There is no need to dwell on the esoteric meaning of the word Fish(for Payne Knight, Inman, Gerald Massey and others did it). Its theological meaning is phallic, but its metaphysical meaning is divine. Jesus was called the Fish, just like Vishnu and Bacchus; ΙΗΞ, the “Savior” of Humanity, is only a monogram of the God Bacchus, who was also called ΙΧΘΥΞ, the Fish.
It is well known that the earliest Christian emblems - before attempts were made to depict the bodily form of Jesus - were the Lamb, the Good Shepherd and Fish. The origin of the last emblem, which so confused archaeologists, thus becomes clear. The whole secret lies in the easily grasped fact that, despite the fact that "Kabbalah" the messiah king is called the "Interpreter", or the Revealer of the secret, and is indicated as fifth emanation, in "Talmud"- for reasons which we will now explain - the messiah is very often designated as "Dag", or fish. This is a heritage from the Chaldeans, and refers - as the name itself shows - to the Babylonian Dagon, the fish man, who was a teacher and interpreter for the people to whom he appeared. Abarbanel explains this name by stating that the sign of the time of his (the Messiah's) coming "is the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the sign [zodiac] Pisces." Therefore, since Christians intended to identify their Christ with the messiah Old Testament, - they accepted it so readily that they forgot that its true origins can be traced even further back than the Babylonian Dagon. With what ardor and detail the early Christians united the ideal of Jesus with whatever cabalistic and pagan teachings were possible can be concluded from the words of Clement of Alexandria addressed to his fellow believers.
When they discussed choosing the most suitable symbol, which would remind them of Jesus, Clement advised them in the following words: “Let the carving on the gem of your ring depict or pigeon or boat driven by the wind(argha), or fish." Was this good father, when he wrote this, under the impression of the memory of Joshua the son of Nun (called Jesus in the Greek and Slavic versions), or has he forgotten the actual interpretation of these pagan symbols? Yeshua, son of Nan or Navi (Navis) could rightfully appropriate the image ship or even fish, since Yeshua means Jesus, the son of the fish god; but, truly, it was too risky to associate the emblems of Venus, Astarte and all the Hindu goddesses - arghu, dove And fish- with the “immaculate” birth of your god! It is as if in the days of early Christianity very little distinction was made between Christ, Bacchus, Apollo and the Hindu Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu, with whose first avatar the symbol of the fish was born.
In the Hari Purana, in the Bhagavad Gita, as well as in several other books, the god Vishnu is shown as taking the form of a fish with a human head in order to restore the Vedas, lost during the flood. Having given Vishvamitra the opportunity to escape in the ark along with his entire tribe, Vishnu, pitying the weak and ignorant humanity, stayed with them for some time. It was this god who taught them to build houses, to cultivate the land, and to give thanks to the unknowable deity whom he represented by building temples and instituting constant worship: and since he remained all the time half-fish, half-man, at every sunset he returned into the ocean, where he spent his nights.
“He is the one,” says the holy book, “who taught people after the flood everything that was necessary for their happiness. One day he plunged into the sea and never returned, as the land was again covered with vegetation, fruits and livestock. But he taught the Brahmas the secrets of all things." (“Hari Purana”).
Until now we see in this narrative double the narrative given by the Babylonian Berossus about Oanna, the fish-man, who is none other than Vishnu - unless we believe that Chaldea civilized India!
< ... >Perhaps we can shed further light on the puzzling question of the fish symbol if we remind the reader that, according to Genesis, the first living thing created, the first type of animal life, was the fish.
“And the Elohim said: “Let the waters give birth to abundantly moving creatures, having life"...And God created great whales... and there was morning and evening fifth day." < ... >
« Big fish" - This Cetus, the Latinized form of Keto is κητω, and Keto is Dagon, Poseidon, whose feminine is Keton Atar-gatis - the Syrian goddess and Venus from Ascalon. A figure or bust of Der-Keto or Astarte was usually placed at the bow of the ship. Jonah (Greek Jonah or pigeon, dedicated to Venus) fled to Jaffa, where they worshiped the god Dagon, the fish man, and did not dare to go to Nineveh, where the dove was revered.
