The early Christian church was founded on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended "like tongues of fire" to anoint the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they didn't know (Acts 2:1-4).

Peter stepped forward and preached a long sermon which resulted in the baptism of more than 3,000 believers. They joined with the other believers, meeting constantly and sharing everything with each other. Thus the early church began and started to spread throughout present day Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and Spain.

As the early Christians fervently took the news of salvation through belief in Christ throughout this region, opposition to the believers quickly arose.

The use of the Ichthus symbol began during the growth of the first century church, primarily in Rome. The Romans had begun to mercilessly persecute Christians for their faith. Many were murdered. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was jailed in Rome and subsequently murdered.

During this period of brutality, Christians found it necessary to have a secret way of identifying themselves to one another. They began to use the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from enemies. It is said that when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, they knew they were both believers. The Ichthus symbol is found throughout the 1st through 3rd-century catacombs in Rome. Persecution stopped in 312 but the symbol continued to be used throughout the Christian world.

But why the choice of the fish symbol for Christ or for Christianity? There are several hypotheses as to why this symbol was chosen: one is the miracle when Jesus fed a multitude of 5,000 people from fish and bread; another is the reference to Jesus and his disciples as "fishers of men".

The symbol is still used today to show that the bearer is a practicing Christian. The Ichthus symbol consists of two arcs, forming a fish, containing the greek letters "?????"--for the words "Jesus Christ, God and Savior." This "Jesus Fish" has become an icon of modern Christianity. The symbol can be seen in jewelry, automobile decals, clothing, and even incorporated into business logos or email addresses.

The ChristianTees website features various artistic renditions of rhinestone and/or rhinestud Christian designs that are heat pressed onto custom tees for ladies, teens, and girls (babies). Our website offers an "Ichthus" design, as well as crosses, butterflies, a peace dove, an "Emmaus" rooster and lettering such as "GOD," "Faith," "John 3:16", "Heaven Sent", "Grandma's Angel", "Mommie's Angel", and more. Go to http://www.tees-4christians.com to design a Christian T-shirt for yourself or as a gift.