The ichthys or ichthus (/ˈɪkθəs/[1]), from the Greekikhthū́s (ἰχθύς, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: [ikʰˈtʰys], "fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish. It has been speculated that the symbol was adopted by early Christians as a secret symbol; a shibboleth to determine if another was indeed Christian.[2][3] It is now known colloquially as the "Jesus fish".[4]
^"ichthus". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). 2007.
^Robert Mowat, “ΙΧΘΥΣ,” in
Atti del II° congresso internazionale di archeologica cristi-ana tenuto in Roma nell’ aprile 1900
(Rome: Spithöver, 1902), 1–8
^Rasimus, T. ,2011. Revisiting the Ichthys: A Suggestion Concerning the Origins of Christological Fish Symbolism. Pp 327-348 in Mystery and Secrecy in the Nag Hammadi Collection and Other Ancient Literature: Ideas and Practices. Biblical Studies, Ancient Near East and Early Christianity E-Books Online. "Such solutions, once popular, include the fish as a secret symbol for persecuted Christians or as a symbol for Christ mystically sacrificed in the Eucharist."