< ... >It should be noted that this double designation of "Messiah" and "Dag" (fish) of the Talmudists could well be applied to the Hindu Cherry, the "Preserving" Spirit, the second person of the Brahmanic trinity. This deity, having already manifested, is still regarded as the future Savior of mankind, and is the chosen Redeemer who will appear in his tenth incarnation or avatar, like the Messiah of the Jews, to lead the blessed forward and return to them the primary Vedas. In his first avatar, Vishnu allegedly appeared to humanity in the form of a fish. In the temple of Rama there is an image of this god, which fully corresponds to the description of Dagon given by Berossus. He has the body of a man emerging from the mouth of a fish, and in his hands he holds the lost Veda. Moreover, Vishnu is in one sense the god of water, the Logos of Parabrahma; since these three personalities of the manifested deity are constantly exchanging their attributes, we see him in the same temple represented reclining on the seven-headed serpent, Ananta (eternity), and moving like to the spirit God, above the primary waters.
The symbolism of fish incorporates many diverse, sometimes polar opposite, meanings. Since ancient times, fish has been associated with Teachers, world Saviors, ancestors, and wisdom. The Hindu Vishnu, the Egyptian Horus, the Chaldean Oannes, and also Christ are related to the fish symbol. Disciples and followers living in the “water of teaching” are often likened to fish.
There are legends (records of which were preserved in the temples of antiquity) according to which the human race originated from creatures resembling amphibians. Their bodies were covered with scales and they breathed through gills. In a number of myths, fish perform the function of a demiurge, i.e. participate in the creation of the world: for example, fish bring silt from the bottom of the primordial ocean, from which land is created, or serve as the support of the earth.
The symbolism of fish is closely related to the symbolism of water, water element. In a variety of mythologies, water is the origin, the initial state of all things, the source of life. Therefore, fish that live freely in water, in the primordial ocean, are endowed with demiurgic power, and in a number of myths they also turn out to be the ancestors of people. Water is also associated with the unconscious; knowledge is hidden in the depths of the waters, which is difficult (or impossible) for a person to obtain, but which is accessible to fish. Water cleanses, ritual ablution symbolizes rebirth, a return to the beginning, so a fish living in water represents hope for a new birth. But water is a formidable element, which is reflected in numerous versions of the flood myth, and here a fish can also show its power and help a person escape, as happened in the myth of Manu.
Water is a symbol of the feminine principle, so fish becomes an attribute of many Great Goddesses (Atargatis, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite). In this regard, it can symbolize not only fertility, fertility, abundance, sensual love, but also such negative aspects attributed to goddesses as vanity and greed.
In a number of mythological stories, where giant fish(or whale) swallows and then releases the hero (as, for example, in the myth of Jonah), the fish acts as a kind of equivalent of the lower world, the kingdom of the dead. These stories symbolize the process of initiation, rebirth after symbolic death.
In the Middle East, fish was an attribute of the Syrian goddess of love and fertility, Atargatis (each of her temples had a pond with sacred fish; her son’s name was Ichthys, which means “fish”). This goddess performed under different names- Ishtar, Derketo, Astarte - and was often depicted as a woman with a fish tail. The myths said that the goddess got a fish tail when she and her son rushed into the waters of the Euphrates to escape from a monster. In Sumerian writing, the sign “fish” expressed the concept of “fertility” and “reproduction.” The Babylonian god Ea could be represented as a fish man. Ea was credited not only with power and wisdom, but also with healing abilities; There are known images of the “fish-shaped” Ea at the bedside of a sick child. Oannes, the Chaldean Savior, was depicted with the head and body of a fish and with human hands and feet. He came out of the sea and taught people writing, science, building cities and temples, agriculture, etc. Fish skin was used as clothing by the priests of Ea and Oannes.
