Ichthys

By Deane Barker • • tags: faith, christianity •

This is the formal name for the “Jesus fish.”

It’s been dated back to the 2nd century. Historians speculate that it was used by Christians to safely identify each other during periods of persecution.

The etymology of the word is disputed, but one fascinating theory is that the acronym for the Greek phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” is “ἸΧΘΥΣ” which is very close to the Greek word for “fish” – “IKhThUS.”

It’s pronounced “ick-this.”

Why I Looked It Up

From Garden City:

If they start a business, it has to have an ichthus in the logo, or at least on the business card

Links from this – Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human August 4, 2024
I didn’t review this book right away, and in the meantime, I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry , by the same author. Because of this, it’s hard for me to separate the two books in my head – they’re about very similar themes. Maybe go read that review? A lot of it applies to this as well.