ICHTHUS is the Greek word for “fish.” Jesus tells us to, “Come follow me. And I will make you fishers of men!”
We often see a fish in Christian art. During Lent many parishes enjoy a “fish fry.” In the early Church, this word was used as a “symbol,” an acronym, a word formed from the first letter of several words.
I C H T H U S stands for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” This has often been expressed as, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God our Savior.”
Thus, with this simple image, or drawing Christians could profess their faith in times of persecution.
I = Iesous = Jesus
Ch = Khristos = Christ
Th = Theou = God’s
U = Huios = Son
S = Soter = Savior
The sign of the fish in early times was used by Christians as a secret symbol that all who believed that Jesus was the Christ would recognize, whether scratched on walls, rocks, or sand.
So, as a Catholic, you can express the heart of our faith throughout your day by simply praying with one word ICHTHUS, or even FISH.
