centuries, believed that the sacrament of water is life-giving, since by washing away the sins of yesterday's blindness, people are freed for eternal life.
Writing about baptism, he emphasized that we are the same fish that, following the “fish” Jesus, we are born in water and save life, remaining in it. Thus, fish is also a symbol of baptism. The font in which it occurs in Latin is called piscina (in Russian - "scribble"), which literally translates as "" fish garden ". And the converts are called pisciculi, that is, "fish".
Christ also sees fishing as an analogy to converting to a new faith. The wearing of the so-called ring of the fisherman by the pope is also connected with this.
As mentioned above, the image of three fish having one head is a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Just like the three woven together. Another fish among Christians symbolizes selflessness.
Image Features
In conclusion, it remains to answer the question: "What fish is a symbol of Christianity."
Images may look like this:
- The monogram ΙΧΘΥΣ, not accompanied by any figures.
- Fish, which can be in the form of a picture or symbol, with and without a monogram.
- With a basket on its back, in which there is bread and a bottle of wine, it is a symbol of Jesus holding the sacrament.
- Dolphin, which is a symbol of the savior as a conductor, overcoming chaos and the fatal abyss. A dolphin, together with a ship or an anchor, is regarded as a symbol of the Church. And if he is portrayed as a pierced trident or chained to an anchor, then Jesus is seen crucified in this.
Now you know what relation the studied symbol has to Christianity.