Ithicus?

[The Last Conformist]

I recently found out that some people are refering to the Jesus-fish as an "Ithicus". Where did that rather odd word come from?


(Please, nobody explain the ichthys = Iesous Christos Theou hyios soter thing to me, however - I already know it.)

 

[El_Machinae]

My guess would be because golden palace dot com lost the bid to name it.

 

[Kyriakos]

Ιησούς Χριστός Θεού Υιός Σωτήρ (Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter) has, as you know, the anagram of ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys), which means 'fish'.
Ithicus, although i have never heard of it before, could possibly mean Ithicos, since it is the most common thing in latin to change the greek -os to the latin -us. And Ithicos (ηθικό&#962 means ethical. A bit predictable, that the jesus fish would be a symbol of ethics
Now i am not sure if it really is a latinization of ithicos though, since one would expect that to be ethicus. But i cannot think of another, similar greek word.

 

[Padma]

My guess would be that "ithicus" = "ichthys"

the same way "nucular" = "nuclear".

A *lot* of people can't read/speak their own language....

 

[The Last Conformist]

My guess would be that "ithicus" = "ichthys"

the same way "nucular" = "nuclear".

A *lot* of people can't read/speak their own language....

That was my first thought too, but it turns out there are jewelry shops that sell Jesus-fish under the name "Ithicus". Seems unlikely they couldn't spell the name of their product, methinks.

@varwnos: One page claims that Ithicus is an island close to Kefalonia. Is that true, or have I just ran across someone who can't spell Ithaca/Ithaki?

 

[Greek Stud]

The modern Ithaca (Ithaka) is a small island next to Cephallonia. It turns out now that archeologists found Odyssuses grave, that Cephallonia is actually the island Ithaca. Which makes sense from historical writings of the City-State (geographically and military status).

 

[Irish Caesar]

Hm. Well, my sister was given a necklace with the Jesus fish on it for her confirmation, and was told that it was called an ichthys. I haven't heard of the term "ithicus" to describe it, and I assume it's just a mis-spelling.

 

[shortguy]

That was my first thought too, but it turns out there are jewelry shops that sell Jesus-fish under the name "Ithicus". Seems unlikely they couldn't spell the name of their product, methinks.

Doesn't seem unlikely to me at all. Ithicus is a much simpler word, and there's no reason to assume that jewelers particularly care about the history of symobols that they use in their products.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Fish imagery is big in the new testament. The disciples are to be fishers of men and Jesus fed the multitude with fishes and loaves. I haven't a clue how they messed up the greek.

 

[thetrooper]

@varwnos: One page claims that Ithicus is an island close to Kefalonia. Is that true, or have I just ran across someone who can't spell Ithaca/Ithaki?

Hardly an expert on Greek islands, but I think they meant Ithaca.

 

[CartesianFart]

Ιησούς Χριστός Θεού Υιός Σωτήρ (Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter) has, as you know, the anagram of ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys), which means 'fish'.
Ithicus, although i have never heard of it before, could possibly mean Ithicos, since it is the most common thing in latin to change the greek -os to the latin -us. And Ithicos (ηθικό&#962 means ethical. A bit predictable, that the jesus fish would be a symbol of ethics
Now i am not sure if it really is a latinization of ithicos though, since one would expect that to be ethicus. But i cannot think of another, similar greek word.

finally some one reconize the important of etymology

 

[classical_hero]

Fish imagery is big in the new testament. The disciples are to be fishers of men and Jesus fed the multitude with fishes and loaves. I haven't a clue how they messed up the greek.

Well often Jesus would used phrases that people would understand. Using fishing analogies to fisherman would be appropriate. It also appears to be a symbol that "Christians" should never have taken hold of, considering the history of the symbol.

 

[ironduck]

I smell something fishy..

 

[Che Guava]

I heard that the symbol was also something of a 'test' for closet christians when it was illegal in the roman empire. If you suspected someone was a christian, you would scratch out a curved line in the soil with your foot as you were talking to him. If he was a christian, he would add his own curved line overtop, completing the ichthys and letting you know what he beleived.

It could be total bull, but an interesting story....

 

[The Last Conformist]

It also appears to be a symbol that "Christians" should never have taken hold of, considering the history of the symbol.

By that logic, Christians should never had touched Christmas either.

I'm not Xianity's greatest fan, but I can't see any reason to object to their adoption of the fish symbol.


Anyway, the consensus seems to be it's just a severely dyslectic writing of ichthys.

 

[Kyriakos]

A fish can symbolise many different things. It can even be seen as a phalic symbol (imagine what a fish looks like from below). However i trust that the christian fish symbol is related to the fishing of men.

 

[The Gorgon]

The symbol of the fish and the contruction of the word are explained. The concept came from Jesus' reported words.."but I will make you fishers of men" The fish was the livelihood of several of his followers and the symbolism came into the spelling and the motif. All else was convenience and adaptation. Cheers

 

[IglooDame]

Welcome to CFC Gorgon.

Though I thought that gorgons turned things to stone, not brought dead threads to life.

 

[gangleri2001]

Welcome to CFC Gorgon.

Though I thought that gorgons turned things to stone, not brought dead threads to life.

And I thought you were a Cylon, not a mod.

BTW, Welcome Gorgon!

 

[Brighteye]

What is a Jesus-fish?