Gallery 3
For example, today’s corporate “logos” are symbols because they identify corporations and give clues about their products and philosophies. For instance, most people recognize the red “Target” logo of the Target Corporation, and most people get the clue that, as customers, they’re “on target” and “hitting the bull’s-eye” when they shop at Target.
Likewise, during the first three centuries of Christian history, the original Christians had several bold and specific symbols that they used to identify themselves and to give the public clues about the Spiritual lifestyle that they lived.
For the first 300 years of Christian history, the original Christians drew these symbols in the margins of their letters, painted them on walls, etched them on stones, and carved them on coffins.
However, because the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by the Roman army only 40 years after Christianity was founded – and because Jerusalem’s surviving Christians fled to other cities and countries – very few original Christian symbols still exist in Jerusalem.
Instead, the world’s greatest treasure trove of original Christian symbols now lies in the underground catacombs of Rome. There, from the late First Century through the end of the Third Century, the early Christians etched, carved, and painted their original symbols on the walls, stones, and tombs of these ancient Christian burial tunnels.
Then, in the Fourth Century, the Emperor Constantine came to power and founded institutional Christianity in Rome, with the mandate that the “crucifixion cross” was to be the institution’s official symbol. The result of this was that all of the original Christian symbols faded from history and are mostly unknown today. That’s tragic, however, because the original Christian symbols give a much clearer, simpler, and more specific picture of original Christianity than Constantine’s Fourth Century “cross” does.
And Their Meanings
The seven symbols in this collection are important because they illustrate the original Spiritual lifestyle of the Early Christianity. So – let’s begin with a brief explanation and a picture of each of the seven symbols. After that, the entire photo collection is toward the bottom of the page.
1. The Fish. Jesus’s first five disciples were all professional fishermen and business partners on Lake Galilee and, because of that, the first and oldest Christian symbol is the “Fish.” It’s a symbol of a non-Christian.
More specifically, it’s a symbol of the inner spirit (or “soul“) of a non-Christian. The Fish therefore represents the Christian mission to reach out to non-Christians and draw them into Christianity. Jesus gave Christians this mission (and indirectly the symbol) when He said, “Come, follow Me, and I’ll make you fishers of men and women.”
The original “Fish” symbol consisted of the entire fish – including eyes, scales, and fins. Today’s Fish symbol, formed by two curved lines and seen on car bumpers, is from Medieval times and isn’t the original Christian symbol. Also, the Fish symbol has gradually changed in meaning over the centuries, until today it has come to mean the opposite of what it originally meant. Today, it symbolizes a Christian – not a non-Christian. Today, the symbol says, “I’m a Christian.” Instead of, “I’m reaching out to non-Christians to draw them into Christianity.”
2. The Anchor. Since Jesus’s first five disciples were all professional fishermen, another of the first and oldest Christian symbols is the “Anchor.”
The Anchor symbolizes the hope, faith, and confidence that Christians have in Jesus and, more specifically, it symbolizes Jesus Himself. It symbolizes the Spiritual principle that Jesus is the one and the only Head of Christianity, and that He’s Christianity’s one and only “anchor” for peace, hope, healing, and purpose.
3. The Combined Fish-and-Anchor. The early Christians often combined the “Fish” and the “Anchor” into one symbol, and often presented the Anchor’s sharp flukes acting as “hooks” to “catch” non-Christians.
Thus, non-Christians are often depicted as “fish” hooked on the flukes of an Anchor. In this way, the Combined Fish-And-Anchor symbol symbolizes the mandate that Jesus gave to all Christians to recruit non-Christians and draw them into Christianity.
4. The Chi-Rho. The first Christians talked and wrote about “Christ” (Jesus) so much that they had a special symbol for the word “Christ.” People wrote in Greek at the time – so their symbol for “Christ” was the Greek capital letter chi (which looks like an English “Χ”), overlaid by the Greek capital letter rho (which looks like an English “Ρ”).
Together, these two overlaid Greek letters form the “Chi-Rho” symbol. (Pronounced “key’-row’.”) The letter Chi (X) is translated “CH” in English, and the letter rho (P) is translated “R” in English. Thus, the complete symbol translates into English as “CHR” – the first three letters of the word “CHRIST.” Like the Anchor, the Chi-Rho symbol represents the Spiritual principle that Jesus is the one and the only Head of Christianity.
By the way, some people claim that the Emperor Constantine created the Christian Chi-Rho symbol in Rome in the Fourth Century. But that’s impossible, since the symbol is a Greek symbol and is found on walls in the catacombs from the late First through the late Third Centuries – because Constantine lived, spoke, and wrote in Latin, not Greek. Also, he lived in the Fourth Century and was not a Christian. So he physically and mentally couldn’t have – and wouldn’t what – created the Chi-Rho symbol.
5. The Fishing Boat. Again, since Jesus’s first five disciples were all professional fishermen, another of the first and oldest Christian symbols is the “Fishing Boat.”
It symbolizes the Body of Christ (that is, the whole Christian group worldwide). The “water” under the boat symbolizes the “rough seas” of the non-Christian world. Also, the boat is often displayed with its fishing nets spread to “catch” non-Christians. Like the symbol of the Fish and the Combined Anchor-and-Fish symbol, the “Fishing Boat” represents the Christian mandate to reach out to non-Christians and draw them into Christianity.
Interestingly, the apostle Paul is often shown as an elderly man standing in the back of the “Fishing Boat,” guiding the Christian group through the stormy “seas” of life.
6. The Birds. The first Christians placed great emphasis on “catching” the inner spirits (the inner “souls“) of non-Christians. To them, recruiting non-Christians was one of the most important activities of Christianity.
As we said above, the spirits of non-Christians were always presented by the “Fish” symbol. However, once a non-Christian became a Christian, his or her spirit (“soul“) was then symbolized by a “Sheep” or a “Bird.”
When a Christian’s inner spirit was represented by a “Bird,” the bird was often shown eating “fruit” (symbolizing the fruit of the Spirit). Or, the bird was shown holding an “olive branch” (symbolizing healing, protection, and prosperity). Thus, “Birds” represent the souls of Christians enjoying the peace, hope, purpose, and Spiritual power of Christianity in life.
7. The Good Shepherd. Finally, the most surprising and important early Christian symbol is the symbol of the “Good Shepherd.” It shows how Christians in the first three centuries of Christian history really felt about Jesus. As we said above, the “Crucifixion Cross” was not an original Christian symbol. Thus, today’s image of a sad, bloody, skinny, defeated, Jesus hanging on a “Cross” didn’t exist in the first three centuries of Christianity. Instead, the original Christians thought of Jesus as a strong, healthy young man about 30 years of age, working as a Good Shepherd for His “Sheep.” (As said above, “Sheep” symbolized Christian souls.)
The “Good Shepherd” symbol normally shows Jesus carrying a “Sheep” (a Christian soul) into heaven on His shoulders, surrounded by other Sheep (souls) looking at Him lovingly. Or, when Jesus isn’t carrying a Sheep, He’s sitting in heaven watching over His Sheep. So the Good Shepherd symbol meant that Jesus was alive, well, and actively working to get His “Sheep” (Christian souls) safely into heaven, and then to firmly stand guard over them there.
Now, here’s the complete photo collection with captions. Click the photos to enlarge them and see the captions.
[envira-gallery id=”3634″]
All Domestic and International Rights Reserved.