In Egyptian mythology, the goddess of the city of Mendes was Khatme-hit. Her sacred animal is the fish, and her epithet is the First among fishes. She was depicted as a woman with a fish on her head; in the later period she was brought closer to Isis: it was believed that this goddess helped Isis collect parts of the body of Osiris killed by Set.
The Egyptian god Horus was sometimes represented as a fish. Isis, when she nursed little Horus, was also depicted with a fish on her headdress.
In Indian mythology, Vishnu, during his first incarnation as an avatar in the form of a fish, warns the progenitor of mankind, Manu, about the upcoming flood. Killing the demon Hayagriva, Vishnu returns the sacred books of knowledge, the Vedas, stolen by the demon from Brahma. In India, there is a ritual: on the twelfth day of the first month of the Indian year, a fish is placed in a vessel with water and the following appeal is addressed to it: “Just as you, O God, took the form of a fish and saved the Vedas, which were in the underworld, so save me.” !
In Buddhism, fish symbolizes following the Buddha, liberation from desires and attachments. Buddha, like Jesus Christ, was called a fisher of men.
In Chinese mythology, fish symbolizes abundance, wealth, fertility, and harmony. One of the myths of ancient Chinese mythology speaks of a creature called Lingyu (“Fish Hill”), with the body of a fish; His arms, legs and head are human.
For the Greeks and Romans, fish were sacred in connection with the cult of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love and fertility. Fish as a symbol of the power of water was also an attribute of Poseidon (Neptune). In rituals dedicated to Adonis, fish was used as an offering for the dead.
Among the ancient Semites, the beneficent deity in the form of a fish bore the name Dagon. It was also called Dag, which translated means “fish”, “guardian” or “Messiah”. In Judaism, fish represent the believers of Israel in their true element, in the waters of the Torah. Fish is the food of the Sabbath, a symbol of the heavenly feast.
In early Christianity, fish was adopted as a symbol of Christ by many Church Fathers. The sign of the fish was the first monogram of Christ. Mysterious Greek name Jesus means "fish". It was the fishermen brothers who became the first disciples of Jesus, who told them that they would be “fishers of men.” Believers, disciples of Christ, like himself, were often likened to fish, safe only in the “water of teaching.” The baptismal font quite early began to be likened to a fish tank (piscina). Three intertwined fish or three fish with one head symbolize the Trinity.
The coming of Christ was associated with the onset of the astrological era of Pisces. Jesus “was born as the first fish of the era of Pisces and was doomed to die as the last lamb of the declining era of Aries” (C. G. Jung, AION).
TALE OF THE FLOOD
Manu, the son of Vivasvat, the half-brother of Yama, settled on earth in a secluded monastery near the southern mountains. One morning, when he was washing his hands, as they do to this day, he came across a small fish in the water brought for washing. She told him: “Save my life, and I will save you.” “What will you save me from?” - asked the surprised Manu. The fish said: “The flood will come and destroy all living beings. I will save you from him." “How can I keep you alive?” And she said: “We fish, while we are so small, are threatened with death from everywhere. One fish eats another. You first keep me in a jug, when I grow out of it, dig a pond and keep me there; and when I grow even larger, take me to the sea and release me into the open, for then death will no longer threaten me from anywhere.” Manu did just that. Soon she grew up and became a huge jhasha fish with a horn on her head; and this is the largest of all fish. And Manu released her into the sea. Then she said: “In such and such a year there will be a flood. Make a ship and wait for me. And when the flood comes, board the ship and I will save you.”
And in the year that the fish indicated to him, Manu built a ship. When the flood came, he boarded the ship and the fish swam to him. Obeying her command, Manu took with him the seeds of various plants. Then he tied a rope to the horn of the fish, and it quickly pulled his ship along the raging waves. The earth was no longer visible, the countries of the world disappeared from the eyes; there was only water around them. Manu and the fish were the only living creatures in this watery chaos. Fierce winds rocked the ship from side to side. But the fish swam and swam forward through the watery desert and finally brought Manu's ship to the highest mountain Himalaya. Then she told Manu: “I saved you. Tie the ship to a tree. But be careful, the water may wash you away. Descend gradually, following the decline of the water.” Manu followed the advice of the fish. Since then, this place in the northern mountains has been called “Descent of Manu”.
