Fish Outline on Cars: A Christian Symbol With Nearly 2,000 Years of History
The small fish outline on the back of some cars is the ancient Christian symbol Ichthys, which drivers typically use to declare their faith. It dates to the early days of Christianity and is used by followers of various denominations.
Drivers on Latvian roads sometimes spot cars with a small silver or white fish outline attached to the rear. It is not a carmaker's badge, nor does it indicate that the driver enjoys fishing. It is the Christian symbol Ichthys (also spelled Ichthus), and a car owner who displays it usually wants to publicly express their Christian faith. A reader of the Latvian daily Latvijas Avīze asked about the meaning of the symbol.
What the name means
Ichthys comes from the ancient Greek word ἰχθύς, meaning "fish". In Christianity the word carries a deeper meaning: each of its five Greek letters is the initial of another word, and together they form the phrase "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior". The simple fish outline therefore contains a profession of Christian faith.
Origins of the symbol
The fish image was already familiar among Christians in the 2nd century AD, when Christianity was spreading through the Roman Empire. Christians were persecuted at the time and used various symbols to express their faith. A fish was easy to draw and drew less attention than explicitly religious inscriptions.
A popular story says early Christians also used the fish to recognize one another: one person would draw a single curved line of the outline in the sand, and the other, if a Christian, would complete the drawing. Historians do not have enough evidence that this method was actually used. It is known with certainty that the fish image was widespread in early Christian art, including in the catacombs of Rome.
Links to the New Testament
The choice of the fish was influenced not only by the Greek word but also by events in the New Testament. One of the best known is the account of Jesus feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two fish. Several of Jesus' first disciples were also fishermen, and when he called them to follow him, he said he would make them fishers of men.
Use today
The symbol appears not only on cars but also on jewelry, clothing, pendants and religious items. On vehicles it is particularly common among Christians in many countries. It is not tied to any particular denomination and is used by followers of different Christian traditions.
