...Why Jesus Has a Fish.

I'm sure you've seen them, especially on the bumpers and trunks of cars. A Jesus Fish. You may have even seen the famous 'Darwin' fish, although I have yet to figure out why he has one in the first place.

It should say Lamarck

So, why a fish? For one, a fish is a pretty popular animal in the bible. Jesus once fed a crowd of thousands with 2 and its a protein source you can eat on Fridays and when fasting. There's also a few stories about fishermen, the most known one about Jesus walking on water. When Christianity first started, followers were often persecuted. There were no churches or temples to meet each other in so other arrangements were made and they met in the bars/coffee shops of the day. But most of the population couldn't read and store signs were useless to them and they needed a way to let everyone know where to go. This is where the fish comes in, it was inscribed on the wall outside of where ever they would meet.

Not very subtle.

But there's another reason why the fish was used. The old Greek word for fish is:  ΙΧΘΥΣ and it was a clever acronym that stood for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior". This idea was also used during 12th century England to identify pubs and inns. That's why they have basic names like 'The Three Horseshoes' or 'The White Rabbit', owners would hang signs with pictures on them so you knew where to meet your friends.

Its easy to find.

And that is what I learned today.