Icthus

Mark’s gospel describes the first disciples as fishermen and the reading also establishes the Christian imagery of baptism as water. Believers were thought of as water-dwellers and the net as the gospel. In early Greek “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior” presents the acronym i-ch-th-u-s which is the Greek word for fish and this symbol is prominent throughout Christian iconography. The call to discipleship continues in this time after the Epiphany and invites us to become fishers of men as part of our baptismal calling to show Christ to the world.