The History of the Christian Fish Symbol:

The use of the Ichthys symbol by early Christians dates from around the end of the 1st century AD.   Christians began using the Greek word for “fish” as an anagram/acronym for “Jesus Christ God’s Son, Savior.”

In the years following the ascension of the resurrected Jesus to heaven, the Christian church grew rapidly.  Christians soon found themselves to be the subjects of persecution by both the Romans and the Jews.  In many locales, it became dangerous to be known as a Christian.  Thus, when two strangers met and thought maybe they were fellow believers, one of them would draw, on the ground, the upper half of the fish symbol. 

Recognizing the symbol, the stranger would add a second curved line and complete the drawing of a fish.

It is a very simple shape to draw - just two curved strokes.  It could be drawn quickly, and erased just as quickly if there was no sign of recognition on the part of the stranger.  At the time, a similar symbol was used by Greeks to mark the location of a funeral, so using the Ichthys also gave an apparent legitimate reason for Christians to gather.

Fish in the Gospels:

Fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels.  To start, several of Jesus’ twelve disciples were fishermen.  In Mark 1:17, Jesus commissions them with the words “Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 

Also, at the feeding of the five thousand, recounted in Matthew 14:17: “And they said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish.’”  The question is asked, “But what are they, among so many?”  And Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the multitude.

Moreover, in Matthew 13:47-50, Jesus compares God’s decision on who will go to heaven or to hell at the end of this world to fishers sorting out their catch, keeping the good fish and throwing the bad fish away.

Other references include:

• Matthew 12:40 “...Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
• Luke 5:6 “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”
• Luke 24:42 “So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.”
• John 21:6 “And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’  So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”

The “Greek” Connection:

Around the 16th century Christians began using the Greek word Ichthys for “fish”.  Ichthys is the most commonly used word in the New Testament for fish.

Ichthys consists of five letters from the Greek alphabet: I-ch-th-y-s. When these five letters are used as initials for five words, we obtain this Christian Declaration: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter.  This is an acrostic for ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.’