Fish are mentioned frequently in the Bible, and especially play a large part in the four Gospels. Almost all of the fishing during the life of Jesus was done on the sea of Galilee, which was only about twelve miles long and six miles broad. Several of Jesus' twelve disciples were fishermen who became fishers of men.

Fish occupied a prominent place in the Lord's miracles. There were two miracles in which loaves and fishes were used to feed large companies, and two miraculous draughts of fishes, and the fish Peter caught with the tribute money. Then, the risen Saviour had fish to feed His disciples on the shore.

It was probably because of the above facts that the early Christians used a fish as a sign that they were believers in Christ during days of persecution and trouble. It is frequently seen in the catacombs. Of particular interest is the spelling of the Greek word for fish. It has five Greek letters, which when taken separately and consecutively form the initials of the Greek words, "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour."

—Adapted