And the flood washed away all living creatures. Only Manu remained to continue the human race on earth.
As is known, the first three centuries Christian history passed under the sign of periodically recurring persecutions. In such conditions, it was necessary to develop a whole system of secret signs with the help of which it was possible to identify brothers in faith.
In addition, the theology of the image also developed. Christians were looking for symbols with the help of which they could allegorically convey to the catechumens the truths of faith contained in the Gospel, and decorate the premises for worship, so that the very setting would remind them of God and set them up for prayer.
This is how a number of original early Christian symbols appeared, about which there will be a further short story.
1. Fish
The most common symbol of the first centuries was the fish (Greek “ichthys”). The fish was an acronym (monogram) of the name of Jesus Christ and, at the same time, a Christian confession of faith:
Jesus Christ Feou Ios Sotir - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.
Christians depicted fish on their houses - in the form of a small picture or as a mosaic element. Some wore fish around their necks. In catacombs adapted for temples, this symbol was also present very often.
2. Pelican
A beautiful legend is associated with this bird, existing in dozens of slightly different versions, but very similar in meaning to the ideas of the Gospel: self-sacrifice, deification through the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pelicans live in the coastal reeds near the warm Mediterranean Sea and are often subject to snake bites. Adult birds feed on them and are immune to their poison, but chicks are not yet. According to legend, if a pelican chick is bitten poisonous snake, then he pecks at his own breast in order to give them blood with the necessary antibodies and thereby save their lives.
Therefore, the pelican was often depicted on sacred vessels or in places of Christian worship.
3. Anchor
The Church is above all a solid foundation human life. Thanks to him, a person gains the ability to distinguish good from evil, understands what is good and what is bad. And what could be firmer and more reliable than an anchor that holds a huge ship of life in place in the stormy sea of human passions?
Also - a symbol of hope and the future resurrection from the dead.
By the way, on the domes of many ancient temples it is precisely the cross in the form of an ancient Christian anchor that is depicted, and not any “cross defeating the Muslim crescent.”
4. Eagle over the city
Symbol of the height of truths Christian faith uniting the entire population of the Earth. It has survived to this day in the form of bishop’s eagles, used at ceremonial services. Also indicates the heavenly origin of the power and dignity of the episcopal rank.
5. Chrism
A monogram composed of the first letters of the Greek word “Christ” - “Anointed One”. Some researchers mistakenly identify this Christian symbol with the double-edged ax of Zeus - “Labarum”. The Greek letters “a” and “ω” are sometimes placed along the edges of the monogram.
Christianity was depicted on the sarcophagi of martyrs, in the mosaics of baptisteries (baptisteries), on the shields of soldiers and even on Roman coins - after the era of persecution.
6. Lily
A symbol of Christian purity, purity and beauty. The first images of lilies, judging by the Song of Songs, served as decoration for the Temple of Solomon.
According to legend, on the day of the Annunciation, Archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary with a white lily, which has since become a symbol of Her purity, innocence and devotion to God. With the same flower, Christians depicted saints, glorified by the purity of their lives, martyrs and martyrs.
7. Grapevine
The symbol is associated with an image that the Lord himself often addressed in his parables. Denotes the Church, its vitality, abundance of grace, Eucharistic sacrifice: “I am the vine, and my father is the vinedresser...”.
It was depicted on church utensils and, of course, in temple ornaments.
8. Phoenix
The image of the Resurrection, associated with the ancient legend of the eternal bird. The Phoenix lived for several centuries and, when the time came for him to die, he flew to Egypt and burned there. All that was left of the bird was a pile of nutritious ashes in which, after some time, new life. Soon a new, rejuvenated Phoenix rose from it and flew away in search of adventure.
