The Ichthys is an ancient symbol originated and
first used by Apostolic-era Christians. The Ichthys became more of a
defiant rebus as Christian martyrdom escalated during the reign of
Emperors like Nero and Diocletien. Persecuted Christians who were
forced to take shelter in caves in order to prolong their lives
frequently came across inscriptions of the Ichthys, telling them that
other Christians had preceded them. Within the Ichthys is a powerful
Statement of Fundamental Christian Beliefs,
beliefs in which cost the Apostles their lives. Greek was one of the
predominate languages during Apostolic times and the Ichthys contains
5 Greek letters describing vital Christian teaching revealing the
place held by Jesus in the Godhead in relation to the other Persons
of the Trinity. Come with me as we unlock the secret of the Ichthys!
I C H T H Y S Ichthys is the most commonly used word
in the New Testament for fish. This is the reason why the ICHTHYS is
usually found with a fish symbol drawn around it. But you may be
wondering, where do we get the word Ichthys and the fish symbol?
Within the fish symbol you will see these letters,
IXOYE. Each of these letters then has to be
transliterated. I remains I, X transliterates to CH, O becomes TH, Y
becomes Y or U, and E transliterates to S. The table below shows the
Greek form and the transliteration.
Greek form
Greek transliteration
|
I
I
|
X
CH
|
O
TH
|
Y
Y
|
E
S
|
Now it gets even more interesting.
Greek meaning
English transliteration |
Iesous
Jesus |
CHristos
Christ |
THeos
Of God |
Yios
Son |
Soter
Savior |
And once again.
Greek word
English transliteration |
Ichthys
Fish |
Now let's examine the Statement of Fundamental
Christian Beliefs that lie within the Ichthys.
The meaning of the Ichthys is "Jesus-Christ-Of God-Son-Savior."
Jesus means "To Be" and is the equivalent of "I AM THAT I AM." It means
"to exist", but it means eternal (outside of time) existence not
existence within time. The name 'Jesus' identified Christ as Yahweh of
the Old Testament. The Hebrew "Yeshua" means "God is Salvation."
Christ is equal to the Hebrew word "Messiah," meaning
the Sent One, the Anointed of God. The word points to redemption and
reconciliation between God and man. Of God reminds
Christians of the deity of Christ. Christ is in nature with God and the
Holy Spirit. Together the 3 are 1 God with 3 differing roles. 'Of God'
signifies that God is the Head of Christ. God is Father, Christ is Son.
Son As Son, Jesus is not inferior to the Father, but
has a different role in the redemption of humanity. The Son is the heir
of the Father, and God has given all power and authority to Jesus. As
Son, Jesus was obedient to God the Father. Savior At
the apex of the obedience of Jesus towards God the Father was Jesus'
death on the cross for the redemption of humanity, heaven, and earth.
Jesus provides salvation based on His broken body and blood at the
cross to every man who trusts in His righteous life. Only God can
rightfully judge sin and at the same time be blameless from sin. He
did both at the cross.
