When Jesus called His first disciples, He said to them, “Follow me,” He said, “I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). The symbol of the fish originally comes from this call, because most of the Twelve were fishermen by profession who were Simon later Simon was renamed Peter and Andrew also the sons of Zebedee who were James and John.
In the early days of Christianity, this new religion was forbidden by the Roman Empire because of the Roman emperor’s pagan beliefs. This is because in Christianity, the initials in the phrase “Jesus Christ is the Chosen Son of God” are Greek for fish and saying someone is the son of god instead of Emperor was the ultimate crime in the Roman Empire. During these hard times when the Christianity was forbidden, the first Christians used this symbol to recognize each other in Ephesus.
When Christianity was just beginning to spread in Rome, followers of Jesus Christ also used the symbol to recognize each other among themselves. They painted it on doors or necklaces (medallions), carved this symbol on the pavements and eventually tattooed it on their bodies.
In Greek, the fish is written ΙχΘΥΣ (Ichthys). But these letters are also an abbreviation for Christianity’s earliest statement of faith.
Here Explanation of How Ichthys Symbol Is Formed
- Ι Ιησούς (Iyesu-Jesus)
- χ Χριστός (Kristos-Christ)
- Θ θεός (Theos-God)
- Υ υιός (Huios-Son)
- Σ σωτήρας (Sotiras-Redeemer) (or Ϲ half-moon sigma)
Ichthys Symbol Shaped As Wheel
When all five letters are superimposed, we see the shape of the “wheel”, the symbol of the church at Ephesus. Another point that should not be overlooked is this: Christians believed in Jesus Christ both as Savior and as the Son of God. This symbol was very common in the 2nd century, and we can see it on the streets of the ancient city of Ephesus and the Church of Saint John the Evangelist today.
Even before the Christians, fish symbols were used to represent different things with different meanings. However, according to today’s findings and information, it was the early Christians of Ephesus who used the symbol of a fish the most intensively.
Explore Ichthys Symbols of Ephesus with Licensed Tour Guide
Ephesus and its surrounding attractions remain some of the most important Biblical sites in the world. Saint John the Evangelist, Virgin Mary, Apostle Paul and many more early Christian leader spent years in Ephesus as it is mentioned in the Holy Bible.
Ichthys symbols are scattered all around Ephesus and waiting for you to find them!
Contact me to hire a professional, licensed tour guide for Ephesus ancient city. Let’s unravel the mysteries of Ephesus together. See you soon, Hasan.