9. Lamb
Everyone understands the symbol of the voluntary sacrifice of the immaculate Savior for the sins of the world. In early Christianity it was often depicted with human face or with a halo (sometimes there was a combined version). Later he was prohibited from being depicted in icon painting.
10. Rooster
A symbol of the general resurrection that awaits everyone at the Second Coming of Christ. Just as the crowing of a rooster awakens people from sleep, the trumpets of angels will awaken people at the end of time to meet the Lord, Last Judgment and inheritance of new life.
There are other early Christian symbols that are not included in this selection: the cross, dove, peacock, bowl and baskets of bread, lion, shepherd, olive branch, sun, good shepherd, alpha and omega, ears of bread, ship, house or brick wall , source of water.
Andrey Szegeda
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There are symbols that accompany us throughout our lives and mysteriously influence it, although we do not always feel it. Here is one of such symbols.
As children, we listen enchanted to the fairy tale about a goldfish that fulfills any three wishes, but also rewards what we deserve. As a reward for his goodness, Emelya receives a pike as an assistant, thanks to which he marries the king’s daughter. A fairy tale knows a miracle fish: a woman who tastes it gives birth to heroes. The hero may be swallowed by a huge fish, but he always returns transformed: he begins to understand the bird's language, finds riches or reveals hidden secrets; or maybe in the belly of a fish you can be transported to another world.
IN teenage years reading myths Ancient Greece and Rome, we learn that fish, symbolizing the power of water, are attributes not only of the sea deities Poseidon and Neptune, but also of the goddesses of beauty and love Aphrodite and Venus, born from the foam of the sea. As the element of water, fish are associated with the Mother Goddess, the progenitor of all life. Fish dishes were offered as sacrifices to all the gods underworld and the lunar goddesses of water, as well as love and fertility. This is related to the Syrian goddess Atargatis - her son Ichthys was a sacred fish - Assyrian-Babylonian Ishtar, Egyptian Isis, Roman Venus, Scandinavian Freya. In their honor, fish dishes were eaten on Fridays.
Ancient Indian myths say that the god Vishnu turned into a fish during the great flood and saved the forefather of people Manu. IN Ancient China fish was considered a symbol of happiness and abundance. In Japan different types fish correlate with different meanings. For example, a carp that can overcome oncoming currents and waterfalls is the embodiment of courage, endurance and endurance. And on Boys' Day, which falls on May 5, banners with carps embroidered with silk threads are hung in front of houses where there are boys.
Entering the age of maturity, thinking about the meaning of life, trying to find our purpose, we sometimes turn to astrology, alchemy, and religion. And here new discoveries await us.
As the 12th sign of the Zodiac, Pisces marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. Those born under the sign of Pisces are characterized, for example, by the desire for brotherhood and peace, perfection, courtesy, “painstaking effort,” as well as “indomitable fertility.” Fishermen and sailors are often born under the sign of Pisces.
In alchemy, two fish in one river symbolize primary matter and two elements - sulfur and mercury in dissolved form.
For the past 2000 years, humanity has lived in the Age of Pisces, which began with the birth of Christ. It has been observed that if the first letters of the words “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” (written in Greek) are added together, the Greek word IXOYS, “fish” is formed. The image of a fish, which became a symbol of Christ, is found on seals and lamps in Roman catacombs and on sarcophagi. It was considered secret sign the first Christians, who were in a hostile environment of pagans. There is also an analogy between fishing and converting people to a new faith (hence the "fisherman's ring" worn by the Pope). Christ called the apostles “fishers of men” and his converts “fishes.” As in many world and more early religions, fish with bread and wine is a sacred food in Christianity. It is not for nothing that we often see fish in images of the Last Supper.
IN Christian symbol Pisces combined not only astrological, but also pagan meanings. Even in ancient times, people associated fish, an inhabitant of the water element, with the origin of life on earth. Fish could bring silt from the bottom of the primordial ocean, and from this silt the earth was created. And it could serve as a support for the earth, which in this case rested on one, three or seven fish swimming in the world’s oceans. As soon as the fish waved its tail, earthquakes began.
