Reclaiming the Power of the Fish Symbol
Why I am using the wheel symbol for my logo and what it means
Some people might look at the eight spoke wheel as a symbol for Buddhism, and for most of part, they would be correct. However, this symbol goes back to the earliest days of the Christian movement, the first and second centuries. Before the cross became a widespread symbol of Christianity. The symbol represents an acrostic using the Greek letters ἸΧΘΥΣ. The letters spell out the word “fish” in Greek, but each letter stands for Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior (I’m using each of these words as sections in my book People of the Way). This word was found scratched on catacombs by the tombs of Christians. It was also a shibboleth or secret code to identify Christians during a time of Roman persecution.
Rather than using this symbol an automotive emblem to signal to others that one is a Christian…I am using it to signify the abundance of the good news against the scarcity of the cross. It is one that signifies life over death, and how God would rather give than ask for a sacrifice.
One depiction of the ἸΧΘΥΣ symbol in the ancient city of Ephesus in Asia Minor (present day Turkey), shows an eight spoke symbol next to the words. After figuring out what this symbol meant, I’ve included a depiction below. Imagine scrawling the five letters on top of one another and the result would be the symbol of a wheel.
Symbols like the U.S. flag, the Apple logo, the cross, mean different things to different people. The fish imagery goes back to Jesus’s miracle of the “loaves and fishes” where he receives five loaves of bread and two fishes and multiplies them so that more than 5000 people could be fed (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12–17; John 6:1–14). This is the only story of this type, a miraculous occurrence, that takes place in all the Gospels. However, in the Gospel of John, the writer does not call them miracles, but “signs” (Luke 6:14). A sign, like a symbol, points to something, a greater reality than expressed in the sign. This reality was the presence of God in the feeding of people. Alone, the disciples did not have enough money to feed all the people who were following their teacher, yet in their scarcity Jesus provided an over abundance of resources.
Rather than using this symbol an automotive emblem to signal to others that one is a Christian (or the Darwin, anti-fish, evolution symbol to proclaim that one is maybe not), I am using this to signify the good news of abundance against the scarcity of the cross. It is one that signifies life over death, and how God would rather give than ask for a sacrifice.
Subscribe to the paid version to read “Loaves and Fishes,” and how to apply the “Fish Wheel” symbol to move from an existence of scarcity into a life of abundance.
Thank you for keeping my email. I am most pleased to see this work and all that you are accomplishing. Our Book Crew continues to meet, not as often but still doing books the same way. A chapter or two at a time. Currently discussion "Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like" by Susan E Hylen. Had hoped to see another book but your People of The Way will be another adventure. Andrea Gibbud
Thank you for following me on this forum, Andrea. I remember your group fondly. Keep up the great work at educating and discussing deeply important topics. I've been working on the book through this Substack and my goal is to put together a cohesive manuscript on how personal development and social concerns intersect. Then present that to a publisher. Please spread the word about this forum for others to share. Blessings.