Ichtus

Attention not to confuse ichtus and Ictus

The ichtus (in Greek old ΙΧΘΥΣ, ἰχθύς/ ikhthús ; the transcription ichthus would be righter) is a graphic Symbole representing a Poisson made of two arcs of circle.

The first Christians persecuted by the Roman authorities used it like secret code to be recognized between them (in competition with others Symbole S, whose magic square and Palindrome SATOR AREPO TENET OPERATED ROTAS ).

Indeed, the fish was the symbol of the Eau Baptême. In addition, the word forms, in Greek old (Common language more spoken in the Roman empire that the Latin ), a Word game since it is also the Acronyme of one of the names allotted to Jesus:

Ι ( I ): Ι ΗΣΟΥΣ ( IÊSOUS ) “Jesus”;
Χ ( KH , CH ): Χ ΡΙΣΤΟΣ ( KHRISTOS ) “Christ”;
Θ ( TH ): Θ ΕΟΥ ( THEOU ) “of God”;
Υ ( U ): Υ ΙΟΣ ( HUIOS ) “wire”;
Σ ( S ): Σ ΩΤΗΡ Sôter ( SÔTÊR ) “Saver”.

One can summarize this formula by “ Jesus Christ the saver and the son of God ”. He represents at the same time the Eucharistie, i.e. the Body, Blood, the Heart and the Divinity of Jesus-Christ. The breads and the fish are the basket of Christ linking the faithful ones in a sacramental communion.

It is in particular of this Symbole that the Poisson could come from April of the Western Folklore.

Today , it is used by certain Christian to assert their membership of this Religion. It is used for example in the form of Autocollant with the back of the cars.

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