Fish was also connected with the world of ancestors. Many peoples believed that when a person dies, a person’s soul moves into a fish, and in order for the soul to reincarnate in a child, one simply needs to eat the fish. Fish also participated in rituals associated with initiation into adult life. Entering the belly of the “fish” (entrances to special huts where initiatory rites were held were often made in the form of the mouth of a fish, whale or crocodile), the neophyte symbolically died, entered the kingdom of the dead, and then, coming back, was symbolically born to a new life. Now, enriched with new sacred knowledge (after all, the dead know more than the living), he could enter adulthood.
Petroglyphs, rock paintings, numerous stone and metal decorations in the form of fish from archaeological excavations - news to us from those distant times.
Even today, without knowing all these details, like ancient people, we surround ourselves with images or stylized figures of fish. And according to psychologists, our dreams are quite “densely” populated by fish, which act as a symbol of the unconscious and creative inner worlds our soul.
Which means this ancient symbol still lives, and with its help we can understand ourselves - we just need to engage in dialogue with the fish.
The fish symbol can be found in ancient Christian images. What does the fish symbol mean in Christianity? In the Greek word ICHTHYS (fish) Christians ancient Church saw a mysterious acrostic composed from the first letters of a sentence expressing the confession of the Christian faith: Jesous Christos Theou Yios Soter - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. “If the first letters of these Greek words are combined together, the word ICHTHYS, that is, “fish,” is obtained. The name of the fish mysteriously refers to Christ, because in the abyss of real mortality, as if in the depths of water, He could remain alive, that is. sinless"(Blessed Augustine. About the City of God. XVIII. 23.1).
Professor A.P. Golubtsov suggested: “This literal meaning of the word ICHTHYS was early noticed by Christian exegetes, and, probably, in Alexandria - this center of allegorical interpretation - the mysterious meaning of this famous word was first brought to light" (From readings on church archeology and liturgics. St. Petersburg ., 1995. P. 156).
However, it must be definitely said: not only the observation of a letter coincidence led to the fact that among the Christians of the Primitive Church, fish became a symbol of Jesus Christ. The consciousness of the ancient disciples of the Divine Savior undoubtedly found support for such an understanding in the Holy Gospel. The Lord says: Is there such a person among you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone? and when he asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? So if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:9-11).
The symbolism is clear and expressive: the fish points to Christ, and the serpent to the devil. When more than four thousand people were fed, the Lord performed a miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes: And taking the seven loaves and fishes, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples to the people. And they all ate and were filled (Matthew 15:36–37). During another miracle of feeding the people there were five loaves of bread and two fish (see: Matt. 14: 17–21).
The Eucharistic understanding of the first and second saturation is evidenced by an image made on the wall of one of the Roman catacombs of St. Callistus: a swimming fish holds on its back a wicker basket with five loaves of bread and a glass vessel with red wine under them.
Ancient Christian writers did not limit themselves to the symbolic comparison of Jesus Christ with a fish. They extended this comparison to the followers of the Savior. Thus, Tertullian wrote: “ The sacrament of our water is life-giving, for, having washed away the sins of yesterday’s blindness with it, we are freed for eternal life!<…>We, fish, following our “fish” (ICHTHYS) Jesus Christ, are born in water, we preserve life only by remaining in water"(On baptism. 1.1).
Clement of Alexandria in his “Hymn to Christ the Savior” also compares the followers of Jesus Christ to fish:Eternal Joy of Life, Mortal Savior, Jesus, Shepherd, Plowman, Feeder, Bridle, Heavenly Wing of the holy flock! The fisher of men being rescued from the sea of wickedness! Catching pure fish from a wave hostile to sweet life! Lead us sheep
Shepherd of the wise!"(Teacher. Conclusion)
Father Job Gumerov