When manoeuvring in society during Lent, you may have noticed more people wearing symbols of our shared faith. These symbols, most commonly the cross, fish, and Chi-Rho, are easily identified. However, rarely do we ask how they have come to be or peel back the layers of their manifold meanings.
Christianity—of course—is not just for Easter. Nevertheless, as we reflect on this season of penance, we might find ourselves taking more time than usual to consider what these symbols mean.
As a result, this blog will consider the development of the earliest known symbol of the Christian faith: the Ichthys or the “fish”.
Processional Banner for Mariner’s Church, Detroit
Reflecting on our Processional Banner for Mariner’s Church, Detroit in relation to the early iconography of Rome’s Christian catacombs, we will consider the early origins of the Ichthys and how its meaning has shaped and continues to support, our faith in modern society.
Fish perform a very prominent role in our banner.
From a compositional standpoint, they occupy the focal point of our view, whereby, overspilling from the boat, they are at the very centre of the banner. Depicted in simple silver, this unassuming pile of fish is framed by the magnificent crimson of Christ and, the subtle shades of blue of Simon and the calm Sea of Galilee. Even if a person were to try and focus only on the figures of Christ and Simon, the colour and compositional orientation of the fish consistently draw one’s eye down to their presence. Ultimately, they are given a high priority within the scheme, and this is not by chance!
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Raphael. c.1515-1516, V&A
The banner’s design was based on Raphael’s masterpiece cartoon of The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (Luke 5: 1-11) in the V&A. Considered one of the greatest treasures of the Renaissance, the full-scale tapestry design was executed by Raphael under the commission of Pope Leo X, shortly after his election in 1513, for the Sistine Chapel. As one of a series, the cartoons depict key episodes of the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the founding fathers of the Christian church - in this sense, they depict the beginning of the practice of Christianity.
The banner and cartoon depict the moment the Jewish fisherman Simon, later Peter, is called to be an apostle of Christ.
However, unlike the cartoon, our banner focuses on only a small part of the scene. Here, Simon kneels before Christ as he explains that he has been unsuccessful in his fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Implied, but not depicted, on the instruction of Christ, Simon casts his nets into deep water - the serene calm of the surrounding water suggests this action has already happened. The product of that haul is depicted in both the banner and the cartoon as fish overflow from the boat. Christ raises his hand in blessing and replies, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men”, announcing the role that Simon would now have in helping to spread the Christian faith.
Just as Raphael focuses on Peter and Paul as the founding fathers of the Christian faith, so does our banner, which starts at the very beginning of Christianity with the depiction of fish.
The fish, as an icon or symbol of the practice of Christianity, originates from the word Ichthys. Coming from the Greek ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys), each of the letters stands for:
Ι – Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς) – Jesus
Χ – Christos (Χριστός) – Christ
Θ – Theou (Θεοῦ) – of God
Υ – Huios (Υἱός) – Son
Σ – Sōtēr (Σωτήρ) – Saviour
Translating to “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour,” the fish symbol makes visible the core beliefs of Christianity through this acronym.
In considering the early proliferation of Christian Symbols and what they represent, Rowan Williams asks the poignant question, ‘How do you show what is, by definition, invisible?’
Our various signs and symbols of Christianity, in the words of Williams, ‘evoke this sense of being in touch with something other than what [we] think, do and feel.’ ‘The divine was never something lying around to be watched, copied, exhibited. It was the active foundation for all activity within the world.’
As such, much more than narrative prompts, the graphic and plentiful fish of our banner are a visible, tangible symbol of this invisible, active foundation of spiritual activity.
The agency of the fish as a symbol was vital to the Early Christians of Rome, who, seeking secrecy in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, utilised the fish as a covert but visible sign of the invisible, as Williams mentions.
Ichthys in the Catacombs of St Domitilla.
Largely hidden below ground in the catacombs of Rome, it is estimated that as many as one hundred thousand inscriptions of the Ichthys were carved on the walls of these elaborate burial networks. The symbol was reasonably consistent in appearance when used on the lids of sarcophagi or the sealed openings of the shelf tombs called cubiculum. It would appear either as a carved outline with a suggestion of scales, as seen in the Catacomb of St Domitilla, or as a symbolic single line that we are more accustomed to in the modern day. It is in this tradition that our banner directly speaks to.
For example, in Raphael’s cartoon, a broad range of marine life is depicted, including sea eels, barbels (also known as St Peter fish), sardines, a skate or a shark, sea bream and shellfish. In our banner, the message is much simpler. Where only amorphic fish – much like that seen in the Catacomb of St Domitilla – are depicted, the banner instructs the importance not on the type of fish or a heightened realism that would convey the narrative, but, rather, the fish as the earliest symbol of the Christian faith.
The importance of the fish in this early Christian tradition can also be seen more widely in the catacombs of Rome, which developed this symbol of invisible faith in accordance with the biblical narrative.
The ministry of Christ frequently involves fish, such as the calling of fishermen as disciples (Matthew 4:19), the multiplication of loaves and fish (Matthew 14:13-21), the resurrection appearance where he ate fish (Luke 24:42-43), and, as highlighted by the banner, the Miraculous Draught of Fishes (Luke 5: 1-11).
In these gospel readings, the use of fish embodies a much more significant meaning of what it means to be Christian. Whilst this analysis only skims the surface, these select gospels consider fish with a manifold of meaning. In particular, Christ calls Christians to be disciples, and, in their role as disciples, like Simon, we are encouraged to fish for others in the seas of society.
The catacombs directly grapple with these themes and attempt to interpret an understanding. In doing so, they use not only symbols of the Ichthys but also paintings of fish in scenes to make visible the Christian faith and shape early understanding of the theology in these gospels.
Fishing and Baptism Fresco in Catacomb of Callixtus.
Cubiculi in the Catacomb of Callixtus
For example, in one of the 3rd Century frescos in the Catacomb of Callixtus, a lone fisherman, sitting on a rock, is depicted casting his line into the calm water. What he pulls out is a single fish. On its own, this painting might be interpreted as being secular in theme, but a corresponding painting of a figure undergoing baptism joins it. The message is plain: just as Christ instructed Simon / St. Paul that he would catch men, so too has this deceased Christian caught the fish that outlines his faith as marked by his baptism.
This is all the more prominent because the scene is depicted on the surface of a cubiculum, which would have been in incredibly close proximity to the deceased; placing the dead next to images of the resurrection as promised as a baptised disciple of Christ.
Therefore, by including fish, both as a symbol of Christianity and as an iconography of the gospel, on a processional banner, we invite clergy and laity alike to pause and consider the mystery of the invisible. Just as Simon of our banner went fishing in the name of Christ, so too do Christians mark the significance of their faith this Lent with the symbol of the fish. After all, as these Early Christian Catacombs understood, it is the waters of baptism that open to us all the waters of Heaven.
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