The Fish

In the early church days, believers were persecuted for faith in Jesus Christ. Being a believer in Christ was a heresy, punishable by death. Legend has it that believers established a sign to identify each other so that they could converse about the church without risking their lives.

When a believer would cross paths with another person, he or she would draw an arch in the sand. If the other person was also a believer, he or she would complete the fish by drawing another arch in the opposite direction! The fish, or "Ichthus", was the symbol for Christ. The Greek letters stand for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior".