March 31, 2007
The Fish
Christianity has made wide use of fish symbolism…The Greek word for ‘fish’ (ichthus) was in fact taken by Christians as an ideogram, each of the five Greek letters being taken as the initial letters of the words Iesu Christos Theou Soter (Jesus Christ God’s Son Saviour). Hence the large number of symbolic representation of fish in early Christian monuments, particularly funeral monuments.
Nevertheless, although in most cases the symbolism remains strictly Christological, it is given a slightly different emphasis. Since fish was also a food eaten by the risen Christ (Luke 24:42), it became a symbol of the Eucharistic feast and is often depicted alongside the bread.
Lastly, because fishes live in water, the symbolism may sometimes be pursued along baptismal lines. Reborn in the waters of baptism, the Christian may be compared with a little fish in the image of Christ himself (Tertullian, De baptismate 1).
The fish has provided Christian artists with a wealth of iconography. Carrying a ship upon its back, it symbolizes Christ and his Church; lying upon a plate with basket of bread upon it, it stands for the Eucharist; while in the Catacombs it is Christ himself.
The above is from The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, translated from the French by John Buchanan-Brown, Penguin Book, 1996.
Filed by Cheryl at 11:49 am under History of Symbols, Symbols, Uncategorized
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